Elevated CO2 levels affect development, motility, and fertility and extend life span in Caenorhabditis elegans.
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.
Sharabi
Kfir
K
Department of Genetics, Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
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
D000388:Air; D000818:Animals; D020346:Aquaporins / Q000235:genetics; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D006935:Hypercapnia / Q000378:metabolism; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects*; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects*; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010058:Oviposition / Q000187:drug effects
D020346:Aquaporins; D002245:Carbon Dioxide