Long-lived lines of Caenorhabditis elegans can be used to establish predictive biomarkers of aging.
Long-lived recombinant inbred lines, some of which have mean and maximum life spans up to 70% longer than wild type, were used in these analyses. Longer life results from a slower exponential rate of increase in mortality. General motor activity decreases with chronological age in all genotypes; this decay in general motor activity is a biomarker of aging in that it is a predictor of maximum life span. The aging process has also been dissected into component processes. The length of development and the length of reproduction are unrelated to increased life span; lengthened life is due entirely to an increase in post-reproductive life span. Development, reproduction, and life span are each under independent genetic control. General motor activity and life span share at least one common rate-determining genetic component.
Johnson
T E
TE
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine 92717.
Conley
W L
WL
Keller
M L
ML
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D002107:Caenorhabditis / Q000502:physiology*; D007178:Inbreeding; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008954:Models, Biological; D009043:Motor Activity; D012098:Reproduction
D015415:Biomarkers