6533b7dafe1ef96bd126ea77

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Protein patterns in rotifers: the timing of aging

subject

description

Single rotifer individuals have been characterized biochemically to obtain a fingerprint of their physiological state using a modified ultrasensitive silver-stain procedure to detect total proteins in polyacrylamide gels. Patterns are completely uniform for young isogenic individuals raised in the same culture, but they start to change when these individuals reach a certain age. This age is close to the mean lifespan and to both the cessation of body growth and reproduction. Variability is greatest among individuals of the same chronological age, thus the rate of aging is different even among individuals having identical genotypes and experiencing the same environment.