Manipulation of behavioral decline in Caenorhabditis elegans with the Rag GTPase raga-1.

ABSTRACT: Normal aging leads to an inexorable decline in motor performance, contributing to medical morbidity and decreased quality of life. While much has been discovered about genetic determinants of lifespan, less is known about modifiers of age-related behavioral decline and whether new gene targets may be found which extend vigorous activity, with or without extending lifespan. Using Caenorhabditis elegans, we have developed a model of declining neuromuscular function and conducted a screen for increased behavioral activity in aged animals. In this model, behavioral function suffers from profound reductions in locomotory frequency, but coordination is strikingly preserved until very old age. By screening for enhancers of locomotion at advanced ages we identified the ras-related Rag GTPase raga-

SUBMITTER: Schreiber MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2877737 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature