Dominic J. Withers
Studies how hormone and nutrient signaling pathways control metabolism and ageing, including the finding that loss of S6K1 extends lifespan in mice.
Professor of Diabetes and Endocrinology, MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London · Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences · formerly University College London (at the time of the 2009 paper)
Portrait: MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences
Dominic Withers is a professor of diabetes and endocrinology at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, which is part of Imperial College London, and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. When the study in the Atlas was published in 2009, the first author was at the Institute of Healthy Ageing at University College London.
The study, led by Colin Selman, asked whether a part of the mTOR pathway controls how long mammals live. S6K1 is a kinase that mTORC1 switches on. Mice lacking S6K1 were protected from several age-related problems, including declines in bone, immune and motor function and in insulin sensitivity.
In the Atlas, the key finding is that the lifespan gain was seen in female mice, about 19 percent in median lifespan, and was not significant in males. The mice also showed gene activity resembling that of calorie restriction and of activated AMPK. The result suggests that one branch of mTOR signaling can carry much of the effect on ageing.
Milestones in the Atlas
A selection, not a full bibliography: only papers that meet the Atlas inclusion criteria.
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | A | Ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 signaling regulates mammalian life span SEL2009 Showed that deleting S6K1 extends lifespan in female mice (not significantly in males) and protects against age-related bone, immune and motor decline. Withers is the senior author. |
Co-authors in the Atlas
People with a profile here who share at least one study with Dominic J. Withers.
- Colin Selman Biogerontologist who studies how diet and nutrient-sensing pathways such as insulin/IGF-1 and mTOR set the pace of ageing
- George Thomas Purified and cloned S6K1, the kinase that became the classic readout of mTORC1 activity. His lab later showed that mice lacking S6K1 resist diet-induced obesity, and that amino acids signal to mTORC1 through the lipid kinase hVps34 (GUL2008)
- Linda Partridge Showed that rapamycin extends fruit-fly lifespan through TORC1, via autophagy and reduced protein synthesis, and that it adds benefit even on top of dietary restriction
- Sara C. Kozma Studies the S6K/mTOR pathway and how it controls cell growth, ribosome production, diabetes and cancer, including mTOR signalling in liver cancer.
Every researcher with a profile →
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