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Banse SA, Jarrett CM, Robinson KJ, Blue BW, Shaw EL, Phillips PC. The egg-counter: a novel microfluidic platform for characterization of Caenorhabditis elegans egg-laying. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:2975-2986. [PMID: 38738514 PMCID: PMC11131562 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc01073b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Reproduction is a fundamental process that shapes the demography of every living organism yet is often difficult to assess with high precision in animals that produce large numbers of offspring. Here, we present a novel microfluidic research platform for studying Caenorhabditis elegans' egg-laying. The platform provides higher throughput than traditional solid-media behavioral assays while providing a very high degree of temporal resolution. Additionally, the environmental control enabled by microfluidic animal husbandry allows for experimental perturbations difficult to achieve with solid-media assays. We demonstrate the platform's utility by characterizing C. elegans egg-laying behavior at two commonly used temperatures, 15 and 20 °C. As expected, we observed a delayed onset of egg-laying at 15 °C degrees, consistent with published temperature effects on development rate. Additionally, as seen in solid media studies, egg laying output was higher under the canonical 20 °C conditions. While we validated the Egg-Counter with a study of temperature effects in wild-type animals, the platform is highly adaptable to any nematode egg-laying research where throughput or environmental control needs to be maximized without sacrificing temporal resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen A Banse
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
| | - Cody M Jarrett
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
| | - Kristin J Robinson
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
| | - Benjamin W Blue
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
| | - Emily L Shaw
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
| | - Patrick C Phillips
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
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Banse SA, Jackson EG, Sedore CA, Onken B, Hall D, Coleman-Hulbert A, Huynh P, Garrett T, Johnson E, Harinath G, Inman D, Guo S, Morshead M, Xue J, Falkowski R, Chen E, Herrera C, Kirsch AJ, Perez VI, Guo M, Lithgow GJ, Driscoll M, Phillips PC. The coupling between healthspan and lifespan in Caenorhabditis depends on complex interactions between compound intervention and genetic background. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:5829-5855. [PMID: 38613792 PMCID: PMC11042945 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Aging is characterized by declining health that results in decreased cellular resilience and neuromuscular function. The relationship between lifespan and health, and the influence of genetic background on that relationship, has important implications in the development of pharmacological anti-aging interventions. Here we assessed swimming performance as well as survival under thermal and oxidative stress across a nematode genetic diversity test panel to evaluate health effects for three compounds previously studied in the Caenorhabditis Intervention Testing Program and thought to promote longevity in different ways - NP1 (nitrophenyl piperazine-containing compound 1), propyl gallate, and resveratrol. Overall, we find the relationships among median lifespan, oxidative stress resistance, thermotolerance, and mobility vigor to be complex. We show that oxidative stress resistance and thermotolerance vary with compound intervention, genetic background, and age. The effects of tested compounds on swimming locomotion, in contrast, are largely species-specific. In this study, thermotolerance, but not oxidative stress or swimming ability, correlates with lifespan. Notably, some compounds exert strong impact on some health measures without an equally strong impact on lifespan. Our results demonstrate the importance of assessing health and lifespan across genetic backgrounds in the effort to identify reproducible anti-aging interventions, with data underscoring how personalized treatments might be required to optimize health benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen A. Banse
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - E. Grace Jackson
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Christine A. Sedore
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Brian Onken
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - David Hall
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945, USA
| | | | - Phu Huynh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Theo Garrett
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945, USA
| | - Erik Johnson
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Girish Harinath
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Delaney Inman
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945, USA
| | - Suzhen Guo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | | | - Jian Xue
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Ron Falkowski
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Esteban Chen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Christopher Herrera
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Allie J. Kirsch
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Viviana I. Perez
- Division of Aging Biology, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Max Guo
- Division of Aging Biology, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Monica Driscoll
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Patrick C. Phillips
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
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3
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Banse SA, Sedore CA, Johnson E, Coleman-Hulbert AL, Onken B, Hall D, Jackson EG, Huynh P, Foulger AC, Guo S, Garrett T, Xue J, Inman D, Morshead ML, Plummer WT, Chen E, Bhaumik D, Chen MK, Harinath G, Chamoli M, Quinn RP, Falkowski R, Edgar D, Schmidt MO, Lucanic M, Guo M, Driscoll M, Lithgow GJ, Phillips PC. Antioxidants green tea extract and nordihydroguaiaretic acid confer species and strain-specific lifespan and health effects in Caenorhabditis nematodes. GeroScience 2024; 46:2239-2251. [PMID: 37923874 PMCID: PMC10828308 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-023-00978-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The Caenorhabditis Intervention Testing Program (CITP) is an NIH-funded research consortium of investigators who conduct analyses at three independent sites to identify chemical interventions that reproducibly promote health and lifespan in a robust manner. The founding principle of the CITP is that compounds with positive effects across a genetically diverse panel of Caenorhabditis species and strains are likely engaging conserved biochemical pathways to exert their effects. As such, interventions that are broadly efficacious might be considered prominent compounds for translation for pre-clinical research and human clinical applications. Here, we report results generated using a recently streamlined pipeline approach for the evaluation of the effects of chemical compounds on lifespan and health. We studied five compounds previously shown to extend C. elegans lifespan or thought to promote mammalian health: 17α-estradiol, acarbose, green tea extract, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, and rapamycin. We found that green tea extract and nordihydroguaiaretic acid extend Caenorhabditis lifespan in a species-specific manner. Additionally, these two antioxidants conferred assay-specific effects in some studies-for example, decreasing survival for certain genetic backgrounds in manual survival assays in contrast with extended lifespan as assayed using automated C. elegans Lifespan Machines. We also observed that GTE and NDGA impact on older adult mobility capacity is dependent on genetic background, and that GTE reduces oxidative stress resistance in some Caenorhabditis strains. Overall, our analysis of the five compounds supports the general idea that genetic background and assay type can influence lifespan and health effects of compounds, and underscores that lifespan and health can be uncoupled by chemical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen A Banse
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Christine A Sedore
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Erik Johnson
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | | | - Brian Onken
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - David Hall
- The Buck Institute for Research On Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - E Grace Jackson
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Phu Huynh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Anna C Foulger
- The Buck Institute for Research On Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Suzhen Guo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Theo Garrett
- The Buck Institute for Research On Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Jian Xue
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Delaney Inman
- The Buck Institute for Research On Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | | | - W Todd Plummer
- The Buck Institute for Research On Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Esteban Chen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Dipa Bhaumik
- The Buck Institute for Research On Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Michelle K Chen
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Girish Harinath
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Manish Chamoli
- The Buck Institute for Research On Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Rose P Quinn
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Ron Falkowski
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Daniel Edgar
- The Buck Institute for Research On Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Madeline O Schmidt
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Mark Lucanic
- The Buck Institute for Research On Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Max Guo
- Division of Aging Biology, National Institute On Aging, Bethesda, MD, 20892-9205, USA
| | - Monica Driscoll
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
| | - Gordon J Lithgow
- The Buck Institute for Research On Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA.
| | - Patrick C Phillips
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA.
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Stevenson ZC, Moerdyk-Schauwecker MJ, Banse SA, Patel DS, Lu H, Phillips PC. High-throughput library transgenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans via Transgenic Arrays Resulting in Diversity of Integrated Sequences (TARDIS). eLife 2023; 12:RP84831. [PMID: 37401921 PMCID: PMC10328503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
High-throughput transgenesis using synthetic DNA libraries is a powerful method for systematically exploring genetic function. Diverse synthesized libraries have been used for protein engineering, identification of protein-protein interactions, characterization of promoter libraries, developmental and evolutionary lineage tracking, and various other exploratory assays. However, the need for library transgenesis has effectively restricted these approaches to single-cell models. Here, we present Transgenic Arrays Resulting in Diversity of Integrated Sequences (TARDIS), a simple yet powerful approach to large-scale transgenesis that overcomes typical limitations encountered in multicellular systems. TARDIS splits the transgenesis process into a two-step process: creation of individuals carrying experimentally introduced sequence libraries, followed by inducible extraction and integration of individual sequences/library components from the larger library cassette into engineered genomic sites. Thus, transformation of a single individual, followed by lineage expansion and functional transgenesis, gives rise to thousands of genetically unique transgenic individuals. We demonstrate the power of this system using engineered, split selectable TARDIS sites in Caenorhabditis elegans to generate (1) a large set of individually barcoded lineages and (2) transcriptional reporter lines from predefined promoter libraries. We find that this approach increases transformation yields up to approximately 1000-fold over current single-step methods. While we demonstrate the utility of TARDIS using C. elegans, in principle the process is adaptable to any system where experimentally generated genomic loci landing pads and diverse, heritable DNA elements can be generated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Stephen A Banse
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Dhaval S Patel
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Hang Lu
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Patrick C Phillips
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
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