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. 2009 Nov 26;25(6):335. doi: 10.1007/s12264-009-6123-2

Regulation of aging by unc-13 and sbt-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans is temperature-dependent

unc-13 和 sbt-1 基因以温度依赖的方式调控秀丽线虫衰老

Ke-Wen He 1, Lu-Lu Shen 1, Wen-Wen Zhou 1, Da-Yong Wang 1,✉
PMCID: PMC5552505  PMID: 19927169

Abstract

Objective

To investigate the role of environmental factor—temperature in the regulation of aging process by unc-13 and sbt-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Methods

The lifespan, the speed of pharynx pumping, and the intestinal autofluorescence of unc-13 and sbt-1 mutants were examined at different temperature conditions. In addition, to exclude the possible influences from other factors in unc-13 and sbt-1 mutants, the dauer formation, the thermotaxis, the brood size and the population percentage of the mutants expressing hsp16.2-gfp were further investigated.

Results

Mutations of unc-13 and sbt-1 significantly increased the mean and the maximum lifespans of nematodes cultured at 20 °C and 25 °C, while no noticeable increase was found at 15 °C in either the mean or the maximum lifespan. Investigations on the speed of pharynx pumping and the intestinal autofluorescence suggested that at 20 °C and 25 °C, mutations of unc-13 and sbt-1 could slow the aging process and delay the accumulation of aging-related cellular damage. Meanwhile, mutations of unc-13 or sbt-1 did not affect the dauer formation or the thermotaxis to different temperatures in nematodes. In contrast, at 20 °C and 25 °C conditions, mutations of unc-13 and sbt-1 significantly decreased the brood size and the percentage of nematodes expressing hsp16.2-gfp, while no such differences were detected at 15 °C. Moreover, the thermotolerance of unc-13 and sbt-1 mutants could be greatly strengthened after the 16-h heat shock at 35 °C.

Conclusion

The regulation of aging by unc-13 and sbt-1 is temperaturedependent. And the alterations in reproduction capability and stress response may be associated with the formation of this temperature-dependent property.

Keywords: aging, unc-13, sbt-1, temperature-dependent, synaptic function, C. elegans

Footnotes

These authors contribute equally to this work

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