title: daf-2, an insulin receptor-like gene that regulates longevity and diapause in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: A C. elegans neurosecretory signaling system regulates whether animals enter the reproductive life cycle or arrest development at the long-lived dauer diapause stage. daf-2, a key gene in the genetic pathway that mediates this endocrine signaling, encodes an insulin receptor family member. Decreases in DAF-2 signaling induce metabolic and developmental changes, as in mammalian metabolic control by the insulin receptor. Decreased DAF-2 signaling also causes an increase in life-span. Life-span regulation by insulin-like metabolic control is analogous to mammalian longevity enhancement induced by caloric restriction, suggesting a general link between metabolism, diapause, and longevity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Tissenbaum
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ruvkun
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D002149:Energy Intake; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D018129:Phosphatidylinositol Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017853:Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor) / Q000378:metabolism; D017526:Receptor, IGF Type 1 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D011972:Receptor, Insulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D007328:Insulin; D018129:Phosphatidylinositol Phosphates; C060974:phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D017853:Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); C107483:DAF-2 protein, C elegans; D017526:Receptor, IGF Type 1; D011972:Receptor, Insulin; C066542:insulin receptor-related receptor; D005947:Glucose