Figure 1. Study Design Scheme.

This study was designed to employ microarray datasets, normalized to “relative lifespan” to identify gene transcripts predictive of longevity groups. Data were clustered, cis- and trans-factors identified, and data analyzed as a function of mortality using 3 rat strains. Resulting data were used to identify strain-independent and age-dependent TFs that mimicked and possibly regulated the expression of the informative gene set. Functional assays were performed to determine how one factor could contribute to longevity variability in rodents.