Abstract
Several studies have shown that genetic factors account for 25% of the variation in human life span. On the basis of published molecular, genetic and epidemiological data, we hypothesized that genetic polymorphisms of taste receptors, which modulate food preferences but are also expressed in a number of organs and regulate food absorption processing and metabolism, could modulate the aging process. Using a tagging approach, we investigated the possible associations between longevity and the common genetic variation at the three bitter taste receptor gene clusters on chromosomes 5, 7 and 12 in a population of 941 individuals ranging in age from 20 to 106 years from the South of Italy. We found that one polymorphism, rs978739, situated 212 bp upstream of the TAS2R16 gene, shows a statistically significant association (p = 0.001) with longevity. In particular, the frequency of A/A homozygotes increases gradually from 35% in subjects aged 20 to 70 up to 55% in centenarians. These data provide suggestive evidence on the possible correlation between human longevity and taste genetics.
Highlights
Several studies including various genome wide association studies have demonstrated the existence of an important familial and genetic component of longevity [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
Twin studies have highlighted that approximately 25% of the overall variation in human lifespan can be attributed to genetic factors [10,11,12], which becomes more relevant after 60 years of age [13]
Based on the results obtained in model organisms, the research on the genetic component of human longevity has been focused on conserved pathways related to stress response signalling, DNA repair and to the storage and the use of nutrients [14,15]
Summary
Several studies including various genome wide association studies have demonstrated the existence of an important familial and genetic component of longevity [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Based on the results obtained in model organisms, the research on the genetic component of human longevity has been focused on conserved pathways related to stress response signalling, DNA repair and to the storage and the use of nutrients [14,15]. Studies on centenarians or long-lived subjects allowed to identify specific genes and genotypes involved in these pathways that influence human lifespan (for reviews see [16,17,18,19]). The variability and the expression of the genes involved in the storage and the use of the nutrients showed to influence both longevity and the quality of the aging [14,20]. On the basis of these molecular, genetic and epidemiological data from the literature we hypothesized that genetic polymorphisms of taste receptors, which modulate food preferences but are expressed in a number of organs and regulate food absorption and processing, could modulate the aging process
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