Good news! Towards longevity!
"... The research revealed that in a certain species of ant this anti-aging pathway is activated when workers transition to the position of queen and helps the insects live five times longer. ...
queens tend to live for between four and five years, while workers barely last longer than seven months. ...
Here the researchers discovered that when the ant’s ovary production kicks into gear another protein is expressed. Called Imp-L2, the molecule is described as a kind of “anti-insulin” protein. This protein blocks insulin signaling in different pathway found in fat cells and it's this mechanism that is thought to trigger the incredible lifespan-extending feature of the queen. ..."
queens tend to live for between four and five years, while workers barely last longer than seven months. ...
Here the researchers discovered that when the ant’s ovary production kicks into gear another protein is expressed. Called Imp-L2, the molecule is described as a kind of “anti-insulin” protein. This protein blocks insulin signaling in different pathway found in fat cells and it's this mechanism that is thought to trigger the incredible lifespan-extending feature of the queen. ..."
From the abstract:
"In most organisms, reproduction is correlated with shorter life span. However, the reproductive queen in eusocial insects exhibits a much longer life span than that of workers. In Harpegnathos ants, when the queen dies, workers can undergo an adult caste switch to reproductive pseudo-queens (gamergates), exhibiting a five-times prolonged life span. To explore the relation between reproduction and longevity, we compared gene expression during caste switching. Insulin expression is increased in the gamergate brain that correlates with increased lipid synthesis and production of vitellogenin in the fat body, both transported to the egg. This results from activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) branch of the insulin signaling pathway. By contrast, the production in the gamergate developing ovary of anti-insulin Imp-L2 leads to decreased signaling of the AKT/forkhead box O (FOXO) branch in the fat body, which is consistent with their extended longevity."
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