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Antagonistic pleiotropy, mutation accumulation, and human genetic disease

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Genetics and Evolution of Aging

Part of the book series: Contemporary Issues in Genetics and Evolution ((CIGE,volume 3))

Abstract

The antagonistic pleiotropy theory of senescence is the most convincing theoretical explanation of the existence of aging. As yet, no locus or allele has been identified in a wild population with the features predicted by the pleiotropic theory. Human genetic diseases offer the opportunity to identify potentially pleiotropic alleles/loci. Four human genetic diseases — Huntington’s disease, idiopathic hemochromatosis, myotonic dystrophy, and Alzheimer’s disease — may exhibit pleiotropic effects and further study of these diseases might result in the identification of pleiotropic genes causing aging. Inability to find an early life selective benefit associated with these disease-causing alleles would favor the major alternative genetic explanation for aging, the mutation accumulation theory.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Roger L. Albin

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  1. Roger L. Albin
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Irvine, USA

    Michael R. Rose

  2. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA

    Caleb E. Finch

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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Albin, R.L. (1994). Antagonistic pleiotropy, mutation accumulation, and human genetic disease. In: Rose, M.R., Finch, C.E. (eds) Genetics and Evolution of Aging. Contemporary Issues in Genetics and Evolution, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1671-0_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1671-0_26

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4416-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-1671-0

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