Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Mission Bay Genentech Hall, 600 16th Street, Room S312D, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143Ð2200, USA.
In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , mutations that inhibit insulin/IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) signaling, such as daf-2 insulin/IGF-1 receptor mutations, can double the life-span of the animal. Removing the germ-line precursor cells also extends life-span by approximately 60%. This life-span extension is not a result of sterility; it appears to be due to altered endocrine signaling. Removal of the germ line or the entire reproductive system of daf-2 mutants can further extend life-span: these animals can live four times as long as normal.