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Sci. Aging Knowl. Environ., 30 October 2002
Vol. 2002, Issue 43, p. pe17
[DOI: 10.1126/sageke.2002.43.pe17]

PERSPECTIVES

Of Worms, Flies, Dwarfs, and Things That Go Bump in the Night

William E. Sonntag, and Melinda M. Ramsey

The authors are in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. E-mail: wsonntag{at}wfubmc.edu (W.E.S.)

http://sageke.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sageke;2002/43/pe17

Key Words: C. elegans • daf-2 • daf-16 • insulin-like growth factor 1 • IGF-1 • life-span

Abstract: Studies over the past several years have found that antagonism of the insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling pathway increases life-span in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila. However, a persistent problem in these studies is the fact that the genetic mutation has effects on the development of the organism as well as on reproductive function. These effects act as potential confounding variables that complicate the interpretation of results. Kenyon and colleagues circumvent these issues by suppressing the insulin/IGF-1-like daf-2 signaling pathway at specific stages in the life-span of C. elegans. The results of their investigation challenge our understanding of the evolution of aging and provide opportunities for future studies in mammalian models.

Citation: W. E. Sonntag, M. M. Ramsey, Of Worms, Flies, Dwarfs, and Things That Go Bump in the Night. Science's SAGE KE (30 October 2002), http://sageke.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sageke;2002/43/pe17

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Science of Aging Knowledge Environment. ISSN 1539-6150