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Science 15 August 1997:
Vol. 277. no. 5328, pp. 897 - 898
DOI: 10.1126/science.277.5328.897
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Research News

NEUROSCIENCE:
Worm Longevity Gene Cloned

Wade Roush

The tiny nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has a remarkable ability to extend its life-span by entering the so-called "dauer" phase, a state of suspended animation that can last for 2 months or more. Now, in work reported on page 942 of this week's Science, researchers have cloned one of the genes involved in making this switch and have shown that it encodes the worm equivalent of the mammalian insulin receptor. The finding not only provides a possible link between aging and a key regulator of the body's metabolism, but also offers researchers a new system that may improve their understanding of diabetes.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)