THE discovery of a gene that doubles a fly’s lifespan could help researchers
unravel the connection between metabolism and ageing. The gene, dubbed
Indy—for “I’m not dead yet”—seems to mimic the effect of a
low-calorie diet, which is known to prolong life.
Stephen Helfand and his colleagues at the University of Connecticut ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ
Center in Farmington found that flies with one mutated Indy gene lived
an average of 70 days, compared with 37 days for normal flies. Indy
turns out to code for a protein that transports key metabolic chemicals into
cells (Science, vol 290, p 2137). “It’s…
