Partridge Linda, Gems David
Department of Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Nat Rev Genet. 2002 Mar;3(3):165-75. doi: 10.1038/nrg753.
Ageing--the decline in survival and fecundity with advancing age is caused by damage to macromolecules and tissues. Ageing is not a programmed process, in the sense that no genes are known to have evolved specifically to cause damage and ageing. Mechanisms of ageing might therefore not be expected to be as highly conserved between distantly related organisms as are mechanisms of development and metabolism. However, evidence is mounting that modulators of the rate of ageing are conserved over large evolutionary distances. As we discuss in this review, this conservation might stem from mechanisms that match reproductive rate to nutrient supply.
衰老——随着年龄增长，生存和繁殖能力下降，这是由大分子和组织受损所致。衰老并非一个程序化的过程，也就是说，目前尚未发现有专门进化出来导致损伤和衰老的基因。因此，衰老机制在远缘生物之间的保守程度可能不如发育和代谢机制。然而，越来越多的证据表明，衰老速率的调节因子在很大的进化距离上是保守的。正如我们在本综述中所讨论的，这种保守性可能源于使繁殖率与营养供应相匹配的机制。
