900% lifespan extension with PI3K-null mutations in worms

#1

PI3K-null mutation in worms can extend lifespan by 900% (article from 16 years ago)

We now find that, after prolonged developmental times at 15-20 degrees C, they mature into extremely long-lived adults with near-normal feeding rates and motility. They survive to a median of 145-190 days at 20 degrees C, with nearly 10-fold extension of both median and maximum adult lifespan relative to N2DRM, a long-lived wild-type stock into which the null mutant was outcrossed. PI3K-null adults, although a little less thermotolerant, are considerably more resistant to oxidative and electrophilic stresses than worms bearing normal or less long-lived alleles

pi3k null mutations

5 Likes
#2

Now that is an effect.

PI3K inhibitor drugs exist and are used in cancer treatment from a quick search.

3 Likes
#3

Group that published that paper tested 2 PI3K inhibitors on the same strain of worm - but they got only 15% of lifespan extension with drugs

2 Likes
#4

So how do we get nulled

1 Like
#5

So how do we get nulled

Changing genetics before being born (or gene editing - but it is expensive and doesn’t change 100% of cells but about 10% for now)

Also, it is hard to say if it will work in mice / humans - mice and humans are more optimized, PI3K may be important to some other processes in humans that aren’t needed in worms