C. elegans clk-2, a gene that limits life span, encodes a telomere length regulator similar to yeast telomere binding protein Tel2p.
An important quest in modern biology is to identify genes involved in aging. Model organisms such as the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans are particularly useful in this regard. The C. elegans genome has been sequenced [1], and single gene mutations that extend adult life span have been identified [2]. Among these longevity-controlling loci are four apparently unrelated genes that belong to the clk family. In mammals, telomere length and structure can influence cellular, and possibly organismal, aging. Here, we show that clk-2 encodes a regulator of telomere length in C. elegans.
Lim
C S
CS
Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Mian
I S
IS
Dernburg
A F
AF
Campisi
J
J
D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*; D034501:Telomere-Binding Proteins; D014965:X-Rays
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C444420:Tel2 protein, S cerevisiae; D034501:Telomere-Binding Proteins; C438752:clk-2 protein, C elegans