Molecular Info®

Molecular Info® Copy Right © 2001 Institute of Molecular Development LLC

Longevity: Extending the lifespan of long-lived mice ANDRZEJ BARTKE, J. CHRIS WRIGHT, JULIE A. MATTISON, DONALD K. INGRAM, RICHARD A. MILLER & GEORGE S. ROTH The Nature, November 2001, 414: 412 Ames dwarf mice are mutant mice that live about 50% longer than their normal siblings because they carry a 'longevity' gene, PropIdf, and in some phenotypic respects they resemble normal mice whose lifespan has been extended by restricted food intake. They investigate whether these factors influence lifespan by similar or independent mechanisms, by deliberately reducing the number of calories consumed by Ames dwarf mice. Calorie restriction confers a further lifespan increase in the dwarfs, indicating that the two factors may act through different pathways.