Single-gene mutants and genetic lines of the simple roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans that have mean life spans of about 35 days as compared with the wild type (20 days) have been developed. One recessive gene,
age-1, has been mapped to a well-studied region of linkage group II, affects both males and hermaphrodites, and is responsible for a five-fold decrease in hermaphrodite self-fertility. This gene is being more precisely mapped by means of multi-factor crosses and deficiency analysis. We are currently cloning the
age-1 gene using strategies including the construction of congenic strains carrying multiple transposon-mediated RFLPs flanking
age-1 and deficiencies