Andrew Dillin

Andrew Dillin, Pioneer Developmental Chair and an associate professor in the Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, uses the tiny roundworm Ceanorhabditis elegans to study the process of aging by looking at a hormone that is most widely recognized for its role in diabetes among humans: insulin. The insulin signaling pathway in worms is not only almost identical to that found in humans, but Dillin discovered that insulin also controls many physiological aspects in the worm's body, including reproduction and aging. In humans, interfering with insulin/IGF-1 signaling to generate a life-prolonging benefit would lead to type 2 diabetes and possibly cancer. In worms, larval development and reproduction are affected along with longevity.


Some of Dillin's earlier research had hinted at the possibility to genetically manipulate one element of the pathway without disrupting its additional functions, this led him to search for "specificity" factors that may control how and if insulin and IGF-1 impact a wide range of target genes. Recently, he and his team pinpointed a protein specifically responsible for extending lifespan and youthfulness without disrupting the worms' response to some forms of stress, development and fertility controlled by the insulin signaling pathway.


Additionally, Dillin is interested in age-onset neurodegenerative diseases. Like most neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease usually appears late in life, raising the question of whether it is a direct and disastrous consequence of aging or if the toxic protein aggregates that cause the disease simply take a long time to form. He discovered that the harmful beta amyloid aggregates accumulate when aging impedes two molecular clean-up crews from getting rid of these toxic species.

Education
B.S., Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Reno
Ph.D., Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley
Awards and Honors
McKnight Neurosciences of Brain Disorders Award (2007)
Ellison Medical Foundation Award (2004-2008)
Larry L. Hillblom Junior Faculty Award (2003-2006)
American Diabetes Association Junior Faculty Award (2004-2006)
Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Postdoctoral Fellowship, UC San Francisco (1999-2002)
Selected Publications
Cohen E, Bieschke J, Perciavalle RM, Kelly JW, Dillin A. Opposing Activities Protect Against Age Onset Proteotoxicity. Science. 2006.
Wolff S, Ma H, Burch D, Maciel GA, Hunter T, Dillin A. SMK-1, an essential regulator of DAF-16-mediated longevity. Cell. 124(5):1039-53; 2006.
Raices M, Maruyama H, Dillin A, Karlseder J. Uncoupling of longevity and telomere length in C. elegans. PLoS Genet. (3):30; 2005.
Dillin, A., Hsu, A., Arantes-Oliveira, N., Lehrer-Graiwer, J., Hsin, H., Fraser, A. G., Kamath, R. V., Ahringer, J., Kenyon, C. Lifelong Rates of Behavior and Aging Specified by Respiratory Chain Activity During Development. Science. 298(5602):2398-401; 2002.
Dillin, A., Crawford, D. K., Kenyon C. Timing requirements for insulin signaling in C. elegans. Science. 298:830-4; 2002.
Arantes-Oliveira N, Apfeld J, Dillin A, Kenyon C. Regulation of life-span by germ-line stem cells in C. elegans. Science. 295(5554):502-5; 2002.