You need collagen for longevity

Scientists at the Joslin Diabetes Center studied aging in a millimeter long nematode They found that different ways of prolonging life, such as calorie restriction and rapamycin treatment, affect the expression of collagen and other extracellular matrix proteins (ECM), which are important frameworks for supporting tissues, organs and bones The papers were published in nature on December 15   This study provides important new clues for people to develop better drugs to delay aging and treat various chronic diseases related to aging   "In order to study several major longevity strategies, we conducted genetic, nutritional and drug interventions on nematodes Studies have shown that these interventions increase the expression of collagen and other ECM genes and promote ECM remodeling, "said T Keith Blackwell, co-author of the article "In fact, overexpression of some of these genes does make nematodes live longer."
This study indicates that the production of collagen and other ECM components is critical to the longevity of nematodes This means that promoting ECM remodeling will delay aging, Dr Blackwell said Nematode is an ideal model for aging research because it has a short life span and is easy to operate genes (extended reading: new findings in cell Journal: microRNA processing affects longevity)
Collagen is the main structural protein of connective tissue, accounting for about one third of the total protein of human body "Collagen is everywhere, they're like scaffolding for tissue, giving it elasticity and strength," Dr Blackwell said   ECM structure will gradually decline with age, collagen is also considered to be related to a variety of human diseases, including diabetes complications, cardiovascular disease, bone disease and kidney disease Previous studies on aging have mostly focused on mechanisms that protect or regenerate cells, and this study suggests that everything is linked to ECM "This is a very important finding that can affect many areas," commented George king, chief scientist at the Joslin Diabetes Center   Joslin team established two life styles of fast and famine in the online worms, and thus analyzed two key molecular pathways Both of these pathways are related to insulin and IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor 1) IGF-1 is a hormone with similar molecular structure to insulin One of these pathways allows nematodes to hibernate in order to better tolerate extreme temperatures, food shortages and other pressures, and when conditions improve, they can return to normal life Another pathway is closer to human beings, which needs to activate the skn-1 gene Skn-1 is a main regulator that controls many stress defense mechanisms, which is equivalent to Nrf1 / 2 / 3 of human regulator   "In the aging process, the maintenance of the body's tissues is deteriorating," said Colin Ewald, the first author of the article "The ultimate goal of aging research is to extend human life while ensuring health The high level of collagen gene expression was also detected in other laboratories when longevity research was carried out But these studies mainly focus on the internal process of cells, and do not study this phenomenon in depth "
Previous studies have shown that extending the life of mice through drugs or genetic modification will make their tendons stronger and more elastic This study is the first to test the possibility of ECM remodeling to resist aging, which opens a new direction of longevity research for people On this basis, researchers will be able to develop better drugs to delay aging and treat chronic diseases.