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Kenyon’s Worms: Treating HD and Slowing Down Aging

What can studying worms possibly tell us about HD? If one genetically alters the worms in a certain way, they can reveal a lot about treating the disease. Cynthia Kenyon of UCSF uses small, transparent roundworms (C. elegans) that have a normal lifespan of 20 days and genetically modifies them so that they live six times longer (about 125 days). The human equivalent is a lifespan of over 400 years! Other researchers at Harvard Medical School and in France conducted a similar experiment on mice and found that these animals lived 26% longer than usual. The results of these studies seem to indicate that lifespan can be manipulated with relatively simple alterations of a few key genes.

Longevity may not be the only benefit of this genetic tweaking. Kenyon’s worms did not contract any diseases associated with advanced age until the very end of their lives-a discovery that has implications for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and HD. Since the primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s is old age, and the onset of HD symptoms is usually during middle age, extending the lifespan may delay their onset for quite some time.

The gene that Kenyon adjusted is called daf-2, which allows the worms’ cells to respond to a hormone similar to human insulin. Daf-2 controls at least 100 other genes. Some of these genes ward off disease, and others act as antioxidants, protecting the worms against damage over time from free radicals in the environment. Humans and mice have three genes that are similar to daf-2 in worms. Kenyon believes that daf-2-like genes developed early in the evolution of many organisms as a protective measure against damaging forces like ultraviolet light, changes in temperature, and free radicals.

Some scientists doubt that the longevity experiments on worms and mice can be applied to humans-at least in the near future. For more information, read the article.

Last Modified: 04/12/2007

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