Research Perspective Volume 2, Issue 10 pp 742—747
EAK proteins: novel conserved regulators of C. elegans lifespan
- 1 Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- 2 Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- 3 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- 4 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Received: September 14, 2010 Accepted: October 23, 2010 Published: October 25, 2010
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.100214How to Cite
Abstract
FoxO transcription factors (TFs) extend lifespan in invertebrates and may participate in the control of human longevity. The role of FoxO TFs in lifespan regulation has been studied most extensively in C. elegans, where a conserved insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) pathway and the germline both control lifespan by regulating the subcellular localization of the FoxO transcription factor DAF-16. Although the control of FoxO activity through modulation of its subcellular localization is well established, nuclear translocation of FoxO is not sufficient for full FoxO activation, suggesting that undiscovered inputs regulate FoxO activity after its translocation to the nucleus. We have recently discovered a new conserved pathway, the EAK (