At the very least, it seems that some genetic determinants of longevity and ageing are conserved across animal groups

David Gems, University College London

"We found that if we had an extra piece of a chromosome that contained this gene, SIR2, the worms lived longer," said Leonard Guarente, the head of the MIT research team.

"The worms with the extra section containing the SIR2 gene lived extraordinarily long," he added.

The finding is surprising given that even the humble worm is much more complex than single-celled yeast. The researchers believe that similar genes could be linked to ageing in all organisms, including humans.

"What's true in yeast and worms is probably generally true in all organisms, because these (two) organisms are so divergent," said Dr Guarente.

Genetic clue

The MIT team is already experimenting with the genetic makeup of mice to study ageing.

However mice, like humans, have seven similar equivalent genes and the same process could involve one or all or a combination of them.

Some experts believe that the research, reported in the journal Nature, could yield clues to human ageing.

"At the very least, it seems that some genetic determinants of longevity and ageing are conserved across animal groups - a fact that will encourage those studying ageing in model organisms," said David Gems of University College, London, UK, in a Nature commentary.