Genes That Regulate Both Development and Longevity in Caenorhabditis Elegans

Overview

Journal Genetics

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Genetics

Date 1995 Apr 1

PMID 7789761

Citations 219

Authors

P L Larsen

P S Albert

D L Riddle

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans responds to conditions of overcrowding and limited food by arresting development as a dauer larva. Genetic analysis of mutations that alter dauer larva formation (daf mutations) is presented along with an updated genetic pathway for dauer vs. nondauer development. Mutations in the daf-2 and daf-23 genes double adult life span, whereas mutations in four other dauer-constitutive genes positioned in a separate branch of this pathway (daf-1, daf-4, daf-7 and daf-8) do not. The increased life spans are suppressed completely by a daf-16 mutation and partially in a daf-2; daf-18 double mutant. A genetic pathway for determination of adult life span is presented based on the same strains and growth conditions used to characterize Daf phenotypes. Both dauer larva formation and adult life span are affected in daf-2; daf-12 double mutants in an allele-specific manner. Mutations in daf-12 do not extend adult life span, but certain combinations of daf-2 and daf-12 mutant alleles nearly quadruple it. This synergistic effect, which does not equivalently extend the fertile period, is the largest genetic extension of life span yet observed in a metazoan.

Citing Articles

Assessing genetic conservation of human sociability-linked genes in C. elegans.

Roozen M, Kas M Behav Genet. 2025; 55(2):141-152.

PMID: 39982572 PMC: 11882721. DOI: 10.1007/s10519-025-10216-2.

Transcriptome analyses describe the consequences of persistent HIF-1 over-activation in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Feng D, Qu L, Powell-Coffman J PLoS One. 2024; 19(3):e0295093.

PMID: 38517909 PMC: 10959373. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295093.

Considering Aging on a Temporal and Tissue Scale: The Case of Insulin/IGF-1 Signaling.

Fabrizio P, Alcolei A, Solari F Cells. 2024; 13(3.

PMID: 38334680 PMC: 10854721. DOI: 10.3390/cells13030288.

The ACE inhibitor captopril inhibits ACN-1 to control dauer formation and aging.

Egan B, Pohl F, Anderson X, Williams S, Gregory Adodo I, Hunt P Development. 2024; 151(3).

PMID: 38284547 PMC: 10911126. DOI: 10.1242/dev.202146.

Mobilization of cholesterol induces the transition from quiescence to growth in Caenorhabditis elegans through steroid hormone and mTOR signaling.

Schmeisser K, Kaptan D, Raghuraman B, Shevchenko A, Rodenfels J, Penkov S Commun Biol. 2024; 7(1):121.

PMID: 38267699 PMC: 10808130. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05804-7.

References

Golden J, Riddle D . A gene affecting production of the Caenorhabditis elegans dauer-inducing pheromone. Mol Gen Genet. 1985; 198(3):534-6. DOI: 10.1007/BF00332953. View

Albert P, Riddle D . Mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans that form dauer-like larvae. Dev Biol. 1988; 126(2):270-93. DOI: 10.1016/0012-1606(88)90138-8. View

Wadsworth W, Riddle D . Developmental regulation of energy metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev Biol. 1989; 132(1):167-73. DOI: 10.1016/0012-1606(89)90214-5. View

Georgi L, Albert P, Riddle D . daf-1, a C. elegans gene controlling dauer larva development, encodes a novel receptor protein kinase. Cell. 1990; 61(4):635-45. DOI: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90475-t. View

Trent C, Tsung N, Horvitz H . Egg-laying defective mutants of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics. 1983; 104(4):619-47. PMC: 1202130. DOI: 10.1093/genetics/104.4.619. View

Cassada R, Russell R . The dauerlarva, a post-embryonic developmental variant of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev Biol. 1975; 46(2):326-42. DOI: 10.1016/0012-1606(75)90109-8. View

Klass M, Hirsh D . Non-ageing developmental variant of Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature. 1976; 260(5551):523-5. DOI: 10.1038/260523a0. View

Byerly L, Scherer S, Russell R . The life cycle of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. II. A simplified method for mutant characterization. Dev Biol. 1976; 51(1):34-48. DOI: 10.1016/0012-1606(76)90120-2. View

Lewis J, Hodgkin J . Specific neuroanatomical changes in chemosensory mutants of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. J Comp Neurol. 1977; 172(3):489-510. DOI: 10.1002/cne.901720306. View

10.

Klass M . Aging in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans: major biological and environmental factors influencing life span. Mech Ageing Dev. 1977; 6(6):413-29. DOI: 10.1016/0047-6374(77)90043-4. View

11.

Horvitz H, Brenner S, Hodgkin J, Herman R . A uniform genetic nomenclature for the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Mol Gen Genet. 1979; 175(2):129-33. DOI: 10.1007/BF00425528. View

12.

Riddle D, Swanson M, Albert P . Interacting genes in nematode dauer larva formation. Nature. 1981; 290(5808):668-71. DOI: 10.1038/290668a0. View

13.

Albert P, Brown S, Riddle D . Sensory control of dauer larva formation in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Comp Neurol. 1981; 198(3):435-51. DOI: 10.1002/cne.901980305. View

14.

Swanson M, Riddle D . Critical periods in the development of the Caenorhabditis elegans dauer larva. Dev Biol. 1981; 84(1):27-40. DOI: 10.1016/0012-1606(81)90367-5. View

15.

Albert P, Riddle D . Developmental alterations in sensory neuroanatomy of the Caenorhabditis elegans dauer larva. J Comp Neurol. 1983; 219(4):461-81. DOI: 10.1002/cne.902190407. View

16.

Golden J, Riddle D . A pheromone-induced developmental switch in Caenorhabditis elegans: Temperature-sensitive mutants reveal a wild-type temperature-dependent process. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984; 81(3):819-23. PMC: 344929. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.81.3.819. View

17.

Picard D, Khursheed B, Garabedian M, Fortin M, Lindquist S, Yamamoto K . Reduced levels of hsp90 compromise steroid receptor action in vivo. Nature. 1990; 348(6297):166-8. DOI: 10.1038/348166a0. View

18.

Hutchinson E, Rose M . Quantitative genetics of postponed aging in Drosophila melanogaster. I. Analysis of outbred populations. Genetics. 1991; 127(4):719-27. PMC: 1204399. DOI: 10.1093/genetics/127.4.719. View

19.

Mathews L, Vale W . Expression cloning of an activin receptor, a predicted transmembrane serine kinase. Cell. 1991; 65(6):973-82. DOI: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90549-e. View

20.

Hodgkin J, Barnes T . More is not better: brood size and population growth in a self-fertilizing nematode. Proc Biol Sci. 1991; 246(1315):19-24. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1991.0119. View