Diverse aging rates in metazoans: targets for functional genomics

摘要: Aging, or senescence, has typically been measured by demographic analysis, which its merits but is blind to key aspects of functional development and deterioration. If one uses analyses, however, the approach providing most insight analysis age-specific mortality. The continuing increase in DNA sequencing power combined with emerging computational techniques will allow near future detailed investigation mechanisms aging diverse species beyond typical laboratory bestiary. A comparative this sort needs consider, addition simple longevity, effects phylogeny body size on question. Insight may be gained from study exhibiting accelerated relative more "typical" species. These naturally short-lived species, such as several small shrews marsupials, avoid worry inherent "accelerated aging" genotypes common models, that they are only because some idiosyncratic pathology unrelated general aging. case special interest yet seriously investigated domestic dog, selective breeding produced phenotypes within same age at two-fold different rates. Exceptionally long-lived offer exceptional opportunities discover whether there few many ways create organisms. Slow-aging include bats naked mole-rats. Perhaps no fundamental question biology intriguing why how nature a dazzling array genetics over next decades promises lead us toward an answer.