Question

7. View the first seven minutes of the following video: “Part 1: Genes that Control Aging” by Dr. Cynthia Kenyon (iBioSeminars). If you would like to learn more about Dr. Kenyon’s research, please feel free to view the entire video! Note: You may copy and paste the link for the video directly into the address bar of your browser: https://youtu.be/DT4PWu43e9U

Then answer the following questions.

1. What critical observations did Dr. Kenyon’s initial hypothesis explain?

2. What was Dr. Kenyon’s initial hypothesis?

3. How did Dr. Kenyon and her colleagues test the hypothesis using C. elegans?

4. What were their key observations regarding daf-2?

5. What conclusions did the observations support?

Answer 1

Ansulero- A Dr. Kenyon's initial hypothesis proposed that the aging in all animals is controlled by the certem genes and ºn @ging can be delayed by cousing mutation in those specific genes which cause aging A She proposed that the aging in an animal is due to the action of a sep of genes and it can be delayed by offering or mutating the gene. She and her colleagues used c. elegans a soil Worm whose lifespan is about a weeks. They selected this worm and identify the gene responsible for aging in this tiny organism. The gene def-2 is responsible for oging in C. elegans. They mutale the gene and after the hormonal receptor sile so that hormone such as insulin and IGF-I is unable to enter the cells due to that the aging process in c.elegans is delayed and its lifespan increases from 15 days to 60-70 days. They observe that def-2 gene have a surface receptor for insulin and IGF-I hormone and in normal cells, these receptors receive these two hormones and gef old in two Weeles. So they mufefe the gene and block this hormonal receptor due to which cells did not get these two hormones and their lifespan increases dramatically. ☆ The conclusion of the observation is that the aging is due to the action of certain genes and if we mufate of coffer these genes we can delay the aging. It is shown that insulin and IGF-I are responsible for the aging in'c.elegens and frit fly and researches concluded that it might possible that these hormones also play important role maging of human and other animals.