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Insulin/IGF-1 Signaling & the DAF-16 Longevity Switch

Interactive 3D model of the insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway that controls lifespan in C. elegans and its human ortholog FOXO3: dial down daf-2-like signaling and watch DAF-16 shuttle into the nucleus, activate stress-resistance genes, and extend predicted lifespan.

Aging & Longevity Science3DAdvanced60 FPS

The insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway is the single best-studied genetic lever on animal lifespan: reducing it through mutations in the daf-2 receptor can roughly double the lifespan of C. elegans, and the same axis is conserved down to the human FOXO3 gene, whose variants are among the most robustly replicated longevity associations ever found. This simulator renders a cell in 3D — membrane receptors, a diffusing pool of DAF-16/FOXO transcription factor, and a nucleus with its downstream target genes — and lets you dial the chronic strength of insulin/IGF-1 signaling, knock out daf-16 to test the classic epistasis experiment, or fire a transient insulin pulse and watch DAF-16 physically shuttle between cytoplasm and nucleus while live readouts track nuclear fraction, stress-gene activity, and the resulting predicted lifespan multiplier.

⚙ Under the hood

Explore the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway that controls lifespan in C. elegans and its human FOXO3 ortholog: dial down daf-2-like signaling and watch DAF-16 shuttle into the nucleus, switch on stress-resistance genes, and extend predicted lifespan, then test the classic daf-16 knockout epistasis experiment.

aginglongevityinsulin signalingFOXOC. elegansmolecular biology

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install