title: How genes influence life span: the biodemography of human survival.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of human life span, none of the genetic variants has reached the level of genome-wide statistical significance. The roles of such variants in life span regulation remain unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  A biodemographic analyses was done of genetic regulation of life span using data on low-significance longevity alleles selected in the earlier GWAS of the original Framingham cohort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age-specific survival curves considered as functions of the number of longevity alleles exhibit regularities known in demography as "rectangularization" of survival curves. The presence of such pattern confirms observations from experimental studies that regulation of life span involves genes responsible for stress resistance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Biodemographic analyses could provide important information about the properties of genes affecting phenotypic traits.
authors.affiliation: Center for Population Health and Aging, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708-0408, USA. aiy@duke.edu
authors.forename: Anatoliy I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Yashin
authors.forename: Deqing
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Konstantin G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Arbeev
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stallard
authors.forename: Kenneth C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Land
authors.forename: Svetlana V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Ukraintseva
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics; D000483:Alleles; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype