IGF-1 and Centenarians
The New Scientist reports on more results of the study of Ashkenazi Jewish centenarians: researchers have "identified gene variants that make people live longer. Men may miss out, as all carriers identified so far are women. They are also slightly shorter than average. ... Both mutations affect the receptor for insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), a driver of bodily growth and maturity, especially during puberty. By making the receptor slightly faulty, the mutations may disrupt IGF1 binding and decelerate the process of maturation and ageing. In support, they found circulating levels of IGF1 to be 37% higher in carriers of the mutation, probably to compensate for the underperforming receptor. Carriers were also 2.5 centimetres shorter on average than the general population. ... This milestone result will no doubt stimulate a worldwide search for IGF1 mutations in other centenarian populations." As the short piece notes, the research community has ammassed a wide range of results on IGF-1 and longevity in lower animals.
Link: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13403-longlife-genes-found-in-100yearold-humans.html