Taurine reduces ER stress in C. elegans.
BACKGROUND
ER stress is a strong indicator of whether or not a cell is undergoing physiological stress. C. elegans is a practical system of characterizing the effect of ER stress at the in vivo or organismal level.


METHODS
This study characterized taurine's anti-ER stress potential employing western blotting on ER stress markers and assays of motility, lifespan comparison, and fecundity measurement.


RESULTS
When treated with tunicamycin, C. elegans showed the typical ER stress symptoms. It showed a higher expression of hsp-70 and skn-1 than the non-treated control. Survivorship significantly decreased under tunicamycin treatment, and the offspring number also decreased. During the synchronized culture under ER stress conditions, the C. elegans showed early signs of aging especially between L3 and L4 within their life span, along with lowered motility. The worms, however, showed a positive response to the taurine treatment under ER stress conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
When C. elegans were treated with taurine before or after the tunicamycin treatment, they showed a less severe level of ER stress, including an enhanced survivorship, increased motility, and augmented fecundity. Taken together, these results strongly indicate that taurine works positively to cope with ER stress from the organismal perspective.
Kim
Hye Min
HM
Department of Life Sciences, University of Seoul, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul, 130-743, Korea. gpals819@naver.com
Do
Chang-Hee
CH
Lee
Dong Hee
DH
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008017:Life Expectancy; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects*; D013654:Taurine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014415:Tunicamycin / Q000494:pharmacology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014415:Tunicamycin; C073702:skn-1 protein, C elegans; D013654:Taurine
Chromosoma. 2007 Feb;116(1):41-51
17089138
Nat Cell Biol. 2007 Sep;9(9):1066-73
17704769
Cell Calcium. 2007 Aug;42(2):193-203
17376526
PLoS One. 2007 Dec 05;2(12):e1259
18060055
Mech Ageing Dev. 2007 Feb;128(2):196-205
17157356
Pediatr Res. 2009 Jan;65(1):10-8
18852689
Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol. 2005 Sep-Oct;40(5):269-83
16257827
PLoS Genet. 2005 Sep;1(3):e37
16184190
WormBook. 2006 Feb 11;:1-11
18050451
Nucleic Acids Res. 2008 Mar;36(4):1380-9
18203746
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Mar 5;99(5):3264-9
11867711
Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2007 Jul;8(7):519-29
17565364
Pharmacogenomics. 2000 May;1(2):203-17
11256592
Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2007 Dec;18(6):716-31
18023214
Aging Cell. 2009 Sep;8(5):524-41
19575768
Genetics. 2005 Jun;170(2):645-53
15834140
Mol Biol Cell. 2008 Nov;19(11):5019-28
18784250
PLoS One. 2009 Jun 25;4(6):e6055
19557134
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 Feb 8;366(2):545-50
18070597
Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2003;43:521-44
12415122
PLoS Genet. 2008 Feb;4(2):e7
18248096
Genes Dev. 2004 Dec 15;18(24):3066-77
15601821
Genes Cells. 2007 Sep;12(9):1063-73
17825049
BMC Biotechnol. 2003 Oct 27;3:19
14580264
J Biol Chem. 2007 May 11;282(19):14283-90
17355963
J Cell Sci. 2006 Jan 1;119(Pt 1):153-61
16352659
Nucleic Acids Res. 2007 Jan;35(Database issue):D472-5
17099225
Endocr Rev. 2008 May;29(3):317-33
18436705