Hacking Metabolism
Falling costs of biotechnology are making it ever more feasible to explore and experiment with the complexities of metabolism. I expect to see some success in engineering better mammalian biochemistry over the next two decades, with the aim of extending healthy life and slowing the changes and damage that cause aging. An example of the type: "Glucose tolerance progressively declines with age in humans and is often accompanied by insulin resistance and a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Little is known about the mechanism underlying the age-related changes in glucose metabolism. Here we reported that acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) is functionally expressed in adipose cells. ASIC3(-/-) mice were protected against age-dependent glucose intolerance with enhanced insulin sensitivity. Acute administration of ASIC3-selective blocker APETx2 improved the glucose control and increased the insulin sensitivity in older (25-27 weeks) ASIC3(+/+) mice. ... Taken together, our data suggest that ASIC3 signaling might be involved in the control of age-dependent glucose intolerance and insulin resistance." It has been surprising to see just how many comparatively minor changes improve either the life span of mice, or the quality of their metabolic processes.