A PHOSPHATIDYLINOSITOL-3-OH KINASE FAMILY MEMBER REGULATING LONGEVITYAND DIAPAUSE IN CAENORHABDITIS-ELEGANS

A PHEROMONE-INDUCED neurosecretory pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans t riggers developmental arrest and an increase in longevity at the dauer diapause stage. The gene age-1 is required for non-dauer development and normal senescence. age-1 encodes a homologue of mammalian phosphat idylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI(3)K) catalytic subunits. Lack of both mat ernal and zygotic age-1 activity causes dauer formation, whereas anima ls with maternal but not zygotic age-1 activity develop as non-dauers that live more than twice as long as normal. These data suggest that p hosphatidylinositol signalling mediated by AGE-1 protein controls life span and the dauer diapause decision.