Identification of Ecl Family Genes That Extend Chronological Lifespan in Fission Yeast

In fission yeast, we identified two genes, named ecl2(+) and ecl3(+), that are paralogous to ecl1(+), which extends the chronological lifespan. Both ecl2(+) and ecl3(+) extend the chronological lifespan when overexpressed as ecl1(+). ecl2(+) and ecl3(+) encode 84- and 89-amino acid polypeptides respectively that are not annotated in the current database. The Ecl2 protein is localized mainly in the nucleus, as Ecl1. These results suggest that ecl1(+), ecl2(+), and ecl3(+) have overlapping functions in the regulation of chronological lifespan.