Genes of reproduction and cellular immortality

While somatic cells age and ultimately die, germ cells are essentially immortal. Sean Curran and Gary Ruvkun demonstrate that C. elegans mutants exhibiting an increased life span exhibit ectopic gene expression programs whereby somatic tissues display expression patterns normally reserved for germ cells. Their findings, published in the 25 June issue of Nature, expand the potential for investigating the molecular nature of the mortality of somatic tissue.