What is the Origin of Longevity Signaling Cascades?

This term is central to the field of geroscience, derived from the discovery of conserved pathways that regulate lifespan across various organisms. The cascades metaphor highlights the sequential, amplifying nature of the signaling events, where a small initial signal leads to a large, coordinated cellular response. Key pathways like mTOR, AMPK, and sirtuins define this domain.

What is the Mechanism of Longevity Signaling Cascades?

The main cascades include the mTOR pathway, which senses nutrient abundance and promotes growth, and the AMPK pathway, which senses low energy and promotes catabolism and cellular cleanup. Sirtuins, activated by NAD+ and caloric restriction, act as deacetylases, promoting DNA repair and metabolic efficiency. Therapeutic strategies focus on pharmacologically or nutritionally shifting the balance from pro-growth (mTOR) toward pro-survival and repair (AMPK and Sirtuins) to enhance cellular longevity.

Longevity Signaling Cascades

Meaning

A group of interconnected intracellular biochemical pathways that sense the cell’s metabolic status and environmental stress, ultimately dictating the cellular response related to repair, survival, and lifespan extension. These cascades are the master regulators of the aging process, influencing everything from DNA repair to mitochondrial function. Modulating these signals is a primary goal of anti-aging medicine.