Structural and functional conservation of the Caenorhabditis elegans timing gene clk-1

Mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans gene clk-1 affect biological timing and extend longevity. The gene clk-1 was identified, and the cloned gene complemented the clk-1 phenotypes and restored normal longevity. The CLK-1 protein was found to be con-served among eukaryotes, including humans, and structurally similar to the yeast met-abolic regulator Cat5p (also called Coq7p). These proteins contain a tandem duplication of a core 82-residue domain. clk-1 complemented the phenotype of cat5/coq7 null mutants, demonstrating that clk-1 and CAT5/COQ7 share biochemical function and that clk-1 acts at the level of cellular physiology. The activity of clk-1 in the nematode Cae-norhabditis elegans controls the rate of the worms ’ development, the pace of their be-haviors, and when they die (1). In clk-1 mutants, the timing of a wide range of physiological processes is deregulated (1). This leads to an average lengthening o