(A) Schematic of experiments. An FLP-inducible GFP-tagged egl-30(Q205L) expressed in AWC neurons was permanently activated after heat shock and long-term associative memory (LTAM) tested 24 h later. Scale bar, 50 μm.
(B and C) Twenty-four-hour LTAM was extended on (B) day 6 and (C) day 7. For memory assays, each dot represents an individual assay plate.
(D and E) Representative day 8 chemotaxis plate and quantification. By day 8, worms lose the ability to move to the odorant spots and instead remain on the origin.
(F) Late-in-life induction of egl-30(gf) in the AWC extends memory until worms can no longer move (day 7), well beyond wild-type loss of LTAM (day 4).
(G) AWC egl-30(Q205L) results in a higher preference for benzaldehyde (AWC-sensed odorant).
(H and I) AWC egl-30(Q205L) does not affect (H) maximum velocity with age or (I) lifespan. For maximum velocity, each dot represents an individual worm. Mean ± SEM. Two-way ANOVA (B, C, G, H) with Bonferroni correction or unpaired Student’s t test (E) were performed. Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank (Mantel-Cox) method was used to compare lifespans (I). ***p < 0.001; ****p < 0.0001; ns, not significant.