Login / Signup

Microbial ageing and longevity.

Roy Z Moger-ReischerJay T Lennon
Published in: Nature reviews. Microbiology (2019)
Longevity reflects the ability to maintain homeostatic conditions necessary for life as an organism ages. A long-lived organism must contend not only with environmental hazards but also with internal entropy and macromolecular damage that result in the loss of fitness during ageing, a phenomenon known as senescence. Although central to many of the core concepts in biology, ageing and longevity have primarily been investigated in sexually reproducing, multicellular organisms. However, growing evidence suggests that microorganisms undergo senescence, and can also exhibit extreme longevity. In this Review, we integrate theoretical and empirical insights to establish a unified perspective on senescence and longevity. We discuss the evolutionary origins, genetic mechanisms and functional consequences of microbial ageing. In addition to having biomedical implications, insights into microbial ageing shed light on the role of ageing in the origin of life and the upper limits to longevity.
Keyphrases
  • drosophila melanogaster
  • microbial community
  • dna damage
  • endothelial cells
  • stress induced
  • body composition
  • physical activity
  • gene expression
  • climate change
  • dna methylation
  • mass spectrometry
  • gram negative