Figure 6.

Bacterial deprivation (BD) extends life span through reduced food consumption and reduced food sensing. Animals subjected to BD experience calorie restriction through reduced food consumption, similar to genetic models of DR such as mutation of eat-2. BD animals are also deprived of a longevity-limiting dietary cue(s) produced by the bacterial food source. Genetic epistasis analysis indicates that BD acts in parallel to long-lived chemosensory mutants (yellow box) that influence life span primarily by altering insulin/IGF-1-like signaling (IIS). Thus, we propose that life span extension from BD is a combination of the effects of calorie restriction and reduced food sensing.