Project description:Previous studies have suggested that low to moderate alcohol exposure can extend Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) lifespan, but early molecular mechanisms linking ethanol exposure to longevity have not been fully characterized. Here, we investigated how ethanol treatment affects transcriptional networks in L4-stage C. elegans by time-resolved RNA-seq. L4-stage C. elegans were exposed to 5% ethanol and time-resolved RNA-seq was performed after 1, 4, and 20 hours in solution cultures, followed by differential gene expression and KEGG pathway-based Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. At 1 hour, GSEA analysis showed significant enrichment of genes in the Longevity regulating pathway (worm) with elevated expression. Core-enrichment genes exhibited coordinated upregulation of redox-defense modules, including glutathione S-transferases (gst) and p38 MAPK components (pmk-2/pmk-3), consistent with upregulation of SKN-1/Nrf2-related stress-response genes. Detoxification (gpx and fmo families) and lipid-remodeling genes were enriched at 1 hour. By 4 hours, sod-3, a canonical DAF-16/FOXO target, was clearly upregulated, suggesting engagement of DAF-16-associated antioxidant responses, whereas Peroxisome and TGF-β signaling pathways were significantly downregulated. Together, these findings provide transcriptomic insights into a temporally structured longevity-associated response to ethanol exposure, in which early detoxification and antioxidant programs, together with membrane-lipid remodeling, are followed by DAF-16-associated gene induction and repression of peroxisome- and development-related signaling. These pathway-level changes highlight candidate biological processes potentially associated with ethanol-linked lifespan modulation in C. elegans.
Project description:Novel roles of C. elegans heterochromatin protein HP1 and linker histone HIS-24 in the regulation of innate immune gene expression and stress Response
Project description:This study investigated the transcriptional response of C. elegans after 0, 30, 60, 120, and 480 minutes of ethanol or mock exposure (n=4 per timepoint and treatment). Age synchronized Bristol N2 animals were obtained by allowing fertile adults to lay eggs for 3 hours. After which adults were removed and the population was incubated for 3 days at 20 ˚C. After ethanol exposure, RNA was isolated, labeled and hybridized on Agilent C. elegans (V2) Gene Expression Microarray 4X44K slides.