Chinese scientists say they have determined the P16 gene is the
major link in the genetic program of cell aging, a major step in
deciphering the secret to growing old.
Han Qide, an academician at the Chinese Academy of
Sciences, described this genetic discovery on Thursday as an
original contribution to Chinese research on the mechanism of
aging. Han said it opened up a new path for the scientific
community to decode the secret of human cell aging.
Using funding from 18 different sources over the last few years,
the discovery was made by a group of experts headed by Tong Tanjun
and Zhang Zongyu, professors from the Medical Department of Peking
University.
The American Journal of Biological Chemistry published two
papers on the research results last December, and they were
included in the "Science Citation Index."
The two Chinese experts said they also found the P16 gene can
affect the life span of cells and the cellular biological clock
length.
The experts also proved by four different means that controlling
the expression of the P16 gene not only prolongs the life span of
the cell and reduces the level of aging but also slows down the
shortening of the cellular biological clock length.
(Xinhua News
Agency February 1, 2002)