Laurent Mouchiroud et al. (2008) C.elegans Aging, Stress, Pathogenesis, and Heterochrony Meeting "A New Transporter Acts As A Common Mediator In Multiple Lifespan Pathways"

Florence Solari, Laurent Mouchiroud, Claude Duchamps, Damien Roussel, Prasad Kasturi, Marc Billaud, Laurent Molin

[C.elegans Aging, Stress, Pathogenesis, and Heterochrony Meeting, 2008]

In a screen for genes that extend lifespan in a daf-18 dependent manner, we identified a new gene whose mutation increases average lifespan by 40%. Inactivation of this gene during larval development or adulthood is sufficient to increase the average lifespan. We then tested for its genetic interaction with genes in the well-characterized lifespan pathways. Our results show that the extension of lifespan is daf-16, sir-2, pha-4 and aak-2 dependent. Furthermore we found that like mitochondrial mutants that extend lifespan, mutants for this gene are both resistant to hydrogen peroxide and sensitive to paraquat. This gene encodes a transporter with several homologues in mammals that are involved in the transport of different metabolites and expressed in diverse tissues. We are now investigating its expression pattern and biochemical specificity for metabolites. In conclusion this study should allow us to define a physiological mechanism shared by insulin, caloric restriction and mitochondrial pathways for lifespan regulation.