Sci-Bytes> Hot Paper in Biology
Week of January 30, 2011
"Rapamycin fed late in life extends lifespan in genetically heterogeneous mice," by David E. Harrison and 13 others, Nature, 460(7253): 392-5, 16 July 2009.
[Authors' affiliations: 10 U.S. institutions]
Abstract: "Inhibition of the TOR signalling pathway by
genetic or pharmacological intervention extends lifespan in invertebrates,
including yeast, nematodes and fruitflies(1-5); however, whether inhibition
of mTOR signalling can extend lifespan in a mammalian species was unknown.
Here we report that rapamycin, an inhibitor of the mTOR pathway, extends
median and maximal lifespan of both male and female mice when fed beginning
at 600 days of age. On the basis of age at 90% mortality, rapamycin led to
an increase of 14% for females and 9% for males. The effect was seen at
three independent test sites in genetically heterogeneous mice, chosen to
avoid genotype-specific effects on disease susceptibility. Disease patterns
of rapamycin-treated mice did not differ from those of control mice. In a
separate study, rapamycin fed to mice beginning at 270 days of age also
increased survival in both males and females, based on an interim analysis
conducted near the median survival point. Rapamycin may extend lifespan by
postponing death from cancer, by retarding mechanisms of ageing, or both.
To our knowledge, these are the first results to demonstrate a role for
mTOR signalling in the regulation of mammalian lifespan, as well as
pharmacological extension of lifespan in both genders. These findings have
implications for further development of interventions targeting mTOR for
the treatment and prevention of age-related diseases."
This 2009 report from Nature was cited 35 times
in current journal articles indexed by Clarivate during
September-October 2010. During that two-month period, only one other
biology paper published in the last two years, aside from reviews, garnered
a higher number of citations. Prior to the most recent bimonthly tally,
citations to the paper have accrued as follows:
July-August 2010: 26 citations
May-June 2010: 17
March-April 2010: 37
January-February 2010: 11
November-December 2009: 14
September-October 2009: 11
July-August 2009: 1
Total citations to date: 152
SOURCE: Hot Papers Database (Included with a subscription to the print newsletter Science Watch®, available from the Research Services Group of Thomson Reuters. Packaged on a CD that is mailed with each Science Watch issue, the Hot Papers Database contains data on hundreds of highly cited papers published during the last two years. User interface permits searching by author, organization, journal, field, and more. Total citations, as well as citations accrued during successive bimonthly periods, can be assessed and graphed.
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