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Prof David Gems

  • Telephone:

    020 7679 4381

  • Extension:

    34381

  • Fax:

    020 7679 7096

  • Email:

    david.gems@ucl.ac.uk

  • Webpage:

    http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucbtdag/

  • Address:

    Institute of Healthy Ageing, Darwin Building,
    Gower Street,
    London,
    WC1E 6BT

  • Appointments:

    Professor of Biogerontology, Genetics, Evolution & Environment, Div of Biosciences

Research Summary

Understanding the biology of longevity and ageing using a nematode model While developmental genetics has been an area of intensive study for many years, investigation of the role of genes in determining longevity and ageing only recently began. An ideal model organism in which to study ageing is the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. This species has well-developed genetics, its 97,000,000 base pair genome is fully sequenced, and its life span is a mere 2-3 weeks. Most importantly, numerous mutations have been identified in C. elegans which alter the rate of ageing, with some mutants living more than ten times as long as wild-type worms. It is hoped that by understanding ageing in a simple animal like C. elegans we will be able to unravel the mystery of human ageing, which increases risk of a wide range of diseases, from cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes, to Alzheimer's disease and cancer. A major focus of current work in this laboratory is understanding the genes and biochemical processes by which reduced insulin/IGF-1 signalling and dietary restriction increase lifespan. Other interests include sex differences in the biology of ageing, evolutionary conservation of mechanisms of ageing, and bioethical implications of ageing research. Our work is funded by the BBSRC, the European Union and the Wellcome Trust.

Research Activities

  • Cell signalling
  • Genetics of ageing and age-related disease in Caenorhabditis elegans
  • Mechanisms regulating lymphocyte differentiation i
  • Regulation and targeting of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) pathway
  • The central nervous system regulation of energy homeostasis

Recent Publications

Displaying 50 most recent publications. For the full list please visit UCL Discovery

  1. Gems D,de la Guardia Y (2012) Beyond reactive oxygen species: Alternative perspectives on ageing in C. elegans Antioxidants and Redox Signaling, Sep 24. [Epub ahead of print].
  2. Valentini S,Cabreiro F,Ackerman D,Alam MM,Kunze MB,Kay CW,Gems D (2012) Manipulation of in vivo iron levels can alter resistance to oxidative stress without affecting ageing in the nematode C. elegans. Mech Ageing Dev, 133(5), 282 - 290. 10.1016/j.mad.2012.03.003.
  3. Valentini S,Cabreiro F,Ackerman D,Alam M,Kay C,Gems D (2012) Iron catalyzed generation of reactive oxygen species does not contribute to C. elegans aging Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 133, 282 - 290.
  4. Ackerman D,Gems D (2012) Insulin/IGF-1 and hypoxia signaling act in concert to regulate iron homeostasis in C. elegans PLoS Genetics, 8, e1002498.
  5. Cabreiro F,Ackerman D,Doonan R,Araiz C,Back P,Papp D,Braeckman BP,Gems D (2011) Increased life span from overexpression of superoxide dismutase in Caenorhabditis elegans is not caused by decreased oxidative damage. Free Radic Biol Med, 51(8), 1575 - 1582. 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2011.07.020.
  6. Burnett C,Valentini S,Cabreiro F,Goss M,Somogyvari M,Piper MD,Hoddinott M,Sutphin GL,Leko V,McElwee JJ,Vazquez-Manrique RP,Orfila AM,Ackerman D,Au C,Vinti G,Riesen M,Howard K,Neri C,Bedalov A,Kaeberlein M,Soti C,Partridge L,Gems D (2011) Absence of effects of Sir2 over-expression on lifespan in C. elegans and Drosophila Nature, 477, 482 - 485.
  7. Gems D (2011) Tragedy and delight: The ethics of decelerated ageing Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci., 366, 108 - 112.
  8. Gems D (2011) The problem of aging: To treat, or not to treat? American Scientist, 99, 278 - 280.
  9. Cocheme HM,Quin C,McQuaker SJ,Cabreiro F,Logan A,Prime TA,Abakumova I,Patel JV,Fearnley IM,James AM,Porteous CM,Smith RAJ,Saeed S,Carre J,Singer M,Gems D,Partridge L,Hartley RC,Murphy MP (2011) In vivo measurement of mitochondrial H2O2 using a ratiometric mass spectrometry probe shows an increase with aging that does not determine lifespan Cell Metabolism, 13, 340 - 350.
  10. Schuster E,McElwee JJ,Tullett JM,Doonan R,Matthijssens F,Reece-Hoyes JS,Vanfleteren JR,Thornton JM,Gems D (2010) DamID in C. elegans reveals longevity-associated targets of DAF-16/FoxO Molecular Systems Biology, 6, 399.
  11. Gems D (2010) Treating aging: Progress towards dietary restriction mimetics F1000 Biology Reports, 2, 76.
  12. Gems D (2010) Wenn Mao noch lebte - Vom Segen und Unsinn de Alterns, 81 - 99.
  13. Selman C,Tullet JMA,Wieser D,Irvine E,Lingard SJ,Choudhury AI,Claret M,Al-Qassab H,Carmignac D,Ramadani F,Woods A,Robinson ICA,Schuster E,Batterham RL,Kozma SC,Thomas G,Carling D,Okkenhaug K,Thornton JM,Partridge L,Gems D,Withers DJ (2009) Ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 signaling regulates mammalian lifespan Science, 326(5949), 140 - 144. 10.1126/science.1177221.
  14. Gems D (2009) Aging and oxidants in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans SEB Experimental Biology Series, 62, 31 - 56.
  15. Gems D,Doonan R (2009) Antioxidant defense and aging in C. elegans: Is the oxidative damage theory of aging wrong? Cell Cycle, 8(11), 1 - 7.
  16. Thompson FJ,Barker GLA,Nolan T,Gems DV,M E (2009) Transcript profiles of long- and short-lived adults implicate protein synthesis as a determinant of evolved differences in ageing in the nematode Strongyloides ratti. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 130(3), 167 - 172. 10.1016/j.mad.2008.11.001.
  17. Gems D (2009) Ist mehr Leben stets besser? Die moderne Alternsbiologie under der Sinn des Lebens, 365 - 385.
  18. Toivonen JM,Gems D,Partridge L (2009) Longevity of Indy mutant Drosophila not attributable to Indy mutation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(21), E53.
  19. Gems D (2009) Eine Revolution de Alterns: die neue Biogerontologie und ihre Implikationen, 25 - 45.
  20. Selman C,Lingard S,Choudhury AI,Batterham RL,Claret M,Clements M,Ramadani F,Okkenhaug K,Schuster E,Blanc E,Piper MD,Al-Qassab H,Speakman JR,Carmignac D,Robinson IC,Thornton JM,Gems D,Partridge L,Withers DJ (2008) Evidence for lifespan extension and delayed age-related biomarkers in insulin receptor substrate 1 null mice The FASEB Journal, 22(3), 807 - 818.
  21. Patel DS,Garza-Garcia A,Nanji M,McElwee JJ,Ackerman D,Driscoll PC,Gems D (2008) Clustering of genetically defined allele classes in the Caenorhabditis elegans DAF-2 insulin/IGF-1 receptor. Genetics, 178(2), 931 - 946. 10.1534/genetics.107.070813.
  22. Doonan R,McElwee JJ,Matthijssens F,Walker GA,Houthoofd K,Back P,Matscheski A,Vanfleteren JR,Gems D (2008) Against the oxidative damage theory of aging: Superoxide dismutases protect against oxidative stress but have little or no effect on lifespan in C. elegans. Genes and Development, 22(23), 3236 - 3241. 10.1101/gad.504808.
  23. Gems D,Partridge L (2008) Stress-response hormesis and aging: "that which does not kill us makes us stronger" Cell Metabolism, 7(3), 200 - 203.
  24. Lenaerts I,Walker GA,Van Hoorebeke L,Gems D,Vanfleteren JR (2008) Dietary restriction of Caenorhabditis elegans by axenic culture reflects nutritional requirement for constituents provided by metabolically active microbes Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological and Medical Sciences, 63(3), 242 - 252.
  25. Gems DD,R (2008) Oxidative stress and aging in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, 81 - 110.
  26. Selman C,Lingard S,Gems D,Partridge L,Withers DJ (2008) Comment on "Brain IRS2 signaling coordinates life span and nutrient homeostasis" Science, 320(5879), 1012.
  27. McElwee JJ,Schuster E,Blanc E,Piper MD,Thomas JH,Patel DS,Selman C,Withers DJ,Thornton JM,Partridge L,Gems DH (2007) Evolutionarily conservation of regulated longevity assurance mechanisms Genome Biology, 8(7), R132. 10.1186/gb-2007-8-7-r132.
  28. Garza-Garcia A,Patel DS,Gems D,Driscoll PC (2007) RILM: a web-based resource to aid comparative and functional analysis of the insulin and IGF-1 receptor family. Human Mutation, 28(7), 660 - 668. 10.1002/humu.20491.
  29. Partridge LG,D (2007) Benchmarks for ageing studies Nature, 450(7167), 165 - 167.
  30. McCulloch DG,D (2007) Sex-specific effects of the DAF-12 steroid receptor on aging in Caenorhabditis elegans Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1119, 253 - 259.
  31. Houthoofd KG,D Johnson TEV,J R (2007) ietary restriction in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans Interdisciplinary Topics in Gerontology, 35, 98 - 114.
  32. Gems D (2007) Long-lived dwarf mice: are bile acids a longevity signal? Aging Cell, 6(4), 453 - 470.
  33. Toivonen JMW,G A Martinez-Diaz PB,I Driege YJ,H T Gems DP,L (2007) No influence of Indy on lifespan in Drosophila after correction for genetic and cytoplasmic background effects PLoS Genetics, 3(6), e95.
  34. Bass TMW,D Houthoofd KG,D Partridge L (2007) Effects of resveratrol on lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 128(10), 546 - 552.
  35. Selman C,Kerrison ND,Cooray A,Piper MD,Lingard SJ,Barton RH,Schuster EF,Blanc E,Gems D,Nicholson JK,Thornton JM,Partridge L,Withers DJ (2006) Coordinated multitissue transcriptional and plasma metabonomic profiles following acute caloric restriction in mice Physiol Genomics, 27(3), 187 - 200.
  36. Partridge LG,D (2006) Beyond the evolutionary theory of ageing, from functional genomics to evo-gero. TREE, 21, 334 - 340.
  37. Weinkove DH,J R Gems DD,N (2006) Long-term starvation and ageing induce AGE-1/PI 3-kinase-dependent translocation of DAF-16/FOXO to the cytoplasm BMC Biology, 3(4), 1.
  38. Vellai T,McCulloch D,Gems D,Kovacs AL (2006) Effects of Sex and Insulin/Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Signaling on Performance in an Associative Learning Paradigm in Caenorhabditis elegans Genetics, 174(1), 309 - 316.
  39. Gardner MP,Gems D,Viney ME (2006) Extraordinary plasticity in aging in Strongyloides ratti implies a gene-regulatory mechanism of lifespan evolution Aging Cell, 5(4), 315 - 323.
  40. McElwee JJS,E Blanc ET,J Gems D (2006) Diapause-associated metabolic traits reiterated in long-lived daf-2 mutants in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 127(5), 458 - 472.
  41. Nanji M,Hopper NA,Gems D (2005) LET-60 RAS modulates effects of insulin/IGF-1 signaling on development and aging in Caenorhabditis elegans Aging Cell, 4(5), 235 - 245. 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2005.00166.x.
  42. Gems DM,J J (2005) Broad spectrum detoxification: the major longevity assurance process regulated by insulin/IGF-1 signaling? Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 126(3), 381 - 387.
  43. Brakefield PM,Gems D,Cowen T,Christensen K,Grubeck-Loebenstein B,Keller L,Oeppen J,Rodriguez-Pena A,Stazi MA,Tatar M,Westendorp RG (2005) What are the effects of maternal and pre-adult environments on ageing in humans, and are there lessons from animal models? Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 126(3), 431 - 438.
  44. Partridge L,Gems D,Withers DJ (2005) Sex and death: What's the connection? Cell, 120, 461 - 472.
  45. Walker GH,K Vanfleteren JRG,D (2005) Dietary restriction in C. elegans: from rate-of-living effects to nutrient sensing pathways Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 126(9), 929 - 937.
  46. McElwee JJ,Schuster E,Blanc E,Thomas JH,Gems DH (2004) Shared transcriptional signature in C. elegans dauer larvae and long-lived daf-2 mutant adults implicates detoxification system in longevity assurance Journal of Biological Chemistry, 279, 44533 - 44543. 10.1074/jbc.M406207200.
  47. Hulbert AJ,Clancy DJ,Mair W,Braeckman BP,Gems D,Partridge L (2004) Metabolic rate is not reduced by dietary-restriction or by lowered insulin/IGF-1 signalling and is not correlated with individual lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster Experimental Gerontology, 39(8), 1137 - 1143.
  48. Gardner MPG,D Viney ME (2004) Aging in a very short-lived nematode Experimental Gerontology, 39(9), 1267 - 1276.
  49. Keaney M,Matthijssens F,Sharpe M,Vanfleteren J,Gems DH (2004) Superoxide dismutase mimetics elevate superoxide dismutase activity in vivo but do not retard aging in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 37(2), 239 - 250. 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2004.04.005.
  50. McCulloch D,Gems D (2003) Body size, insulin/IGF signaling and aging in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans Experimental Gerontology, 38, 129 - 136.

Qualifications

  • 1990: Doctor of Philosophy, University of Glasgow
  • 1983: Bachelor of Science, University of Sussex

Keywords

  • Ageing
  • Autophagy
  • Bioinformatics
  • Biology of ageing in animal models
  • C. elegans
  • Diabetes
  • Evolution
  • Gene expression
  • Genetics
  • Genomics
  • Huntington's disease
  • Lysosome
  • MRNA
  • Mitochondria
  • Neurodegeneration
  • Oxidative stress
  • Phosphoinositides
  • Protein aggregation
  • Protein misfolding
  • Serine/threonine protein kinase
  • Transcription factor
  • Transthyretin
  • Well-being