<p>This illustration depicts the intracellular signaling pathways that are regulated by daf-2 receptor activation. Daf-2 activation by INS-7 inhibits daf-16. Downstream from membrane signaling cascade that impacts DNA molecules, a T-bar shows that inhibition of daf-16 at the DNA level promotes aging, whereas an arrow shows that activation of daf-16 at the DNA level promotes longevity.</p>

<p>Investigators have found that the transcription factor DAF-16 controls the expression of a battery of genes, many of which have small effects on lifespan (promoting either aging or longevity) in Caenorhabditis elegans. Consistent with earlier studies, the pro-longevity genes include some that encode antioxidant enzymes and others that encode heat-shock proteins,which can restore misfolded proteins to their active conformations. Genes that promote ageing include some that encode yolk proteins, consistent with a link between ageing and reproduction. Another pro-ageing protein is the insulin-like INS-7, which, by binding to the insulin/IGF-1 receptor (DAF-2), may repress DAF-16 on the same and other cells. This suggests the presence of a positive feedback loop that regulates DAF-2 activity. Arrows indicate activation; T-bars indicate inhibition.</p>