Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Sci. Signal., 9 March 2010
Vol. 3, Issue 112, p. ec75
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.3112ec75]

EDITORS' CHOICE

Aging Sestrin and the Consequences of Aging

L. Bryan Ray

Science, Science Signaling, AAAS, Washington, DC 20005, USA

The protein kinase TOR (target of rapamycin) plays key roles in the control of fundamental biological processes, including growth, metabolism, aging, and immune function. Sestrin proteins show increased abundance in response to stress and have been implicated in control of TOR activity. Lee et al. (see the Perspective by Topisirovic and Sonenberg) characterized Drosophila fruit flies lacking sestrins. Sestrins were implicated in a negative feedback loop in which the abundance of sestrins is controlled by TOR activity, with sestrins concomitantly also inhibiting activity of TOR. Furthermore, flies lacking sestrins showed accumulation of fat, muscle degeneration, and heart abnormalities similar to those that plague aging humans with a sedentary life-style.

J. H. Lee, A. V. Budanov, E. J. Park, R. Birse, T. E. Kim, G. A. Perkins, K. Ocorr, M. H. Ellisman, R. Bodmer, E. Bier, M. Karin, Sestrin as a feedback inhibitor of TOR that prevents age-related pathologies. Science 327, 1223–1228 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text]

I. Topisirovic, N. Sonenberg, Burn out or fade away? Science 327, 1210–1211 (2010). [Summary] [Full Text]

Citation: L. B. Ray, Sestrin and the Consequences of Aging. Sci. Signal. 3, ec75 (2010).

To Advertise     Find Products

Science Signaling. ISSN 1937-9145 (online), 1945-0877 (print). Pre-2008: Science's STKE. ISSN 1525-8882