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Reproductive aging in invertebrate genetic models
Author(s) -
Tatar Marc
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05522.x
Subject(s) - germline , drosophila melanogaster , biology , caenorhabditis elegans , model organism , stem cell , germ cell , genetics , melanogaster , drosophila (subgenus) , genetic model , microbiology and biotechnology , evolutionary biology , gene
The invertebrate genetic systems of Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster are emerging models to understand the underlying mechanisms of reproductive aging and the relationship between reproduction and lifespan. Both animals show progressive decline in egg production beginning at early middle age, caused in part by reduction in germline stem cell proliferation as well as in survival of developing eggs. Molecular genetic analysis reveals that insulin and TGF‐β signaling are regulators of germline stem cell maintenance and proliferation during aging. Furthermore, the lifespan of both C. elegans and D. melanogaster appears to be regulated by signaling that depends on the presence of germline stem cells in the adult gonad. These invertebrate models provide powerful tools to dissect conserved causes of reproductive aging.