ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at some specific genes and genetic pathways that can alter longevity. It discusses how the repression of gene transcription, also known as gene silencing, plays a significant role in the genetics of longevity. The chapter examines the basic mechanisms that regulate gene expression. It explores the general techniques and methods used in the discovery of these longevity genes. The chapter demonstrates how an epigenetic mechanism, histone acetylation and deacetylation, can modulate life span and also looks at a genetic mechanism that connects nutrient availability to life span in S. cerevisiae, the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). It highlights the mTOR1 pathway and the mTOR2 pathway. The chapter outlines the dauer formation gene (daf-2), along with other genes associated with daf-2, and the clock genes. It describes the challenges faced by biogerontologists in sorting out which genes affect longevity and which genes may have a greater role in slowing the rate of aging and delaying age-related disease.
