Frankel Stewart, Rogina Blanka
Biology Department, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT, United States.
Genetics and Genome Sciences, Institute for Systems Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, United States.
Front Genet. 2021 Sep 9;12:733184. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.733184. eCollection 2021.
Aging has provided fruitful challenges for evolutionary theory, and evolutionary theory has deepened our understanding of aging. A great deal of genetic and molecular data now exists concerning mortality regulation and there is a growing body of knowledge concerning the life histories of diverse species. Assimilating all relevant data into a framework for the evolution of aging promises to significantly advance the field. We propose extensions of some key concepts to provide greater precision when applying these concepts to age-structured contexts. Secondary or byproduct effects of mutations are proposed as an important factor affecting survival patterns, including effects that may operate in small populations subject to genetic drift, widening the possibilities for mutation accumulation and pleiotropy. Molecular and genetic studies have indicated a diverse array of mechanisms that can modify aging and mortality rates, while transcriptome data indicate a high level of tissue and species specificity for genes affected by aging. The diversity of mechanisms and gene effects that can contribute to the pattern of aging in different organisms may mirror the complex evolutionary processes behind aging.
衰老给进化理论带来了富有成效的挑战，而进化理论也加深了我们对衰老的理解。现在有大量关于死亡率调节的遗传和分子数据，并且关于不同物种生活史的知识也在不断增加。将所有相关数据整合到一个衰老进化框架中有望显著推动该领域的发展。我们提出扩展一些关键概念，以便在将这些概念应用于年龄结构背景时提供更高的精确性。突变的次要或附带效应被认为是影响生存模式的一个重要因素，包括可能在受遗传漂变影响的小种群中起作用的效应，这拓宽了突变积累和基因多效性的可能性。分子和遗传研究表明了一系列能够改变衰老和死亡率的机制，而转录组数据表明受衰老影响的基因具有高度的组织和物种特异性。不同生物体中可能导致衰老模式的机制和基因效应的多样性，可能反映了衰老背后复杂的进化过程。
