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Statzer C, Meng J, Venz R, Bland M, Robida-Stubbs S, Patel K, Petrovic D, Emsley R, Liu P, Morantte I, Haynes C, Mair WB, Longchamp A, Filipovic MR, Blackwell TK, Ewald CY. ATF-4 and hydrogen sulfide signalling mediate longevity in response to inhibition of translation or mTORC1. Nat Commun 2022; 13:967. [PMID: 35181679 PMCID: PMC8857226 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28599-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibition of the master growth regulator mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1) slows ageing across phyla, in part by reducing protein synthesis. Various stresses globally suppress protein synthesis through the integrated stress response (ISR), resulting in preferential translation of the transcription factor ATF-4. Here we show in C. elegans that inhibition of translation or mTORC1 increases ATF-4 expression, and that ATF-4 mediates longevity under these conditions independently of ISR signalling. ATF-4 promotes longevity by activating canonical anti-ageing mechanisms, but also by elevating expression of the transsulfuration enzyme CTH-2 to increase hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production. This H2S boost increases protein persulfidation, a protective modification of redox-reactive cysteines. The ATF-4/CTH-2/H2S pathway also mediates longevity and increased stress resistance from mTORC1 suppression. Increasing H2S levels, or enhancing mechanisms that H2S influences through persulfidation, may represent promising strategies for mobilising therapeutic benefits of the ISR, translation suppression, or mTORC1 inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril Statzer
- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Translational Medicine, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Jin Meng
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Joslin Diabetes Center, Research Division, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Richard Venz
- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Translational Medicine, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Monet Bland
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Joslin Diabetes Center, Research Division, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stacey Robida-Stubbs
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Joslin Diabetes Center, Research Division, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Krina Patel
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Joslin Diabetes Center, Research Division, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Dunja Petrovic
- Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften-ISAS-e.V., Dortmund, Germany
| | - Raffaella Emsley
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pengpeng Liu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Ianessa Morantte
- Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cole Haynes
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - William B Mair
- Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alban Longchamp
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Milos R Filipovic
- Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften-ISAS-e.V., Dortmund, Germany
| | - T Keith Blackwell
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. .,Joslin Diabetes Center, Research Division, Boston, MA, USA. .,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Collin Y Ewald
- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Translational Medicine, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland.
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Dogra D, Kulalert W, Schroeder FC, Kim DH. Neuronal KGB-1 JNK MAPK signaling regulates the dauer developmental decision in response to environmental stress in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2022; 220:iyab186. [PMID: 34726729 PMCID: PMC8733477 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In response to stressful growth conditions of high population density, food scarcity, and elevated temperature, young larvae of nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can enter a developmentally arrested stage called dauer that is characterized by dramatic anatomic and metabolic remodeling. Genetic analysis of dauer formation of C. elegans has served as an experimental paradigm for the identification and characterization of conserved neuroendocrine signaling pathways. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a conserved c-Jun N-terminal Kinase-like mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway that is required for dauer formation in response to environmental stressors. We observed that loss-of-function mutations in the MLK-1-MEK-1-KGB-1 MAPK pathway suppress dauer entry. A loss-of-function mutation in the VHP-1 MAPK phosphatase, a negative regulator of KGB-1 signaling, results in constitutive dauer formation, which is dependent on the presence of dauer pheromone but independent of diminished food levels or elevated temperatures. Our data suggest that the KGB-1 pathway acts in the sensory neurons, in parallel to established insulin and TGF-β signaling pathways, to transduce the dauer-inducing environmental cues of diminished food levels and elevated temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepshikha Dogra
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Warakorn Kulalert
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Frank C Schroeder
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Dennis H Kim
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Perspective: Modulating the integrated stress response to slow aging and ameliorate age-related pathology. NATURE AGING 2021; 1:760-768. [PMID: 35146440 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-021-00112-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Healthy aging requires the coordination of numerous stress signaling pathways that converge on the protein homeostasis network. The Integrated Stress Response (ISR) is activated by diverse stimuli, leading to phosphorylation of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor elF2 in its α-subunit. Under replete conditions, elF2 orchestrates 5' cap-dependent mRNA translation and is thus responsible for general protein synthesis. elF2α phosphorylation, the key event of the ISR, reduces global mRNA translation while enhancing the expression of a signature set of stress response genes. Despite the critical role of protein quality control in healthy aging and in numerous longevity pathways, the role of the ISR in longevity remains largely unexplored. ISR activity increases with age, suggesting a potential link with the aging process. Although decreased protein biosynthesis, which occurs during ISR activation, have been linked to lifespan extension, recent data show that lifespan is limited by the ISR as its inhibition extends survival in nematodes and enhances cognitive function in aged mice. Here we survey how aging affects the ISR, the role of the ISR in modulating aging, and pharmacological interventions to tune the ISR. Finally, we will explore the ISR as a plausible target for clinical interventions in aging and age-related disease.
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4
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Baugh LR, Hu PJ. Starvation Responses Throughout the Caenorhabditiselegans Life Cycle. Genetics 2020; 216:837-878. [PMID: 33268389 PMCID: PMC7768255 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.120.303565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans survives on ephemeral food sources in the wild, and the species has a variety of adaptive responses to starvation. These features of its life history make the worm a powerful model for studying developmental, behavioral, and metabolic starvation responses. Starvation resistance is fundamental to life in the wild, and it is relevant to aging and common diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Worms respond to acute starvation at different times in the life cycle by arresting development and altering gene expression and metabolism. They also anticipate starvation during early larval development, engaging an alternative developmental program resulting in dauer diapause. By arresting development, these responses postpone growth and reproduction until feeding resumes. A common set of signaling pathways mediates systemic regulation of development in each context but with important distinctions. Several aspects of behavior, including feeding, foraging, taxis, egg laying, sleep, and associative learning, are also affected by starvation. A variety of conserved signaling, gene regulatory, and metabolic mechanisms support adaptation to starvation. Early life starvation can have persistent effects on adults and their descendants. With its short generation time, C. elegans is an ideal model for studying maternal provisioning, transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, and developmental origins of adult health and disease in humans. This review provides a comprehensive overview of starvation responses throughout the C. elegans life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Ryan Baugh
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708 and
| | - Patrick J Hu
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
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5
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Cruz-Corchado J, Ooi FK, Das S, Prahlad V. Global Transcriptome Changes That Accompany Alterations in Serotonin Levels in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2020; 10:1225-1246. [PMID: 31996358 PMCID: PMC7144078 DOI: 10.1534/g3.120.401088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), is a phylogenetically ancient molecule best characterized as a neurotransmitter that modulates multiple aspects of mood and social cognition. The roles that 5-HT plays in normal and abnormal behavior are not fully understood but have been posited to be due to its common function as a 'defense signal'. However, 5-HT levels also systemically impact cell physiology, modulating cell division, migration, apoptosis, mitochondrial biogenesis, cellular metabolism and differentiation. Whether these diverse cellular effects of 5-HT also share a common basis is unclear. C. elegans provides an ideal system to interrogate the systemic effects of 5-HT, since lacking a blood-brain barrier, 5-HT synthesized and released by neurons permeates the organism to modulate neuronal as well as non-neuronal cells throughout the body. Here we used RNA-Seq to characterize the systemic changes in gene expression that occur in C. elegans upon altering 5-HT levels, and compared the transcriptomes to published datasets. We find that an acute increase in 5-HT is accompanied by a global decrease in gene expression levels, upregulation of genes involved in stress pathways, changes that significantly correlate with the published transcriptomes of animals that have activated defense and immune responses, and an increase in levels of phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor, eIF2α. In 5-HT deficient animals lacking tryptophan hydroxylase (tph-1(mg280)II) there is a net increase in gene expression, with an overrepresentation of genes related to development and chromatin. Surprisingly, the transcriptomes of animals with acute increases in 5-HT levels, and 5-HT deficiency do not overlap with transcriptomes of mutants with whom they share striking physiological resemblance. These studies are the first to catalog systemic transcriptome changes that occur upon alterations in 5-HT levels. They further show that in C. elegans changes in gene expression upon altering 5-HT levels, and changes in physiology, are not directly correlated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnny Cruz-Corchado
- Department of Biology, Aging Mind and Brain Initiative, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, 143 Biology Building, Iowa City, IA 52242-1324
| | - Felicia K Ooi
- Department of Biology, Aging Mind and Brain Initiative, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, 143 Biology Building, Iowa City, IA 52242-1324
| | - Srijit Das
- Department of Biology, Aging Mind and Brain Initiative, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, 143 Biology Building, Iowa City, IA 52242-1324
| | - Veena Prahlad
- Department of Biology, Aging Mind and Brain Initiative, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, 143 Biology Building, Iowa City, IA 52242-1324
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Ascaroside Pheromones: Chemical Biology and Pleiotropic Neuronal Functions. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20163898. [PMID: 31405082 PMCID: PMC6719183 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20163898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/1970] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Pheromones are neuronal signals that stimulate conspecific individuals to react to environmental stressors or stimuli. Research on the ascaroside (ascr) pheromones in Caenorhabditis elegans and other nematodes has made great progress since ascr#1 was first isolated and biochemically defined in 2005. In this review, we highlight the current research on the structural diversity, biosynthesis, and pleiotropic neuronal functions of ascr pheromones and their implications in animal physiology. Experimental evidence suggests that ascr biosynthesis starts with conjugation of ascarylose to very long-chain fatty acids that are then processed via peroxisomal β-oxidation to yield diverse ascr pheromones. We also discuss the concentration and stage-dependent pleiotropic neuronal functions of ascr pheromones. These functions include dauer induction, lifespan extension, repulsion, aggregation, mating, foraging and detoxification, among others. These roles are carried out in coordination with three G protein-coupled receptors that function as putative pheromone receptors: SRBC-64/66, SRG-36/37, and DAF-37/38. Pheromone sensing is transmitted in sensory neurons via DAF-16-regulated glutamatergic neurotransmitters. Neuronal peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation has important cell-autonomous functions in the regulation of neuroendocrine signaling, including neuroprotection. In the future, translation of our knowledge of nematode ascr pheromones to higher animals might be beneficial, as ascr#1 has some anti-inflammatory effects in mice. To this end, we propose the establishment of pheromics (pheromone omics) as a new subset of integrated disciplinary research area within chemical ecology for system-wide investigation of animal pheromones.
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Abstract
Mitochondria undergo continuous challenges in the course of their life, from their generation to their degradation. These challenges include the management of reactive oxygen species, the proper assembly of mitochondrial respiratory complexes and the need to balance potential mutations in the mitochondrial DNA. The detection of damage and the ability to keep it under control is critical to fine-tune mitochondrial function to the organismal energy needs. In this review, we will analyze the multiple mechanisms that safeguard mitochondrial function in light of in crescendo damage. This sequence of events will include initial defense against excessive reactive oxygen species production, compensation mechanisms by the unfolded protein response (UPRmt), mitochondrial dynamics and elimination by mitophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Valera-Alberni
- Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS), EPFL Innovation Park, 1015 Lausanne.,School of Life Sciences, EPFL, 1015 Lausanne
| | - Carles Canto
- Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS), EPFL Innovation Park, 1015 Lausanne.,School of Life Sciences, EPFL, 1015 Lausanne
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