Science 292: 104-106 (2001)

Extension of life-span by loss of CHICO, a Drosophila insulin receptor substrate protein

David J. Clancy, David Gems, Lawrence G. Harshman, Sean Oldham, Hugo Stocker, Ernst Hafen, Sally J. Leevers, Linda Partridge

Department of Biology, University College London, Wolfson House, 4 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HE, UK.

School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.

Zoologisches Institut, Universitat Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.

Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, 91 Riding House Street, London W1W 7BS, UK.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.

The Drosophila melanogaster gene chico encodes an insulin receptor substrate that functions in an insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway. in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, insulin/IGF signaling regulates adult longevity. We found that mutation of chico extends fruit fly median Life-span by up to 48% in homozygotes and 36% in heterozygotes. Extension of Life-span was not a result of impaired oogenesis in chico females, nor was it consistently correlated with increased stress resistance. The dwarf phenotype of chico homozygotes was also unnecessary for extension of Life-span. The role of insulin/IGF signaling in regulating animal aging is therefore evolutionarily conserved.