Researchers may have identified cataract gene

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic believe they have discovered the gene responsible for the onset of aging, including age-related disorders such as cataracts, the clinic announced in a press release.

Genetically modified mice were studied, and researchers determined the BubR1 gene governs production of a protein that modulates physical aging. According to the press release, mice without the protein began to prematurely age.

J. Douglas Cameron, MD, helped the researchers determine that mice with low amounts of BubR1 developed cataracts very similar to age-related cataracts found in humans.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, and the study is published in the July issue of Nature Genetics.