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Programmed and altruistic ageing.

Valter D Longo1, Joshua Mitteldorf, Vladimir P Skulachev

  • 1Andrus Gerontology Center and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA. vlongo@usc.edu

Nature Reviews. Genetics
|November 24, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Ageing may be programmed, not just a decline in natural selection. Similarities in ageing pathways across species suggest programmed ageing could occur in humans.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genetics
  • Cellular biology

Background:

  • Ageing is traditionally viewed as a non-adaptive process driven by declining natural selection.
  • Recent research challenges this view, suggesting programmed ageing may exist.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the possibility of programmed ageing and death in various organisms.
  • To investigate if conserved molecular pathways support programmed ageing.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of ageing pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast).
  • Review of evidence for programmed death in other species like worms, flies, mice, and salmon.

Main Results:

  • Studies in yeast show evidence consistent with altruistic ageing and death.
  • Molecular pathways regulating ageing are conserved across diverse species.

Conclusions:

  • Programmed ageing and death are plausible in higher eukaryotes.
  • Conserved genetic and molecular mechanisms support this possibility.

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