Germline stem cell maintenance as a proximate mechanism of life-history trade-offs? Drosophila selected for prolonged fecundity have a slower rate of germline stem cell loss.
We suggest that the commonly observed trade-offs between early- and late-life reproduction may be mediated by genetic variation in germline stem cell maintenance. Stem cell biology provides a natural framework and experimental methods for understanding the mechanistic basis of life-history evolution. At the same time, natural variation in life-history strategies can serve as a powerful tool for identifying the genes and molecular pathways involved in the maintenance of stem cells in aging adults. We illustrate the connections between life-history and stem cells with examples drawn primarily from Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans, and suggest a number of testable hypotheses and avenues for future investigation that can be addressed with existing models and tools.
Department of Evolution and Ecology University of California-Davis, CA, USA. ankaczmarczyk@berkeley.edu
Angela N
AN
Kaczmarczyk
Artyom
A
Kopp
D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics; D056084:Genetic Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics; D023421:Models, Animal; D012641:Selection, Genetic / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology