Advantages and disadvantages of Caenorhabditis elegans for aging research.
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been the organism of choice for most aging research, especially genetic approaches to aging. More than 70 longevity genes have been identified, with more to come, and these genes have been the subjects of intense study. I identify the major reasons for this and discuss limitations of this organism for future progress in research on aging.
Johnson
Thomas E
TE
Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, 1480 30th Str., Box 447, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. johnsont@colorado.edu
D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics