Figure 1. The am117 mutation delayed reproductive and somatic aging, caused bacterial avoidance behavior, reduced body size and increased stress resistance.

(A-K) Animals were cultured at 20°C on NGM dishes with a small lawn of live E. coli OP50 bacteria. (A-C) L4 stage hermaphrodites were cultured individually and monitored daily for self-progeny production. Values are the average (+/− S.D.). (N=6-12 animals, Tukey post hoc HSD; **, P <0.01). (D-E) Survival curves - see Table S1 for summary statistics. (F-G) Bars represent average (+/−S.D.) body bends per minute (F) and pharyngeal pumps per minute (G) (N=30-60 animals analyzed in each of 2-3 biological replicates; ***, P < 0.0001, not significant (ns), P > 0.05 by Student’s t-test). (H) Schematic of method used to quantify bacterial avoidance behavior. (I) Bright field photographs of dishes with a lawn of live E. coli OP50 (dark circle) and the surrounding medium without bacteria; wild-type animals are mostly inside the bacterial lawn, whereas am117 mutant animals are mostly outside the bacterial lawn. Scale bar = 100 μm. (J) “Avoidance” is the average percent of animals (+/− S.D.) outside the bacterial lawn at the larval stages L1, L2, L3, L4, day 1 adult (YA) and day 2 adult (LA). See Table S2. (K) Bars represent the average volume of individual worms (+/−S.D.) four days after the L4 stage determined by analyzing dissecting microscope images with the wormsizer algorithm (N=35-66 animals analyzed); ***, P < 0.0001 by Student’s t-test). (L) Bars represent average (+/−S.D.) fractional survival. Animals were cultured at 20°C on NGM dishes until day 1 of adulthood, shifted to 35°C, and scored for survival after 9 and 12 hours (N=106-149 animals in each of 3 biological replicates; *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.005 by Student’s t-test).

See also Figures S1-2 and Tables S1-3.