Manton KG, Zeng Y, Carey JR, Longo VD, Holm NV, Iachine IA, Khazaeli AA, Kannisto V, Christensen K, Curtsinger JW, Liedo P, Yashin AI, Johnson TE, Vaupel JW
[
Science,
1998]
Old-age survival has increased substantially since 1950. Death rates decelerate with age for insects, worms, and yeast, as well as humans. This evidence of extended postreproductive survival is puzzling. Three biodemographic insights--concerning the correlation of death rates across age, individual differences in survival chances, and induced alterations in age patterns of fertility and mortality--offer clues and suggest research on the failure of complicated systems, on new demographic equations for evolutionary theory, and on fertility-longevity interactions. Nongenetic changes account for increases in human life-spans to date. Explication of these causes and the genetic license for extended survival, as well as discovery of genes and other survival attributes affecting longevity, will lead to even longer lives.
De Benedictis G, Slagboom E, Yashin AI, Feder ME, Kivisild T, Gartner A, Sikora E, Zwaan B, Lee S, Vijg J, Schumacher M, Bartke A, Kartal-Ozer N, Tatar M, Franceschi C, Gonos E, Leroi AM
[
Mechanisms of Ageing & Development,
2005]
Classical evolutionary theory predicts the existence of genes with antagonistic effects on longevity and various components of early-life fitness. Quantitative genetic studies have provided convincing evidence that such genes exist. However, antagonistic pleiotropic effects have rarely been attributed to individual loci. We examine several classes of longevity-assurance genes: those involved in regulation of the gonad; the insulin-like growth factor pathway; free-radical scavenging; heat shock proteins and apoptosis. We find initial evidence that antagonistic pleiotropic effects are pervasive in each of these classes of genes and in various model systems-although most studies lack explicit studies of fitness components. This is particularly true of human studies. Very little is known about the early-life fitness effects of longevity loci. Given the possible medical importance of such effects we urge their future study.