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. 2009 Apr 10;5(4):e1000452. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000452

Figure 5. Survival of oxidative and electrophilic stresses.

Figure 5

N2DRM worms were exposed to (A) 5-mM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), or (B) 10-mM 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE). Stress survivals began on adult day 3–4 and worms were maintained in liquid medium, 20±0.3°C, without bacteria. Results shown were replicated in independent experiments. Statistics (log-rank test, each n = 40–50, both A and B): age-1(mg44) at F2 vs. F1 generation: P<10−7; age-1(mg44) F1 vs. any other strain: P<10−3; age-1(mg44) F2 vs. any other strain or group: P<10−9; age-1(hx546) vs. N2DRM: P<0.004; daf-16(mu86); age-1(mg44) vs. N2DRM: P<0.005. (C) Functional consequences of suppressing signaling genes downregulated in age-1(mg44) F2 adults. N2DRM worms were picked on day 1 of adulthood, and maintained on dsRNA-expressing E. coli, at 20°C, for 3 days. RNAi extension of 50th-percentile H2O2 survival, as percent gain over N2DRM fed on bacteria carrying empty expression vector (significance, by Gehans log-rank test), is as follows: vps-34, 26% (P<0.03); let-60/RAS, 40% (P<0.001); daf-3, 49% (P<0.0003); aak-1, 49% (P<0.00003); daf-4, 57% (P<0.0001). All significant effects except vps-34 were confirmed (each P<0.001) in independent experiments. Peroxide survival of F2 age-1(mg44) day-62 adults, without RNAi, exceeded the N2DRM controls by 5.6-fold (P<10−6), at the 60th percentile (the lowest survival observed for the F2 group).