Basic mechanisms of longevity: A case study of Drosophila pro-longevity genes

Drosophila is one of the most convenient model organisms in the genetics of aging and longevity. Unlike the nematodes, which allow for the detection of new pro-aging genes by knockout and RNAi-mediated knock-down, Drosophila also provides an opportunity to find new pro-longevity genes by driver-induced overexpression. Similar studies on other models are extremely rare. In this review, we focused on genes whose overexpression prolongs the life of fruit flies. The majority of longevity-associated genes regulates metabolism and stress resistance, and belongs to the IGF-1R, PI3K, PKB, AMPK and TOR metabolic regulation cluster and the FOXO, HDAC, p53 stress response cluster.