Only two genome-wide significant loci associated with longevity have been identified so far, probably because of insufficient sample sizes of centenarians, whose genomes may harbor genetic variants associated with health and longevity. Here we report a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of Han Chinese with a sample size 2.7 times the largest previously published GWAS on centenarians. We ident...

BACKGROUND Longevity is a multifactorial trait with a genetic contribution, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms were found to be involved in the phenomenon of longevity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS To explore the effects of mtDNA haplogroups on the prevalence of extreme longevity (EL), a population based case-control study was conducted in Rugao--a prefecture city in Jiangsu, China...

Tuberose (Polianthus tuberosa) is a commercially important cut flower; but its longevity and quality characteristics are compromised by stress during storage and transportation. Thus, it is important to determine the most appropriate preservative solution to best maintained cut flowers. Tests were done to examine the effects on of nano-silver (NS) (0, 15, 30 and 45 mg L-1) and sucrose (0, 4 and...

Stored seeds deteriorate over time and must be regenerated to ensure that the benefits of ex situ conservation are realized. Prediction of seed longevity is based on the seed viability equation. This equation has four constants which are species specific. The aim of this project is the estimation of these constants and prediction of regeneration frequency for Elytrigia elongata, Dactylis glomer...

The amount of energy allocated to growth versus other functions is a fundamental feature of an organism's life history. Constraints on energy availability result in characteristic trade-offs among life-history traits and reflect strategies by which organisms adapt to their environments. Freshwater mussels are a diverse and imperiled component of aquatic ecosystems but little is known about thei...

BACKGROUND Longevity clusters in families, and parental longevity may be associated with lower risk of chronic diseases in their children. It is unknown if diabetes risk is associated with parental longevity. METHODS We evaluated participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program with a parental history questionnaire at study entry. We classified them into five groups: premature death (parental ...

Objectives were to 1) identify risk factors affecting the longevity of beef females, 2) evaluate the utility of measures collected early in life in predicting longevity, and 3) estimate the heritability of longevity when females were culled primarily for not being pregnant following a 45-d breeding season. Data were from 1,379 Composite Gene Combination (CGC; 1/2 Red Angus, 1/4 Charolais, 1/4 T...

We have made use of gene expression analysis of peripheral blood (PB) mononuclear cells to develop expression profiles that accurately reflect prior radiation exposure. We demonstrate that expression profiles can be developed that not only predict radiation exposure in mice but also distinguish the level of radiation exposure, ranging from 50 cGy to 1,000 cGy. Likewise, a molecular signature of...

It has been hypothesized that increasing CS longevity affects performance on trace conditioning. Using a hippocampal model, we find that increasing CS and US longevity increases learnable trace interval. As a matter of fact, over a modest range, maximal learnable trace interval is approximately a linear function of CS/US longevity.