Timing Requirements for Insulin/IGF-1 Signaling in C. elegans

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 298; no. 5594; pp. 830 - 834
• Main Authors: Dillin, Andrew, Crawford, Douglas K., Kenyon, Cynthia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 25.10.2002; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Adulthood; Aging; Animal reproduction; Animals; Bacteria; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans - growth & development; Caenorhabditis elegans - metabolism; Caenorhabditis elegans - physiology; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - physiology; DEAD-box RNA Helicases; Developmental Delays; Double stranded RNA; Forkhead Transcription Factors; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic mutation; Genetic research; Hatching; Insulin; Insulin - physiology; Insulin receptors; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - physiology; Invertebrates; Life Cycle Stages - physiology; Life cycle. Embryology. Development; Longevity; Medical genetics; Messenger RNA; Mutation; Nemathelminthia. Plathelmintha; Oxidative Stress; Phenotypes; Physiology. Development; Receptor, Insulin - genetics; Receptor, Insulin - physiology; Receptors; Reproduction; RNA Helicases - genetics; RNA Helicases - physiology; RNA Interference; Signal Transduction; Temperature; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - physiology; Young Adults; Pancreatic hormone; Senescence; Diapause; Longevity; Insulin like growth factor 1; Insulin; Caenorhabditis elegans; Signal transduction; Phenotype; Reproduction; Regulation(control); Helmintha; Nemathelminthia; Invertebrata; Nematoda; Age
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1074240

The insulin/IGF-1 (where IGF-1 is insulin-like growth factor-1) signaling pathway influences longevity, reproduction, and diapause in many organisms. Because of the fundamental importance of this system in animal physiology, we asked when during the animal's life it is required to regulate these different processes. We find that in Caenorhabditis elegans, the pathway acts during adulthood, to relatively advanced ages, to influence aging. In contrast, it regulates diapause during development. In addition, the pathway controls longevity and reproduction independently of one another. Together our findings show that life-span regulation can be dissociated temporally from phenotypes that might seem to decrease the quality of life.