People Over 100 Share Genetic Blip, Study Says
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Scientists have identified a common genetic mutation in people over 100 years old.
In a study of 52 Italian centenarians published in the Feb. 4 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Caltech researchers reported that centenarians were five times more likely than others to have the same mutation in their mitochondrial DNA. Researchers found that 17% had a specific mutation called C150T transition, compared with only 3.4% of 117 people under the age of 99.
