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Prolongation of the yeast life span by the v‐Ha‐ RAS oncogene
Author(s) -
Chen J. B.,
Sun J.,
Jazwinski S. M.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1990.tb00568.x
Subject(s) - biology , longevity , saccharomyces cerevisiae , yeast , life span , model organism , oncogene , organism , gene , function (biology) , cell cycle , gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , span (engineering) , cell division , genetics , regulation of gene expression , cell , period (music) , mutation , evolutionary biology , civil engineering , physics , acoustics , engineering
Summary The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a finite life span that is defined by the number of times the cell divides. The patterns of expression of certain genes change in a specific manner during the life span, implying that at least some of the manifestations of the ageing process are subject to gene regulation. It has now been determined that the controlled expression of the RAS oncogene in yeast increases the longevity of this organism, indicating that, conversely, a defined alteration in the activity of a single gene can extend this organism's life span. The results suggest that there is a balance between life‐span extension and growth arrest when RAS is expressed. Inasmuch as the homologues of RAS in yeast function to integrate cell metabolism with the cell cycle, these studies raise the possibility that this integrative function may also apply to the co‐ordination of successive cell cycles during the life span.