Exceptional longevity appears to have a genetic basis, clustering in families. Tim Cash, from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO; Spain), and colleagues sequenced a total of seven exomes from exceptionally long-lived siblings (103 years of age and older, with at least one sibling 97 years or older) that come from three separate families. The team observed that exactly one gene was found carrying rare variants in all the long-lived siblings of the three families, namely, APOB. APOB has been linked by previous studies to hypobetalipoproteinemia, a putative “longevity syndrome.” APOB is involved in lipid transport, thus suggesting cholesterol and lipid metabolism as an important determinant of human longevity.
Cholesterol – Longevity Connection
Cash TP, Pita G, Domínguez O, Alonso MR, Moreno LT, Serrano M, et al. “Exome sequencing of three cases of familial exceptional longevity.” Aging Cell. 2014 Aug 12. doi: 10.1111/acel.12261.
