Sterilization prolongs lifespan, in species from insect to humans.

In hermaphrodite C. elegans, removing sperm and egg-producing cells extends lifespan by 50%. Removing those cells triggers a reaction in the surrounding tissue. The signal is send out in the form of a steroid hormone, that turns on a molecular switch, which switches them into a kind of survival mode. Specifically, remaining gonadal cells trigger production of a steroid hormone dafachronic acid. Dafachronic acid activates miRNAs, which work as tiny molecular switch causing changes in gene expression that promote longevity. The same steroid hormone-miRNA switch is part of the developmental clock. The loss of the germ cells ultimately causes the worm to use developmental timers to put in motion a lifespan-prolonging programme [23239738].