Genomic Instability and Life Span in Yeast
Author Information
Author(s): Qin Hong, Lu Meng, Goldfarb David S.
Primary Institution: University of Rochester
Hypothesis
The capacity of different yeast strains to maintain genomic integrity and mitotic asymmetry during aging may be an underlying cause of, or at least correlated with variation in natural life span.
Conclusion
The ability of yeast strains to tolerate genomic instability co-varies with their replicative life spans.
Supporting Evidence
- Genomic instability increases and mitotic asymmetry breaks down during chronological aging.
- The age-dependent increase of genomic instability generally lags behind the drop of viability.
- Ability to maintain genomic integrity is correlated with natural variation in replicative life span.
Takeaway
This study shows that yeast can live longer if they can keep their DNA stable as they age.
Methodology
The study quantified chronological life span and loss-of-heterozygosity (LOH) in 11 natural isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Potential Biases
The potential sporulation and regrowth during experiments could introduce bias in the results.
Limitations
The study may be influenced by the effects of Pb2+ and the potential for sporulation during the aging process.
Participant Demographics
Natural isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.006
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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