RT Journal Article
T1 Elevated Trehalose Levels in C. elegans daf-2 Mutants Increase Stress Resistance, Not Lifespan
A1 Rasulova, Madina
A1 Zečić, Aleksandra
A1 Monje, José Manuel
A1 Vandemeulebroucke, Lieselot
A1 Dhondt, Ineke
A1 Braeckman, Bart P.
K1 Caenorhabditis elegans
K1 Lifespan
K1 Trehalose
K1 Trehalose 6-phosphate synthase
K1 Maltose
K1 Glucose
K1 Glycogen
AB The C. elegans insulin/IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) signaling mutant daf-2 recapitulates the dauer metabolic signature—a shift towards lipid and carbohydrate accumulation—which may be linked to its longevity and stress resistance phenotypes. Trehalose, a disaccharide of glucose, is highly upregulated in daf‑2 mutants and it has been linked to proteome stabilization and protection against heat, cold, desiccation, and hypoxia. Earlier studies suggested that elevated trehalose levels can explain up to 43% of the lifespan extension observed in daf-2 mutants. Here we demonstrate that trehalose accumulation is responsible for increased osmotolerance, and to some degree thermotolerance, rather than longevity in daf-2 mutants. This indicates that particular stress resistance phenotypes can be uncoupled from longevity.
PB MDPI
YR 2021
FD 2021-02-12
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10433/23788
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10433/23788
LA en
NO Metabolites 2021, 11(2), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo11020105
NO This research was funded by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (Flanders), grant numbers 11E6415N and G.0D64.14N, and Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds of Ghent University, grant number BOF15/24j/013.
NO Laboratory of Aging Physiology and Molecular Evolution, Department of Biology, Ghent University
DS RIO
RD May 5, 2026