Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010 Aug;1204:149-55. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05522.x.
The invertebrate genetic systems of Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster are emerging models to understand the underlying mechanisms of reproductive aging and the relationship between reproduction and lifespan. Both animals show progressive decline in egg production beginning at early middle age, caused in part by reduction in germline stem cell proliferation as well as in survival of developing eggs. Molecular genetic analysis reveals that insulin and TGF-beta signaling are regulators of germline stem cell maintenance and proliferation during aging. Furthermore, the lifespan of both C. elegans and D. melanogaster appears to be regulated by signaling that depends on the presence of germline stem cells in the adult gonad. These invertebrate models provide powerful tools to dissect conserved causes of reproductive aging.
秀丽隐杆线虫和黑腹果蝇的无脊椎动物遗传系统正在成为理解生殖衰老的潜在机制以及生殖与寿命之间关系的模型。这两种动物的产卵能力都从中年早期开始逐渐下降，部分原因是生殖干细胞增殖减少以及发育中的卵子存活率降低。分子遗传学分析表明，胰岛素和 TGF-β信号是生殖干细胞在衰老过程中维持和增殖的调节因子。此外，秀丽隐杆线虫和黑腹果蝇的寿命似乎都受到依赖于成年性腺中生殖干细胞存在的信号的调节。这些无脊椎动物模型为剖析生殖衰老的保守原因提供了有力的工具。
