Brin: Calorie Restriction

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121145404.htm

The vacuole -- and its counterpart in humans and other organisms, the =

lysosome -- has two main jobs: degrading proteins and storing molecular =

building blocks for the cell. To perform those jobs, the interior of the =

vacuole must be highly acidic.

Hughes and Gottschling found that the vacuole becomes less acidic =

relatively early in the yeast cell's lifespan and, critically, that the =

drop in acidity hinders the vacuole's ability to store certain =

nutrients. This, in turn, disrupts the mitochondria's energy source, =

causing them to break down. Conversely, when Hughes prevented the drop =

in vacuolar acidity, the mitochondria's function and shape were =

preserved and the yeast cells lived longer.

"Until now, the vacuole's role in breaking down proteins was thought to =

be of primary importance. We were surprised to learn it was the storage =

function, not protein degradation, that appears to cause mitochondrial =

dysfunction in aging yeast cells," Hughes said.

The unexpected discovery prompted Hughes and Gottschling to investigate =

the effects of calorie restriction, which is known to extend the =

lifespan of yeast, worms, flies and mammals, on vacuolar acidity. They =

found that calorie restriction -- that is, limiting the raw material =

cells need -- delays aging at least in part by boosting the acidity of =

the vacuole.


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"It=92s cheap to maintain Lies and expensive to maintain Trvth."
--KZK's Maxim