Recently, the reporter learned from Southwest University that Professor Fang Yin's team from the National Key Laboratory of Efficient Breeding and Utilization of Resource Insects at the university has discovered a new gene OSER1 that regulates lifespan, and has revealed its conservative mechanism of delaying aging and extending lifespan in research on multiple species such as silkworms. The relevant research results were recently published online in the international academic journal Nature Communications. Dai Fangyin introduced that forkhead box protein O is one of the few human longevity genes currently identified, which can regulate aging related pathways and affect lifespan. However, the targets mediating these effects are currently unclear. In this regard, the research team first identified that the secondary structure of forkhead box protein O is highly conserved among different animal models, providing a basis for screening forkhead box protein O target genes using silkworms. The research team identified 42 candidate target genes for forkhead box protein O in silkworms, and then used a high-efficiency interference platform for nematodes to conduct interference experiments on these candidate target genes among homologous genes in nematodes. It was found that the reduction in OSER1 homologous gene expression in nematodes resulted in the greatest reduction in lifespan. Comparative analysis was conducted on nematodes, silkworms, fruit flies, zebrafish, Xenopus laevis, mice, rhesus monkeys, and humans, and it was found that OSER1 is a homologous gene in their genomes According to Song Jiangbo, the first author of the paper and associate professor at the National Key Laboratory of Efficient Breeding and Utilization of Resource Insects at Southwest University, increasing the expression of OSER1 significantly extended the lifespan of three species: silkworms, nematodes, and fruit flies. To elucidate the mechanism by which OSER1 regulates longevity, the research team conducted a series of molecular biology experiments in silkworms, nematodes, and fruit flies. The research results indicate that OSER1 is a direct target gene of forkhead box protein O, which can respond to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide and prolong lifespan by enhancing the body's defense against oxidative stress. (New Society)