Work

Fitness cost of extended lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans

Year: 2004

Type: article

Abstract: An insulin/IGF-I-like signalling pathway determines the rate of aging of the adult nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Mutations in genes encoding this pathway can result in a doubling of lifespan. While such mutations may appear to have little effect on development or fertility, evolutionary theory predicts that large increases in lifespan will not be optimal for fitness. We demonstrate by laboratory natural selection that partial loss of function of the insulin receptor-like protein DAF-2 results in dramatically reduced fitness even under laboratory conditions. Despite long-lived mutants appearing healthy, they exhibit a heavy fitness cost consistent with an evolutionary theory of aging.

Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2004.2897

Authors: Nicole L. Jenkins, Gawain McColl, Gordon J. Lithgow

Institution: Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Language: English

Topic: Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms

Subfield: Aging

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute on Aging

Awards: Lifespan determination and stress response in C. elegans, Comparative Biology of p53, Checkpoint and Longevity