Long life: a matter of taste (and smell).
Insulin/IGF signaling has emerged as a central regulator of metazoan aging. In C. elegans, insulin-like peptides are expressed predominately in neurons. Alcedo and Kenyon demonstrate that removal of specific gustatory and olfactory neurons result in longer life, suggesting that metazoan longevity is influenced by sensory perception.
Antebi
Adam
A
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
D000818:Animals; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*