Lessons from Model Organisms Flashcards
What are the advantages of Saccharomyces cerevisae (yeast) as a model organism?
Cheap
Best genetics
What is a disadvantage of Saccharomyces cerevisae (yeast) as a model organism?
Unicellular fungus - may not age in same way as animal
What are the advantages of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism?
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Shows real ageing
Short lifespan - fast experiments
No inbreeding effects
What is a disadvantage of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism?
Not mammal - findings may not apply to humans
What are the advantages of Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism?
Short lifespan - fast experiments
Organ complexity and genes closer to mammals than in C. elegans
What are the disadvantages of Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism?
Inbreeding effects
More expensive than C. elegans
What are the advantages of Mus musculus as a model organism?
Mammal
Good genetics
What are the disadvantages of Mus musculus as a model organism?
Long lifespan - slow experiments
Very expensive
What are inbreeding effects?
Inbreeding increases homozygosity for recessive mutations that shorten lifespan in population
Confounding variable in lifespan studies
Is ageing monogenic or polygenic?
Polygenic
What type of protein does Target of Rapamycin (TOR) encode?
Protein kinase
Name the mammalian TOR complexes
mTORC1
mTORC2
What is the effect of rapamycin?
Inhibits mTOR
How does long-term mTORC1 inhibition affect mTORC2 activity?
Indirectly
When are mTORC1 and mTORC2 activated?
Under favourable conditions