title: Neurosecretory control of aging in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, an insulin receptor signaling pathway regulates adult life span and developmental arrest at the dauer larval stage. Here we show that the unc-64 and unc-31 genes also function in this pathway. These two genes are involved in mediating Ca2+-regulated secretion. Mutations in unc-64 and unc-31 increase adult life span and cause constitutive dauer formation. Both phenotypes are suppressed by mutations in daf-16, which also suppresses other mutations in this pathway. We present evidence that the site of action of unc-64 is neuronal, suggesting that a neurosecretory signal regulates life span and dauer formation.
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cellular Biology Program of the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ailion
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: C I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Holdcraft
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000235:genetics*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000502:physiology*; D011972:Receptor, Insulin / Q000502:physiology*; D050827:Syntaxin 1; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D050827:Syntaxin 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; C107581:UNC-31 protein, C elegans; C108831:daf-16 protein, C elegans; C494215:unc-64 protein, C elegans; D011972:Receptor, Insulin