Review
Neurosciences
Anubhuti Dixit, Bidisha Bhattacharya
Summary: Environmental stimuli significantly influence animals' physiology and behavior. Inability to respond correctly to varied environmental conditions may result in compromised bodily functions and reduced longevity. Research suggests that aging and neurodegenerative diseases are regulated by sensory perception of environment, including gene-environment interactions affecting life span.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
L. Queiros, A. C. Martins, B. N. Krum, T. Ke, M. Aschner, J. L. Pereira, F. J. M. Goncalves, G. L. Milne, P. Pereira
Summary: Short-term exposure to methomyl in Caenorhabditis elegans resulted in transient effects on movement and development, without apparent neurodegeneration in cholinergic neurons. Recovery after exposure showed a reversal of biometric endpoints towards control levels, indicating the temporary action of the insecticide.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fabian Schmitt, Gunter P. Eckert
Summary: The study of aging is an important topic, and choosing the right model is crucial. The nematode C. elegans is a well-established model in aging research and has significant advantages in studying bioenergetics and secondary plant metabolites.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Junli Ma, Zekun Liu, Xinxin Gao, Yiyang Bao, Ying Hong, Xiaofang He, Weize Zhu, Yan Li, Wenjin Huang, Ningning Zheng, Lili Sheng, Ben Zhou, Hongzhuan Chen, Houkai Li
Summary: Accumulating evidence suggests that gut microbiota plays a role in aging-related disorders, but the mechanism of gut dysbiosis-related changes during aging is still unclear. In this study, gut microbiota remodeling through fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) improved aging-related disorders in old mice, particularly protecting the liver and improving glucose sensitivity, inflammation, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal barrier. FMT increased the abundance of A.muciniphila and supplementation with A.muciniphila had similar benefits. Acetic acid, a short chain fatty acid, was consistently reversed by FMT and intervention with acetic acid had beneficial effects on both C. elegans and aging mice. Overall, this study demonstrated that gut microbiota remodeling improved aging-related disorders through A.muciniphila and its derived acetic acid, suggesting it as a potential strategy for healthy aging.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Nkwachukwu Oziamara Okoro, Arome Solomon Odiba, Qi Yu, Bin He, Guiyan Liao, Cheng Jin, Wenxia Fang, Bin Wang
Summary: Dendrobium officinale, a widely used medicinal herb, has gained attention for its polysaccharide content and its potential medicinal properties. In this study, the anti-aging potential of polysaccharides extracted from D. officinale grown in different environments was investigated using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model. The findings showed that greenhouse-grown D. officinale polysaccharides had the optimal effect of extending lifespan and enhancing stress resistance. These results provide valuable information for the cultivation and medicinal applications of D. officinale.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jiunn-Liang Lin, Wei-Liang Kuo, Yi-Hao Huang, Tai-Lang Jong, Ao-Lin Hsu, Wen-Hsing Hsu
Summary: Caenorhabditis elegans is a popular model for aging studies due to its short lifespan. Methods for measuring the physiological age of C. elegans are needed for antiaging drug screening. With image processing and convolution neural networks, the physiological age of C. elegans can be measured with an average testing MAE of 1.58 days.
IEEE-ACM TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ganlan Zhang, Hui Liu, Ting Xue, Xiangming Kong, Dongmei Tian, Libo Luo, Yanhua Yang, Keqing Xu, Youheng Wei, Ziheng Zhuang
Summary: Aging is a process of degenerative changes that cause diseases and disabilities. Research aims to find drugs that can extend lifespan and treat age-related diseases. Ribavirin has been discovered as a potential drug for aging intervention by inhibiting TOR signaling and activating AMPK. Its anti-aging effect is mediated via AMPK-TOR signaling.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lei Zhou, Jin Liu, Lan-Lan Bu, Duan-Fang Liao, Shao-Wu Cheng, Xi-Long Zheng
Summary: The novel compound curcumin acetylsalicylate (CA) was found to extend the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans in a dose-dependent manner, decrease oxidative stress, and increase the expression of antioxidative genes. Activation of the DAF-16 transcription factor by CA may contribute to delaying aging in C. elegans.
Review
Cell Biology
Georgios Konstantinidis, Nektarios Tavernarakis
Summary: Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved degradation process that helps maintain cell homeostasis and responds to various cellular stress conditions. It plays critical roles in development, maintenance, and survival of different cell populations, including neurons, and a decline in autophagy with age can predispose animals to age-related diseases.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Patrick J. Hu
Summary: The study in C. elegans model showed that a conserved insulin-like signaling pathway plays an important role in shaping the phylogenetic composition of the gut microbiome.
Article
Cell Biology
David H. Meyer, Bjoern Schumacher
Summary: Aging clocks separate biological age from chronological age, with recent research showing that methylation markers can estimate biological age accurately. A new approach using temporal scaling and binarization of C. elegans transcriptomes has been developed to predict biological age, showing potential for wide application in genetic, nutritional, environmental, and therapeutic interventions in the aging process.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Erin J. Cram
Summary: Cells release extracellular vesicles containing proteins, lipids, and RNAs to communicate with other cells and remove damaged components. In C. elegans, neuronal cells release large extracellular vesicles called exophers to clear damaged organelles and protein aggregates. Researchers have now shown that embryos in the uterus can stimulate body wall muscle cells to release exophers loaded with yolk, which are then absorbed by oocytes to nourish the next generation of embryos.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Na Li, Xi Li, Yan-Ling Shi, Jian-Mei Gao, Yu-Qi He, Fei Li, Jing-Shan Shi, Qi-Hai Gong
Summary: The study showed that TLB had beneficial effects on C. elegans, significantly reducing ROS and MDA levels while increasing antioxidant enzyme activities. TLB's anti-oxidative effects were mediated by the SKN1/SIRT3/DAF16 signaling pathway, contributing to the prolonged lifespan of C. elegans.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Zhimin Qi, Huihui Ji, Monika Le, Hanmei Li, Angela Wieland, Sonja Bauer, Li Liu, Michael Wink, Ingrid Herr
Summary: Sulforaphane extends the lifespan of C. elegans by modulating the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway, promoting healthspan by increasing mobility and appetite while reducing lipofuscin accumulation.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Jesus Arellano Spadaro, Yukihiro Hishida, Yukihisa Matsunaga, Monique van Es-Remers, Henrie Korthout, Hye Kyong Kim, Eefje Poppelaars, Hiskias Keizer, Eva Iliopoulou, Bert van Duijn, Marjolein Wildwater, Lotte van Rijnberk
Summary: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are multifunctional glycans abundant in human breast milk. This study investigated the effects of two acidic HMOs, 3'sialyllactose (3'SL) and 6'sialyllactose (6'SL), on exercise performance using Caenorhabditis elegans. The results showed that SLs, especially 6'SL, decreased exhaustion and increased endurance in swimming exercise. Metabolomics analysis revealed changes in energy metabolism, particularly in muscle mitochondria, and the involvement of AMPK and adenosine receptor signaling. SLs were found to alter gut metabolism, leading to improved exercise performance through a signal from the intestine to the nervous system. These findings contribute to our understanding of nutritionally-induced health benefits.
FOOD SCIENCE & NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Raquel Maeso-Diaz, George D. Dalton, Sehhoon Oh, Kuo Du, Linda Tang, Tianyi Chen, Rajesh K. Dutta, Jessica H. Hartman, Joel N. Meyer, Anna Mae Diehl
Summary: Aging impairs liver regeneration by reducing the resiliency of hepatocytes. This study reveals that Hedgehog signaling becomes dysregulated in old hepatocytes, leading to decreased resiliency and enhanced vulnerability to damage. The dysregulated Hedgehog signaling accelerates aging, impairing liver regeneration and promoting inflammation and metabolic dysfunction.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Danielle F. Mello, Laura L. Maurer, Ian T. Ryde, Dong Hoon Songr, Stella M. Marinakos, Chuanjia Jiang, Mark R. Wiesner, Heileen Hsu-Kim, Joel N. Meyer
Summary: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used in consumer products and biomedical applications. However, their toxicity mechanisms are still not well understood. This study used Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism and found that AgNPs indirectly promote mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to adverse outcomes at the organismal level. It also revealed the role of gene-environment interactions in the susceptibility to AgNPs.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Danielle F. Mello, Christina M. Bergemann, Kinsey Fisher, Rojin Chitrakar, Shefali R. Bijwadia, Yang Wang, Alexis Caldwell, Larry Ryan Baugh, Joel N. Meyer
Summary: Mitochondria play a vital role in host immunometabolism and their exposure to toxicants can disrupt immunometabolic pathways. This study investigates the effect of rotenone, a mitochondrial toxicant, on C. elegans immunometabolism and disease susceptibility. The results show that rotenone alters immunometabolic pathways and increases susceptibility to Pseudomonas aeruginosa while increasing resistance to Salmonella enterica. The activation of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response is implicated in this divergent effect.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dillon E. King, Anna Clare Sparling, Dillon Lloyd, Matthew Joseph Satusky, Mackenzie Martinez, Carole Grenier, Christina Michelle Bergemann, Rachel Maguire, Cathrine Hoyo, Joel Newman Meyer, Susan K. Murphy
Summary: Sex-specific DNA methylation may contribute to sex differences in expression and function of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes. Additionally, alterations in DNA methylation in response to in utero tobacco smoke exposure show sex-specific patterns, suggesting a potential role in sex-variable toxicological responses.
Article
Neurosciences
Rashmi Joglekar, Marty Cauley, Taylor Lipsich, David L. Corcoran, Heather B. Patisaul, Edward D. Levin, Joel N. Meyer, Margaret M. McCarthy, Susan K. Murphy
Summary: Nicotine exposure during development may affect the sexual differentiation of the developing brain, potentially influencing adult sexual behavior in rodents. This study found that developmental nicotine exposure had an impact on the sexual differentiation of the preoptic area (POA) in rats, with the normal sex differences in male sexual behavior and POA area eliminated in nicotine-treated animals. In neonates, nicotine exposure also induced changes in gene expression and DNA methylation levels at sexually-dimorphic regions, suggesting the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the masculinization of the rat POA.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Silvia Maglioni, Alfonso Schiavi, Marlen Melcher, Vanessa Brinkmann, Zhongrui Luo, Anna Laromaine, Nuno Raimundo, Joel N. Meyer, Felix Distelmaier, Natascia Ventura
Summary: Complex-I deficiency is the most common cause of human mitochondriopathies. Therapeutic options are currently lacking due to the limited model systems. In this study, researchers used C. elegans models to study these diseases and found that the natural compound lutein can prevent neurodevelopmental deficits, pointing to a potential therapeutic target for human diseases.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tess C. Leuthner, Laura Benzing, Brendan F. Kohrn, Christina M. Bergemann, Michael J. Hipp, Kathleen A. Hershberger, Danielle F. Mello, Tymofii Sokolskyi, Kevin Stevenson, Ilaria R. Merutka, Sarah A. Seay, Simon G. Gregory, Scott R. Kennedy, Joel N. Meyer
Summary: Mitochondrial DNA is prone to mutation, but the processes that regulate mtDNA mutation are not fully understood. In Caenorhabditis elegans, we found widespread mtDNA heteroplasmy and identified C:G -> A:T mutations, which are associated with oxidative damage, as the dominant form of mtDNA mutation. Exposure to two nuclear genome mutagens did not affect mtDNA mutation frequency or spectrum, but significantly increased nuclear mutation rate. Mutants with defective mitophagy accumulated higher levels of mtDNA damage but had only small differences in mtDNA mutation compared to wild-type. These findings suggest the existence of additional mechanisms that regulate mtDNA mutation across generations.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jordan S. Kozal, Nishad Jayasundara, Andrey Massarsky, Casey D. Lindberg, Anthony N. Oliveri, Ellen M. Cooper, Edward D. Levin, Joel N. Meyer, Richard T. Di Giulio
Summary: This study evaluated the role of mitochondria in the cross-generational toxicity of benzo(a)pyrene and found significant mitochondrial impairments in offspring caused by maternal exposure.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Pooja Lalwani, Dillon E. King, Katherine S. Morton, Nelson A. Rivera Jr, Javier Huayta, Heileen Hsu-Kim, Joel N. Meyer
Summary: Lead is a developmental toxicant that can enter mitochondria through the mitochondrial calcium uniporter. In this study, we developed mechanism-based hypotheses about the interactive effects of lead with other mitochondria-damaging chemicals and tested these hypotheses using human liver cells. The results showed that the combination of lead, FCCP, and RuRed significantly decreased cell viability, suggesting an interactive toxicity. Further analysis ruled out altered cellular uptake and membrane potential as the mechanisms for this toxicity.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-PROCESSES & IMPACTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrew S. Clark, Zachary Kalmanson, Katherine Morton, Jessica Hartman, Joel Meyer, Adriana San-Miguel
Summary: We developed an automated, unbiased image processing algorithm to quantify dopaminergic neurodegeneration in C. elegans, which can be used on images acquired with different microscopy setups. Our platform was validated by detecting and quantifying neurodegeneration in nematodes exposed to different stressors. The algorithm accurately detected 20 different metrics of neurodegeneration and provided comparative insights into how each exposure affects dopaminergic neurodegeneration patterns.
Meeting Abstract
Environmental Sciences
Javier Huayta, Joel N. Meyer
ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jordan S. Kozal, Nishad Jayasundara, Andrey Massarsky, Casey D. Lindberg, Anthony N. Oliveri, Ellen M. Cooper, Edward D. Levin, Joel N. Meyer, Richard T. Di Giulio
Summary: The potential adverse effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on human and wildlife health, particularly across generations, have become a concern. This study found that exposure to benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a model PAH and mitochondrial toxicant, led to altered mitochondrial function and metabolic partitioning in zebrafish embryos. These effects occurred in offspring largely independent of maternal effects on ovaries, suggesting that PAH-induced mitochondrial dysfunction may manifest in subsequent generations.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Axel J. Berky, Emily Robie, Susy Navio Chipa, Ernesto J. Ortiz, Emma J. Palmer, Nelson A. Rivera, Ana Maria Morales Avalos, Joel N. Meyer, Heileen Hsu-Kim, William K. Pan
Summary: This study investigates blood lead levels (BLL) and sources of lead exposure in the Amazon region. The findings suggest that indigenous status and consumption of wild game are associated with increased BLLs. The use of lead ammunition in hunting wild game may serve as a common source of lead exposure in the Amazon. Additionally, communities relying on wild game and wild fish may face a dual burden of lead and mercury exposure.
LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH-AMERICAS
(2022)
Article
Toxicology
Zachary R. Markovich, Jessica H. Hartman, Ian T. Ryde, Kathleen A. Hershberger, Abigail S. Joyce, Patrick L. Ferguson, Joel N. Meyer
Summary: This study found that developmental exposure to pentachlorophenol may lead to mitochondrial uncoupling and decreased ATP levels, but did not exacerbate dopaminergic neurotoxicity; instead, trending toward protection.
CURRENT RESEARCH IN TOXICOLOGY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Environmental Sciences
Dillon King, A. Clare Sparling, Dillon Lloyd, Matthew J. Satusky, Mackenzie Martinez, Carole Grenier, Christina Bergemann, Rachel Maguire, Cathrine Hoyo, Joel N. Meyer, Susan K. Murphy
ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS
(2022)