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Cell biology

FOXO

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FOXO transcription factors (Forkhead box O) are downstream effectors of the insulin/IGF-1 pathway that regulate genes governing stress resistance, DNA repair, autophagy, and antioxidant defense. When insulin/IGF-1 signaling is low, FOXO enters the nucleus and activates protective transcriptional programs. FOXO3 variants are among the most reproducibly associated genetic markers of human exceptional longevity, observed across centenarian cohorts in multiple ethnicities.

Sources

  1. Willcox et al.. (2008). FOXO3A genotype is strongly associated with human longevity. *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences*doi:10.1073/pnas.0801030105
  2. Webb AE, Brunet A. (2014). FOXO transcription factors: key regulators of cellular quality control. *Trends in Biochemical Sciences*doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2014.02.003
  3. Flachsbart F, Caliebe A, Kleindorp R, et al.. (2009). Association of FOXO3A variation with human longevity confirmed in German centenarians. *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences*doi:10.1073/pnas.0809594106