KRI1 Homolog (KRI1)

KRI1 overlaps with the gene for cysteine endopeptidase AUT-like 4 in a head-to-tail orientation. In C. elegans, removing the germ cells extends life span by triggering the nuclear localization and activation of the DAF-16/FOXO transcription factor in the intestine. The reproductive system communicates with the intestine through lipophilic-hormone signaling and that a gene called kri-1 is likely to act in the intestine to promote DAF-16 nuclear localization in response to this signal. This lipophilicsignaling pathway and kri-1 are not required for DAF-16’s nuclear localization and life-span extension in animals with decreased insulin/IGF-1 signaling. Thus, this pathway specifically enables the integration of cues from the reproductive system with central DAF-16-activation pathways to influence the aging of the animal.