Experimental evolution of aging in a bacterium.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Aging refers to a decline in reproduction and survival with increasing age. According to evolutionary theory, aging evolves because selection late in life is weak and mutations exist whose deleterious effects manifest only late in life. Whether the assumptions behind this theory are fulfilled in all organisms, and whether all organisms age, has not been clear. We tested the generality of this theory by experimental evolution with Caulobacter crescentus, a bacterium whose asymmetric division allows mother and daughter to be distinguished.

Results

We evolved three populations for 2000 generations in the laboratory under conditions where selection was strong early in life, but very weak later in life. All populations evolved faster growth rates, mostly by decreasing

SUBMITTER: Ackermann M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2174458 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature