Vijg Jan, Kennedy Brian K
Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, N.Y., USA.
Gerontology. 2016;62(4):381-5. doi: 10.1159/000439348. Epub 2015 Sep 22.
The idea that aging is a purposeful, programmed series of events is intuitively appealing based on its many conserved aspects and the demonstrated feasibility of modifying life span by manipulating single genes or pathways. Yet, the case for a nonadaptive basis of aging is strong and now all but generally accepted in the field. Here, we briefly review why the case for programmed aging is weak, with a focus on the lack of possible evolutionary beneficial effects.
衰老由一系列有目的、按程序发生的事件组成,这一观点基于其诸多保守特征以及通过操控单个基因或信号通路来改变寿命已被证实的可行性,在直觉上颇具吸引力。然而,衰老具有非适应性基础的观点证据确凿,目前在该领域几乎已被普遍接受。在此,我们简要回顾一下为什么程序性衰老的观点站不住脚,重点关注其缺乏可能的进化有益效应。