Neurosecretory control of aging in Caenorhabditis elegans.
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.
Ailion
M
M
Molecular and Cellular Biology Program of the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Inoue
T
T
Weaver
C I
CI
Holdcraft
R W
RW
Thomas
J H
JH
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
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