Aging-associated loci in Canis familiaris.

Although recent endeavors to discover the mechanisms of the aging process have been numerous and successful, there is still much to be learned. Genes implicated in the aging process were mapped to the canine genome and will serve as additional framework markers for the assignment of contiguous segments from the canine genome sequence to chromosomes. The 54 genes were selected because of their demonstrated contribution to longevity in other organisms or based upon their proximity to a marker, D4S1564, on human chromosome 4 (Puca et al., 2001). This effort lays the necessary groundwork for our utilization of the domestic dog as a model organism to define the genes that govern aging and longevity. Within the species, naturally diverse life expectancies and highly homogeneous populations create an ideal population structure for studying the genetic components of aging (Patronek et al., 1997).