衰老是一個(gè)復(fù)雜的生物學(xué)過程，是人類壽命和許多疾病的基礎(chǔ)，而人類的壽命與個(gè)體細(xì)胞的衰老有關(guān)。近日，加州大學(xué)圣地亞哥分校郝楠團(tuán)隊(duì)通過合成生物學(xué)重新編程細(xì)胞衰老的過程，在酵母細(xì)胞內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)了一個(gè)合成基因振蕩器，將酵母細(xì)胞壽命延長(zhǎng)了82%。

酵母細(xì)胞有一個(gè)轉(zhuǎn)錄開關(guān)，導(dǎo)致它們以兩種方式中的一種死亡:一種是核仁衰退，另一種是線粒體衰變。通過將這種轉(zhuǎn)錄開關(guān)重新連接到負(fù)反饋回路中，能夠使酵母細(xì)胞在兩種狀態(tài)之間振蕩，并將其壽命延長(zhǎng)。

The pioneering method, which was found to work in yeast cells, requires genetically rewiring a circuit to allow the cells to continuously oscillate between two deteriorative processes instead of succumbing to either.
研究人員對(duì)細(xì)胞回路進(jìn)行基因重組，通過切換和調(diào)控細(xì)胞在兩種不同衰老路線中的行進(jìn)，從而延緩細(xì)胞衰老。

The result is an increased cellular lifespan through a delay in the commitment to aging.
通過延緩衰老過程，從而有效延長(zhǎng)壽命。

Molecular biology professor Nan Hao described the circuit responsible for aging as a “toggle switch” that triggers the cells' progression toward death.
郝楠稱，控制衰老的回路就像一個(gè)觸發(fā)細(xì)胞死亡程序的撥動(dòng)開關(guān)。

“This is the first time computationally guided synthetic biology and engineering principles were used to rationally redesign gene circuits and reprogram the aging process to effectively promote longevity,” Hao said in a statement.
郝楠表示：“這是第一次利用計(jì)算引導(dǎo)的合成生物學(xué)和工程原理來合理地重新設(shè)計(jì)基因回路和重新編程衰老過程，從而有效地延長(zhǎng)壽命?！?/p>

Hao believes the process can eventually be replicated to apply to humans.
郝楠認(rèn)為這個(gè)過程最終可以被復(fù)制以應(yīng)用于人類。

In a commentary, Howard Salis, an associate professor of biological and chemical engineering at Penn State University, said human cells contain similar — albeit more complex — age-committing genetic circuitry, making the same method of rewiring a possibility.
賓夕法尼亞州立大學(xué)生物和化學(xué)工程副教授霍華德·薩利斯評(píng)論稱，人類細(xì)胞存在類似的，但更復(fù)雜的衰老相關(guān)遺傳回路，這使得重新布線的方法成為可能。

The recent study, titled “Engineering longevity — design of a synthetic gene oscillator to slow cellular aging,” was published in the journal Science last week. 
該研究論文上周發(fā)表在《科學(xué)》期刊，題目為《編輯長(zhǎng)壽，研究設(shè)計(jì)一種合成基因振蕩器減緩細(xì)胞衰老》。

編輯：董靜，李蕙帆（實(shí)習(xí)）
來源：Next Shark，澎湃新聞