V. D. Longo - Evidence for Programmed Aging

Valter D Longo, is an associate professor of gerontology and biological sciences and the Paul Glenn Chair of Biogerontology at USC in Los Angeles.

"Ageing is widely believed to be a non-adaptive process that results from a decline in the force of natural selection. However, recent studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are consistent with the existence of a programme of altruistic ageing and death. We suggest that the similarities between the molecular pathways that regulate ageing in yeast, worms, flies and mice, together with evidence that is consistent with programmed death in salmon and other organisms, raise the possibility that programmed ageing or death can also occur in higher eukaryotes." Longo, Mitteldorf, and Skulachev 2005

Longo VD, Mitteldorf J, Skulachev VP. Programmed and altruistic ageing. 2005. Nat Rev Genet. 2005 Nov;6(11):866-72. Review. PMID: 16304601

Skulachev VP, Longo VD. Aging as a mitochondria-mediated atavistic program: can aging be switched off? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2005 Dec;1057:145-64.PMID: 16399892

Longo VD, Lieber MR, Vijg J. Turning anti-ageing genes against cancer. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2008 Nov;9(11):903-10.PMID: 18946478