Imperial College discovered that switching off a protein called interleukin 11 (IL-11) prevented cancer, boosted vision and hearing, and improved metabolism, lung health and muscle function in middle-aged mice.
But if we’ve got it why did we got it? How do we know it’s good not to have it?
Humans inherited the interleukin-11 gene from fish hundreds of millions of years ago.
But while the adaptation was useful then – and still helps limb regeneration in some species – it is now thought to be largely redundant in humans, and caused thickening and scarring of the tissues and inflammation, which brings ageing and disease.
Researchers hit upon the idea that silencing IL-11 might be implicated in ageing after noticing that the protein increases dramatically in laboratory animals with age.
Well, they might be right or wong about that but at least they’ve asked the right question.
Hundreds of million years ago? And there was me thinking we’d only been around about 6 million years. Who am I to say though, I’m not a “scientist” 🙂
after noticing that the protein increases dramatically in laboratory animals with age.
They do however need to remember that correlation is not causation.
KevinS – hundreds of million years ago we were fish using our new interleukin-11 powered re-growable limbs to crawl out of the swamps, thus starting our gradual evolution into the less fishy beings we are now
“the less fishy beings we are now”. Zaichik, you’re obviously not from dahn Sarf near Londistan, where fishy beings abound…
Will it cure my fin rot ?
One wonders whether they’ll eventually be able to regenerate lost limbs?
Still, I’ll be long dead before they find that out.
“One wonders whether they’ll eventually be able to regenerate lost limbs?”
technically, most people have more than the average number of limbs.
Yeah, I read that. One can see why the gene didn’t get evolved out. It only affects the organism concerned after it’s done the bulk or all of its breeding.
One wonders whether they’ll eventually be able to regenerate lost limbs?
Certainly possible. I once took the tip of a finger off using an industrial wood planer. About 1/3 inch including some bone. Look at it now you wouldn’t think it had ever happened.
(Of course maybe that was because I declined to go to hospital & got the vet who had the premises next door to deal with it. If he was good enough for the dogs… If I’d relied on the NHS I probably would have lost the arm.)
If they can measure the protein in mice they can presumably measure it in humans. Post mortem quantity, record age at (natural) death. Prove or disprove the hypothesis by correlation.
Looks like IL-11 controls the speed of cellular regeneration. Too fast and you get cancer, too slow and the slightest injury takes months to heal. Being able to control the level during cancer treatment does indeed sound useful.