[
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci,
2011]
Studies in invertebrate model organisms have led to a wealth of knowledge concerning the ageing process. But which of these discoveries will apply to ageing in humans? Recently, an assessment of the degree of conservation of ageing pathways between two of the leading invertebrate model organisms, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Caenorhabditis elegans, was completed. The results (i) quantitatively indicated that pathways were conserved between evolutionarily disparate invertebrate species and (ii) emphasized the importance of the TOR kinase pathway in ageing. With recent findings that deletion of the mTOR substrate S6K1 or exposure of mice to the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin result in lifespan extension, mTOR signalling has become a major focus of ageing research. Here, we address downstream targets of mTOR signalling and their possible links to ageing. We also briefly cover other ageing genes identified by comparing worms and yeast, addressing the likelihood that their mammalian counterparts will affect longevity.
[
Cell,
1996]
Anyone who has watched an early embryo develop cannot help but be awed by the choreography of the early cleavages. The orientation and timing of cleavage in an animal cell are always such that the cleavage furrow bisects the mitotic apparatus (MA) during telophase, thus ensuring the equal partitioning of daughter chromosomes. In addition, the regulation of cleavage plane orientation is necessary for correct partitioning of localized determinants to specific daughter cells, for optimal positioning of cells in developing embryos, and for morphogenesis in plants, which are not motile.
[
Science,
1998]
The Caenorhabditis elegans genome sequence was surveyed for transcription factor and signaling gene families that have been shown to regulate development in a variety of species. About 10 to 25 percent of the genes in most of the gene families already have been genetically analyzed in C. elegans, about half of the genes detect probable orthologs in other species, and about 10 to 25 percent of the genes are, at present, unique to C. elegans. Caenorhabditis elegans is also missing genes that are found in vertebrates and other invertebrates. Thus the genome sequence reveals universals in developmental control that are the legacy of metazoan complexity before the Cambrian explosion, as well as genes that have been more recently invented or lost in particular phylogenetic lineages.AD - Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. ruvkun@frodo.mgh.harvard.eduFAU - Ruvkun, GAU - Ruvkun GFAU - Hobert, OAU - Hobert OLA - engPT - Journal ArticlePT - ReviewPT - Review, TutorialCY - UNITED STATESTA - ScienceJID - 0404511RN - 0 (Helminth Proteins)RN - 0 (Transcription Factors)SB - IM