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RandomFactor writes:

In a new paper published in the journal Cell, Scientists identify a protein that improves DNA repair functions and show that variations resulting in improved repair capability in longer lived species is associated with their increased longevity.

The gene sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) organizes proteins and enzymes that repair broken DNA. Mice without the gene age prematurely while mice with extra copies live longer. Researchers hypothesized that SIRT6 activity co-evolved and was more efficient in longer lived species. To confirm this

using a panel of 18 rodent species with diverse lifespans, we show that more robust DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, but not nucleotide excision repair (NER), coevolves with longevity.

Additionally, introducing stronger variants of the gene protein (from longer lived animals) into shorter lived organisms (such as fruit flies) reduced stress-induced DNA damage and increased lifespans.

Humans are already a long lived species with optimized SIRT6, however according to the researchers

"we have other species that are even longer lived than humans," [Andrei Seluanov, professor of biology at the University of Rochester] says. Next steps in the research involve analyzing whether species that have longer lifespans than humans—like the bowhead whale, which can live more than 200 years—have evolved even more robust SIRT6 genes.

The ultimate goal is to develop interventions that delay cancer and other degenerative diseases.

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