Vitality genes

Vitality genes are those that increase lifespan at the cellular and organism level¹.

• Siturins
• Rapamycin (TOR) - proteins that regulate growth and metabolism. TOR itself is regulated by nutrients. Upregulates protein production when amino acids are abundant. When TOR is inhibited, it causes the cell to reuse old cellular components and divide less.
• AMPK - a metabolic control enzyme which evolved to respond to low energy levels.
• DAF16
  • Gene that pushes cells away from cell death and toward stress resistance.
  • Works by a transcription factor mechanism that attaches to the TTGTTTAC DNA sequence.
  • Four genes in mammals: FOXO1, FOXO3, FOXO4, FOXO6
  • Some variants of FOXO3 have been associated with long life in humans. Having a C instead of a T variant at position rs2764264 is associated with a long life.

1. PhD, D. A. S. & LaPlante, M. D. Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To. (Atria Books, New York, 2019).