Proteome-wide changes in proteostasis in C. elegans models of longevity and age-related disease.

ABSTRACT: The balance between protein synthesis and protein breakdown is known as protein homeostasis (proteostasis) and loss of proteostasis is one of the Hallmarks of Aging. The latter is maybe best illustrated by the fact that many age-related diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s are characterized by the appearance of protein aggregates. However, very few studies actually measure protein half-life, and hence the observed lowered protein translation rates in many longevity models do not necessarily mean that the combined rate of synthesis and degradation (i.e. proteostasis) is lost or changed. To get a better insight in the actual changes in proteostasis of each protein in the proteome we have developed a quantitative mass-spectrometry based method that allows for the estimation of the half-life of each individual protein in the proteome and that is suitable for use in C. elegans. We have used this method to determine protein half-lives in developing C. elegans models of longevity and age-related disease and found that proteostasis, as measured by proteome-wide protein half-life is indeed dramatically changed in these models. However, the observed changes are in some cases unexpected and suggest that the combined rate of protein synthesis and breakdown does not necessarily correlate with eventual lifespan or healthspan. Furthermore, we show that the proteostasis network has a remarkable plasticity; in the tested models large changes in protein half-life are observed in the entire proteome rather than in a subset of proteins, thereby largely balancing the relative rate at which various biological processes proceed. Lastly, our data indicate that proteostasis is regulated at the level of the whole organism rather than at the single cell level. The here described method and observations are a start to further unravel how proteostasis and healthy aging are intertwined.

INSTRUMENT(S): Orbitrap Fusion ETD

ORGANISM(S): Caenorhabditis Elegans

TISSUE(S): Whole Body

SUBMITTER: Harmjan Vos  

LAB HEAD: Tobias B. Dansen

PROVIDER: PXD004561 | Pride | 2016-07-29

REPOSITORIES: Pride