Welcome to the LSU Neuroscience - Center of Excellence S. Michal Jazwinski, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, LSU Health Sciences Center. Ph.D., Stanford University, 1975. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Yeast is probably the simplest organism that ages.
Dr. S. Michal Jazwinski's laboratory uses baker's yeast to identify the genes that determine longevity. Fourteen such genes have been identified and cloned thus far. Many of them possess human homologues. The proteins they encode exhibit a variety of biochemical functions, implicating a variety of physiologic processes in aging. These processes include metabolic control, resistance to stress, and gene dysregulation.