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Ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 signaling regulates mammalian life span

Selman C, Tullet JM, Wieser D, Irvine E, Lingard SJ, Choudhury AI, Claret M, Al-Qassab H, Carmignac D, Ramadani F, Woods A, …, Withers DJ · 2009 · Science · Atlas ID SEL2009

What this study shows

Deleting S6K1 (a direct mTORC1 effector) extended lifespan in FEMALE mice (+19% median); the effect was not significant in males. It also protected against age-related bone, immune and motor decline. One of the clearest cases of the sex dimorphism catalogued in gap H6 - and a reminder that a single downstream branch, not mTORC1 as a whole, can carry much of the ageing signal.

Abstract

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Caloric restriction (CR) protects against aging and disease, but the mechanisms by which this affects mammalian life span are unclear. We show in mice that deletion of ribosomal S6 protein kinase 1 (S6K1), a component of the nutrient-responsive mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) signaling pathway, led to increased life span and resistance to age-related pathologies, such as bone, immune, and motor dysfunction and loss of insulin sensitivity.

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At a glance

Evidence type A Animal model Marked A because it is an animal intervention or observation study measuring an organismal outcome (model: Mouse (S6K1 knockout)); the code names the system studied -- animal work can be rigorous and still not be human data.
Study type4 - Animal Study
Model systemMouse (S6K1 knockout)
JournalScience
Year2009
Peer reviewedYes
Record last updated2026-07-29
SourceDOI 10.1126/science.1177221 · PMID 19797661 · Free full text (PMC4954603)

Extracted findings

These fields were extracted from the paper with AI assistance and have not been checked against the source. Read them as a pointer into the paper, not as curated claims; where they disagree with the curated summary above, the curated summary stands.

InterventionGenetic (S6K1 knockout)
TargetS6K1 / mTOR
ModelMouse (S6K1 KO)
EffectS6K1 deletion extends lifespan in female mice only (+19% median, not significant in males) and improves healthspan measures
Dosenot stated
Sample sizenot stated
Effect sizeMedian lifespan in S6K1 -/- mice increased by 80 days (from 862 to 942 days) or 9% relative to WT mice (X 2 = 10.52, p < 0.001) for both sexes combined. Female S6K1 -/- mice median lifespan increased by 153 days (19%) (p < 0.001), while male S6K1 -/- mice showed no effect (p > 0.05).
Limitationsnot stated

In the Atlas

Related topics

LongevitymTORC1S6K1

Links in the pathway map

Open questions that cite this study

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Cite this paper

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Selman, C., Tullet, J. M., Wieser, D., Irvine, E., Lingard, S. J., Choudhury, A. I., Claret, M., Al-Qassab, H., Carmignac, D., Ramadani, F., Woods, A., Robinson, I. C., Schuster, E., Batterham, R. L., Kozma, S. C., Thomas, G., Carling, D., Okkenhaug, K., Thornton, J. M., Partridge, L., Gems, D., & Withers, D. J. (2009). Ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 signaling regulates mammalian life span. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1177221

@article{SEL2009,
  author       = {Selman, C. and Tullet, J. M. and Wieser, D. and Irvine, E. and Lingard, S. J. and Choudhury, A. I. and Claret, M. and Al-Qassab, H. and Carmignac, D. and Ramadani, F. and Woods, A. and Robinson, I. C. and Schuster, E. and Batterham, R. L. and Kozma, S. C. and Thomas, G. and Carling, D. and Okkenhaug, K. and Thornton, J. M. and Partridge, L. and Gems, D. and Withers, D. J.},
  title        = {{Ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 signaling regulates mammalian life span}},
  journal      = {Science},
  year         = {2009},
  doi          = {10.1126/science.1177221},
  note         = {PMID: 19797661},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper. 

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record SEL2009) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/SEL2009/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_SEL2009,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record SEL2009},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/SEL2009/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}
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