title: Prediction of C. elegans longevity genes by human and worm longevity networks.
abstract: Intricate and interconnected pathways modulate longevity, but screens to identify the components of these pathways have not been saturating. Because biological processes are often executed by protein complexes and fine-tuned by regulatory factors, the first-order protein-protein interactors of known longevity genes are likely to participate in the regulation of longevity. Data-rich maps of protein interactions have been established for many cardinal organisms such as yeast, worms, and humans. We propose that these interaction maps could be mined for the identification of new putative regulators of longevity. For this purpose, we have constructed longevity networks in both humans and worms. We reasoned that the essential first-order interactors of known longevity-associated genes in these networks are more likely to have longevity phenotypes than randomly chosen genes. We have used C. elegans to determine whether post-developmental inactivation of these essential genes modulates lifespan. Our results suggest that the worm and human longevity networks are functionally relevant and possess a high predictive power for identifying new longevity regulators.
authors.affiliation: The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Center for Multidisciplinary Research on Aging, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Robi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tacutu
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Shore
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Budovsky
authors.forename: João Pedro
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: de Magalhães
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ruvkun
authors.forename: Vadim E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Fraifeld
authors.forename: Sean P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Curran
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D020043:Genes, Essential / Q000235:genetics; D017238:Genes, Helminth / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D060066:Protein Interaction Maps / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins