Despite massive technological advances in mammalian models in recent years, studies in yeast still have the power to inform on the basic mechanisms of aging. Illustrating this, in Nan Hao’s recent article published in the journal Science, he and his lab use microfluidics and fluorescent imaging technology to analyze the dynamics and interactions of aging mechanisms within yeast cells. They focused in on the Sir2 gene and the heme activator protein and, through the manipulation of these two molecular aging pathways, were able to determine that yeast cells can undergo one of three modes of aging, with one of them having a significantly longer lifespan than the others. These findings provide unexpected insights into mechanisms of aging, apparently as regulated fate-decision process, and open up avenues for future research.

尽管近年来哺乳动物模型取得了巨大的技术进步，但酵母研究仍然有能力了解衰老的基本机制。说明这一点，在南浩最近发表在《科学》杂志上的文章中，他和他的实验室使用微流体和荧光成像技术来分析酵母细胞内衰老机制的动态和相互作用。他们专注于Sir2基因和血红素激活蛋白，并通过操纵这两种分子衰老途径，能够确定酵母细胞可以经历三种衰老模式中的一种，其中一种的寿命明显长于其他。这些发现为衰老机制提供了意想不到的见解，显然是受监管的命运决定过程，并为未来的研究开辟了道路。