On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 15:15:22 +0000 (UTC), William Morse
 wrote:


>What exactly are you talking about? I have been a general follower of
>the scientific literature for many years, and I have never seen any
>mention of "senescence repressor genes". You gave a reference below
>which I will follow up on,but I remain skeptical. 
>
>What "senescence repressor genes". Please give an example of one. My
>point (and the generally accepted theory)  is that every organism
>eventually succumbs to environmental stresses. Since they do, evolution
>cannot develop immortality genes because there is no selection pressure
>to do so. 
>

I don't want to get embroiled in the whole discussion, but there is a
very large literature of genes that are involved in senescence.  As
far as we know, all genes have complex control systems, usually
involving specific proteins (or nucleic acids) that turn them on or
stop their function.  Anything that mght block a senescence gene from
functioning might well be called a senescence repressor. Given that
these blocking agents are typically proteins (or nucleic acids) or
else biochemicals produced by enzymes, the genes that produce these
agents  would then be senescence repressor genes.


Here are some papers talking about regulatory control of senescence:
The genes are, respectively, SOD1,Bcl-2, DAF-16, MYC,  and Smad3.
There are lots more where these came from
ttttt
There are also innumerable examples of organisms with a "fixed" life
span  whose death cannot really be attributable to environmental
stresses.
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