Signs Of Aging: Scientists Evaluate Genes Associated With Longevity

Scientists at the BC Cancer Agency's Genome Sciences Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and at the University of Missouri-Columbia have collaborated on a detailed study to elucidate gene-expression patterns implicated in the aging process. Their results appear online today in the journal Genome Research. Led by Dr. Angela Brooks-Wilson, Senior Scientist at the BC Cancer Agency's Genome Sciences Centre, and Dr. Donald Riddle, Professor of Biology at the University of Missouri, the team prepared SAGE (serial analysis of gene expression) libraries from roundworms that contained a mutated form of the daf-2 gene, which is a principal lifespan-determining factor in C. elegans. Worms that lack fully functional daf-2 exhibit significantly extended lives, persisting approximately twice as long as their wild-type counterparts.