Hydrogen sulfide: the gas that fuels longevity.

ABSTRACT: The molecular determinants of lifespan can be examined in animal models with the long-term objective of applying what is learned to the development of strategies to enhance longevity in humans. Here, we comment on a recent publication examining the molecular mechanisms that determine lifespan in worms, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), where it was shown that inhibiting protein synthesis increased levels of the transcription factor, ATF4. Gene expression analyses showed that ATF4 increased the expression of genes responsible for the formation of the gas, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). Further examination showed that H₂S increased longevity in C. elegans by modifying proteins in ways that stabilize their structures and enhance their functions. H_2<

SUBMITTER: Blackwood EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9912355 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature