Genetic Determinants of Human Health Span and Life Span: Progress and New Opportunities
Figure 1
Visual Presentation of the Frequency Trends of Favorable Genotypes with Exceptional Longevity
This trend was obtained in ∼400 Ashkenazi Jewish subjects over age 95 and ∼600 subjects between ages 60–95 [76,87]. While these genotypes were assessed cross-sectionally in groups between ages ∼60–110, it is important to realize that marked selection occurs during the life course. One also should be aware of the fact that very few subjects achieve centenarian status. Of many polymorphic candidate loci, only subjects homozygous for CETP VV, APOC-3 CC, and ADIPOQ del/del genotypes are markedly and significantly enriched among centenarians (see details in text). To be considered a favorable longevity genotype, a monotonic increase should be observed among age groups. This criterion helps to exclude false-positive associations that occur only in one age group but that do not exhibit trends among sequential age groups. Genotypes with unchanged frequencies among age groups serve as partial controls for genotypic distribution and stratification tests. The analysis of such patterns is useful for the identification of candidate “longevity genes.”