There was no association between other phenotypes and any of the SNPs in Table 1 (Supplementary Table 2). Nor was there a relationship between any of the genotypes and maximum age attained in either the case or the control groups (data not shown).

Variants not present in other populations may exist that could be associated with longevity.

For the two SNPs with marginal association with longevity before Bonferroni correction, no significant association was found with a range of aging-related phenotypes, common diseases, or a combined phenotype representing healthy aging.

A limitation of our cohort was that it only included male participants. Thus, the SNPs tested could be associated with longevity or other aging-related phenotypes in female participants, as shown for the SNP in EXO1 in female but not male German centenarians (21). The longevity-associated allele in the EXO1 promoter, by elevating EXO1 expression, could theoretically have an effect on longevity.

Discussion

To date, findings on genetic variants conferring an increase in human lifespan are limited (23). This reflects, in part, the difficulty of obtaining cohorts of suitable study participants who have attained extreme old age. Therefore, given sufficient power, any data, whether positive or negative, may be instructive in deciphering the molecular genetic etiology of human longevity.

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