daf-16: An HNF-3/forkhead family member that can function to double the life-span of Caenorhabditis elegans.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Bench animal model in Caenorhabditis elegans
PubMed 9360933 · doi:10.1126/science.278.5341.1319
What was done
Investigated the genetic mechanisms regulating lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans, specifically evaluating the role of the daf-16 gene in the longevity phenotype of daf-2 mutants (an insulin and IGF-1 receptor homolog) and identifying the daf-16 gene product.
What was found
Mutants with reduced daf-2 activity lived more than twice as long as wild-type nematodes (which normally develop, senesce, and die in less than 3 weeks) while remaining active, fully fertile, and possessing normal metabolic rates. This lifespan extension strictly required daf-16, which encodes an HNF-3/forkhead family transcriptional regulator. The abstract reports no specific sample sizes or numerical lifespan statistics.
Why it matters
This study identified the forkhead transcription factor DAF-16 as an essential mediator of insulin/IGF-1-like receptor signaling in regulating organismal longevity.
Limits
The study is limited to an invertebrate animal model (C. elegans) with no direct human data. The abstract provides no exact sample sizes, numerical lifespan distributions, or variance estimates.
Cited by
- supports Inhibiting the IGF-1 signaling pathway in C. elegans worms increases their lifespan by 100%.