Caenorhabditis elegans--a paradigm for aging research: advantages and limitations

In 1967, as we became interested in the biology of aging, we were faced with the following basic biological paradox: organisms are endowed with the capacity to detect and repair damage encountered at the molecular and cellular levels and yet functional capacity declines with time. In accordance with Strehler's suggestion (Time, Cells, and Aging, 2nd ed., Academic Press, New York, 1962), we adopted the basic premise that the underlying mechanisms of aging are common to all multi-cellular organisms. A search for a suitable experimental organism that fulfills the basic criteria for an appropriate model for aging research (Exp. Gerontol. 5 (1970) 7; Mech. Ageing Dev. 117 (2000) 21) led us to the selection of nematodes as a model for our initial series of experiments. Nematodes have thus been used in aging research for three decades. This review critically examines the major merits and shortcomings of this model organism for aging research and argues for greater appreciation of the need to understand the biology of the nematode life cycle not only as it is maintained in the laboratory, but also as it evolved and lives in nature.