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Elevated CO2 levels affect development, motility, and fertility and extend life span in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: Hypercapnia (high CO(2) levels) occurs in a number of lung diseases and it is associated with worse outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). However, it is largely unknown how hypercapnia is sensed and responds in nonneuronal cells. Here, we used C. elegans to study the response to nonanesthetic CO(2) levels and show that levels exceeding 9% induce aberrant motility that is accompanied by age-dependent deterioration of body muscle organization, slowed development, reduced fertility and increased life span. These effects occur independently of the IGF-R, dietary restriction, egg laying or mitochondrial-induced aging pathways. Transcriptional profiling analysis shows specific and dynamic changes in gene expression after 1, 6, or 72 h of exposure to 19% CO(2) including increased transcription of several 7-transmembrane domain and innate immunity genes and a reduction in transcription of many of the MSP genes. Together, these results suggest specific physiological and molecular responses to hypercapnia, which appear to be independent of early heat shock and HIF mediated pathways.

SUBMITTER: Sharabi K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2656198 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Elevated CO2 levels affect development, motility, and fertility and extend life span in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Sharabi Kfir K Hurwitz Anat A Simon Amos J AJ Beitel Greg J GJ Morimoto Richard I RI Rechavi Gideon G Sznajder Jacob I JI Gruenbaum Yosef Y

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20090223 10

Hypercapnia (high CO(2) levels) occurs in a number of lung diseases and it is associated with worse outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). However, it is largely unknown how hypercapnia is sensed and responds in nonneuronal cells. Here, we used C. elegans to study the response to nonanesthetic CO(2) levels and show that levels exceeding 9% induce aberrant motility that is accompanied by age-dependent deterioration of body muscle organization, slowed development, reduc ...[more]

PMID: 19237558

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Dataset Information

Elevated CO2 levels affect development, motility, and fertility and extend life span in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Publications

Elevated CO2 levels affect development, motility, and fertility and extend life span in Caenorhabditis elegans.

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