Steroid hormone signalling links reproduction to lifespan in dietary-restricted Caenorhabditis elegans

Scientists at the Laboratoire de Biologie Moleculaire de la Cellule (LBMC – CNRS; France) have discovered a hormone that enhances longevity and reduces fertility, thus reproducing the effects of an extreme diet. Produced in response to dietary restriction, dafachronic acid is required to extend lifespan and is also involved in diet-related loss of fertility. The researchers have also discovered the receptor through which dafachronic acid exerts its action in cell nuclei: its presence can activate a large number of genes, resulting in some genes to induce a reduction in fertility while others will slow down the aging process.  The study authors write that:  “Steroid signalling also affects germline plasticity in response to nutrient deprivation and this is required to achieve lifespan extension.”