Human protein supplied in food extends lifespan in worms
Laboratory experiments found that worms fed the protein through bacteria lived longer and stayed healthy longer without reduced fertility.
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Interventions- Studied:
- Preprint: experiments in model organisms
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Caenorhabditis elegans worms given human HSP90 through Escherichia coli bacteria lived longer and stayed healthy longer in laboratory experiments. HSP90 is a protein that helps other proteins keep their shape. The lifespan benefit came without fertility trade-offs.
The authors suggested that the supplied HSP90 likely acted as a signal outside cells, activating three proteins that control gene activity and are linked to longevity. Combining dietary HSP90 with tanespimycin, a drug that inhibits HSP90, had an additive effect on longevity. The team also engineered an antibiotic-free strain of E. coli Nissle 1917 to continuously produce HSP90. These bacteria extended worm lifespan.
Why it matters
Loss of the ability to maintain working proteins contributes to aging. The authors’ interpretation offers a possible way to reconcile HSP90’s protein-maintenance role with the lifespan benefits of inhibiting it.
Caveats
Worm experiments leave open whether dietary HSP90 would have similar effects in people. The report is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed.
The paper
Univ. Ulsan Coll. Med. Physiology
bioRxiv, Nov 13, 2026, Open access, CC BY-NC, Preprint, not yet peer-reviewed
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