Lifespan extension in a semelparous chordate occurs via developmental growth arrest just prior to meiotic entry.

ABSTRACT: It is proposed that the ageing process is linked to signaling from the germline such that the rate of ageing can be adjusted to the state of the reproductive system, allowing these two processes to co-evolve. Mechanistic insight into this link has been primarily derived from iteroparous reproductive models, the nematode C. elegans, and the arthropod Drosophila. Here, we examined to what extent these mechanisms are evolutionarily conserved in a semelparous chordate, Oikopleura dioica, where we identify a developmental growth arrest (GA) in response to crowded, diet-restricted conditions, which can extend its lifespan at least three-fold. Under nutritional stress, the iteroparative models sacrifice germ cells that have entered meiosis, while maintaining a reduced pool of active germline stem

SUBMITTER: Subramaniam G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3973624 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature