Overview

• Researchers found caffeine activates AMP-activated protein kinase, an ancient cellular energy sensor conserved from yeast to humans, clarifying that it does not directly interact with the TOR growth regulator.
• Activation of AMPK by caffeine influences cell growth rates, enhances DNA repair processes and boosts stress-response pathways tied to aging and disease resilience.
• AMPK is also the target of metformin, a diabetes drug under investigation for its lifespan-extending properties, highlighting shared mechanisms that may inform anti-aging therapies.
• These benefits depend on the presence of proteins Ssp1 and Ssp2, and they can amplify DNA damage in cells with existing genetic lesions.
• Using a fission yeast model, scientists plan to explore how dietary or pharmacological strategies could more precisely trigger these anti-aging pathways in human cells.