文档介绍：Review Article
TheScientificWorldJOURNAL (2002) 2, 339–356
ISSN 1537-744X; DOI .96
Evolutionary Theories of Aging and Longevity
Leonid A. Gavrilov* and Natalia S. Gavrilova
Center on Aging, NORC/University of Chicago, 1155 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL
60637
Received November 1, 2001; Revised December 5, 2001; Accepted December 7, 2001; Published February
7, 2002
The purpose of this article is to provide students and researchers entering the
field of aging studies with an introduction to the evolutionary theories of aging, as
well as to orient them in the abundant modern scientific literature on evolutionary
gerontology. The following three major evolutionary theories of aging are
discussed: 1) the theory of programmed death suggested by August Weismann, 2)
the mutation accumulation theory of aging suggested by Peter Medawar, and 3)
the antagonistic pleiotropy theory of aging suggested by e Williams. We
also discuss a special case of the antagonistic pleiotropy theory, the disposable
soma theory developed by Tom Kirkwood and Robin Holliday. The theories are
compared with each other as well as with recent experimental findings. At present
the most viable evolutionary theories are the mutation accumulation theory and
the antagonistic pleiotropy theory; these theories are not mutually exclusive, and
they both may e a part of a future unifying theory of aging.
Evolutionary theories of aging are useful because they open new oppor-
tunities for further research by suggesting testable predictions, but they have also
been harmful in the past when they were used to impose limitations on aging
studies. At this time, the evolutionary theories of aging are not pleted
theories, but rather a set of ideas that themselves require further elaboration and
validation. This theoretical review article is written for a wide readership.
KEY WORDS: evolution, fitness, gerontology, lifespan, longevity, mo