Eukaryotes have evolved elaborate mechanisms to survive periods of adversity. By
manipulating genes that control these mechanisms, researchers have found they can
generate more stress resistant, longer-lived organisms. One of these is the PNC1 gene of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a master “longevity regulatory gene” that translates a variety of
environmental stresses into lifespan extension by activating the sirtuin family of longevity
deacetylases. Master longevity genes such as PNC1 are highly adaptive because they allow …