The Chronological Life Span of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The chronological life span of yeast, which is measured as the survival time of populations of nondividing cells, has been used successfully for the identification of key pathways responsible for the regulation of aging. These pathways have remarkable similarities with those that regulate the life span in higher eukaryotes, suggesting that longevity depends on the activity of genes and signaling pathways that share a common evolutionary origin. Thus, the unicellular Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a simple model system that can provide significant insights into the human genetics and molecular biology of aging. Here, we describe the standard procedures to measure the chronological life span, including both the normal and calorie restriction paradigms.