Open AccessDietary deprivation extends lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans
Author(s) -
Lee Garrick D.,
Wilson Mark A.,
Zhu Min,
Wolkow Catherine A.,
De Cabo Rafael,
Ingram Donald K.,
Zou Sige
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
aging cell
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1474-9726
pISSN - 1474-9718
DOI - 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2006.00241.x
Subject(s) - biology , caenorhabditis elegans , longevity , model organism , sirtuin , caenorhabditis , multicellular organism , genetics , organism , effector , drosophila melanogaster , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , acetylation
Summary Dietary restriction (DR) is well known as a nongenetic intervention that robustly extends lifespan in a variety of species; however, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We have found in Caenorhabditis elegans that dietary deprivation (DD) during adulthood, defined as removal of their food source Escherichia coli after the completion of larval development, increased lifespan and enhanced thermotolerance and resistance to oxidative stress. DD‐induced longevity was independent of one C. elegans SIRTUIN, sir‐2.1 , which is required for the effects of DR, and was independent of the daf‐2 /insulin‐like signaling pathway that independently regulates longevity and larval diapause in C. elegans . DD did not significantly alter lifespan of fem‐1(hc17) ; eat‐2(ad465) worms, a genetic model of DR. These findings suggest that DD and DR share some downstream effectors. In addition, DD was detrimental for longevity when imposed on reproductively active young adults, suggesting that DD may only be beneficial in the absence of competing metabolic demands, such as fertility. Adult‐onset DD offers a new paradigm for investigating dietary regulation of longevity in C. elegans . This study presents the first evidence that long‐term DD, instead of being detrimental, can extend lifespan of a multicellular adult organism.