The Genetic Basis of Reproductive Senescence and Longevity in Drosophila melanogaster

果蝇生殖衰老和长寿的遗传基础

• 批准号: 0349856
• 负责人: Jeffery Leips
• 金额: $ 26万
• 依托单位: University of Maryland Baltimore County
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-06-01 至 2007-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0349856&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Genetic; Basis; Reproductive; Senescence; Longevity

Most organisms exhibit senescence, the physiological deterioration with age that ultimately limits life span. The rate of senescence and life span are highly variable among species, populations, and individuals, and a large body of data suggests that these traits are under some level of genetic control. Identification of the genes that produce this variation is important for understanding both the causes and evolution of aging. A series of gene mapping experiments is proposed to identify and characterize the effects of candidate genes for these traits, using the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model system. The flies used for mapping will be derived from a natural population. The effects of natural genetic variation on these traits will reveal the extent to which they are influenced by similar genetic pathways.This project will make several contributions to the broader scientific community. Identification of genes involved in senescence in Drosophila could implicate new gene networks in human aging, and thus have important medical implications. All fly stocks and sequence data will be made freely available to other scientists. Students will be educated about the mechanistic and evolutionary theories of aging while gaining hands-on experience in quantitative and molecular genetics, experimental design and data analysis.

大多数生物体都表现出衰老，随着年龄的增长，生理上的衰退最终会限制寿命。衰老的速度和寿命在物种、种群和个体之间变化很大，大量数据表明，这些特征在某种程度上是受遗传控制的。识别产生这种变异的基因对于理解衰老的原因和进化非常重要。以果蝇（Drosophila melanogaster）为模型系统，提出了一系列基因定位实验，以鉴定和表征候选基因对这些性状的影响。用于绘制地图的苍蝇将来自一个自然种群。自然遗传变异对这些性状的影响将揭示它们受相似遗传途径影响的程度。这个项目将对更广泛的科学界做出几项贡献。果蝇衰老相关基因的鉴定可能涉及人类衰老的新基因网络，因此具有重要的医学意义。所有果蝇种群和序列数据将免费提供给其他科学家。学生将学习衰老的机制和进化理论，同时获得定量和分子遗传学、实验设计和数据分析方面的实践经验。