A test of evolutionary theories of aging.

Authors: Hughes KA; Alipaz JA; Drnevich JM; Reynolds RM

Abstract: Senescence is a nearly universal feature of multicellular organisms, and understanding why it occurs is a long-standing problem in biology. The two leading theories posit that aging is due to (i) pleiotropic genes with beneficial early-life effects but deleterious late-life effects ("antagonistic pleiotropy") or (ii) mutations with purely deleterious late-life effects ("mutation accumulation"). Previous attempts to distinguish these theories have been inconclusive because of a lack of unambiguous, contrasting predictions. We conducted experiments with Drosophila based on recent population-genetic models that yield contrasting predictions. Genetic variation and inbreeding effects increased dramatically with age, as predicted by the mutation theory. This increase occurs because genes with deleterious effects with a late age of onset are unopposed by natural selection. Our findings provide the strongest support yet for the mutation theory.

Keywords: Aging/*genetics/physiology; Animals; Drosophila melanogaster/*genetics/physiology; *Evolution, Molecular; Female; Inbreeding; Male; Reproduction/physiology
Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume: 99
Issue: 22
Pages: 14286-91
Date: Oct. 19, 2002
PMID: 12386342
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Categories: Aging
Citation:

Hughes KA, Alipaz JA, Drnevich JM, Reynolds RM (2002) A test of evolutionary theories of aging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 99: 14286-91.



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