Reproductive longevity regulatory genes modulate somatic longevity.

<p>(A) The mortality rate curve of the control animals fed with bacteria expressing no dsRNA. The slope of the curve defines the demographic rate of aging (RoA), and the intercept with the y-axis shows initial mortality rate (IMR). (B–D) The effects of the reproductive senescence genes on somatic aging-related parameters, including IMR (B), RoA (C), and mean lifespan (D). Three gene inactivations including <i>daf-2</i>, <i>R07H5.9</i> and <i>C05E11.6</i> (Group 1), reduce RoA without affecting IMR and increase mean lifespan significantly. Inactivation of <i>sgk-1</i> or <i>nhx-2</i> (Group 2), two regulators of sodium reabsorption, reduces IMR with no effect on RoA and extends mean lifespan. There are also 20 other gene inactivations (Group 3) that reduce IMR, but increase RoA and do not alter mean lifespan. Six gene inactivations have no effect on somatic longevity (Group 4). For IMR and RoA, the average with standard deviation of three independent experiments is shown; for mean lifespan extension, three independent experiments were combined for analysis.