Researchers here investigate another portion of the mechanisms of metabolism that are influenced by calorie restriction and many of the known longevity genes. This sort of discovery helps to fill in a very complicated landscape of intertwining effects and controllers of effects - at some point in the not too distant future the research community will be able to set out a complete map of how all of the longevity genes and known ways to extend life in laboratory animals relate to one another and work through an overlapping set of mechanisms:

In this study, we demonstrated that the overexpression of fatty-acid-?-oxidation-related genes extended median and maximum lifespan [in flies] and increased stress resistance, suggesting that the level of fatty-acid ?-oxidation regulates lifespan.

Consistent with our results, many investigations have suggested fatty-acid ?-oxidation as a lifespan determinant. One of the well-known longevity-candidate genes, AMPK reportedly regulates fatty-acid synthesis and oxidation. Moreover, calorie restriction and [insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling (IIS)] have been reported to promote fatty-acid ?-oxidation. In addition, enigma mutant, which exhibits oxidative stress resistance and a longevity phenotype, was found to encode a fatty-acid-?-oxidation related enzyme. ... However, the present study is the first to provide direct evidence that the modulation of fatty-acid-?-oxidation components extends lifespan.

Our data showed that lifespan extension by dietary restriction decreased with the overexpression of fatty-acid ?-oxidation-related genes, indicating that lifespan extension by fatty-acid-?-oxidation components is associated with dietary restriction. It was previously reported that calorie restriction increased whole-body-fat oxidation. Energy deprivation subsequent to calorie restriction activates AMPK, which subsequently enables the increase of fatty-acid oxidation necessary to utilize the energy resource. These findings suggested that fatty acid oxidation and dietary restriction are related by same underlying mechanisms.

Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3446750/

Source:
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