More on FOXO3A
A little more depth on the recent association of FOXO3A with human longevity from Ouroboros: "Mutations in genes involved in the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway (IIS) improve longevity in animal models ... The authors hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FOXO related genes could be responsible for the differing longevity phenotypes between the long-lived and average-lived [human] cohorts. Five genes, ADIPOQ, FOXO1A, FOXO3A, SIRT1, and COQ7 were selected as candidates, and three SNPs were analyzed per gene. Despite the small number of genes and SNPs analyzed, the researchers identified FOXO3A as being significantly associated with the long-lived phenotype. Genotype analysis revealed that long-lived study participants had one or more copies of the 'G' allele in the FOXO3A gene. The authors state that this finding is especially exciting because the FOXO family of proteins are closely related to the C. elegans protein, DAF-16, which has been shown to protect cells from oxidative stress, which could be a 'plausible mechanism of action for modification of human aging.'"
Link: http://ouroboros.wordpress.com/2008/09/15/foxo3a-allele-linked-to-longevity/