title: Restoration of the behavioral rates and lifespan in clk-1 mutant nematodes in response to exogenous coenzyme Q(10).
abstract: The clk-1 gene encodes demethoxyubiquinone mono-oxygenase that is necessary for the biosynthesis of coenzyme Q (CoQ), which is an electron transporter in the respiratory chain of mitochondria. Therefore, clk-1 mutant nematodes that have loss-of-function mutations in the clk-1 gene lack endogenous CoQ(9) and exhibit slowed behavioral rates and an extended lifespan compared with wild-type animals when they are fed standard bacteria containing endogenous CoQ(8). This finding suggests that clk-1 regulates behavioral rates and the lifespan through CoQ in nematodes; however, the effects of exogenous CoQ on the regulation of these biological processes have been incompletely evaluated. In this study, we found that adding 10 μM water-soluble CoQ(10) to the culture medium of clk-1 mutant nematodes that were fed a diet of standard bacteria restored the pharyngeal pumping, defecation and the lifespan to levels that were comparable to those of wild-type animals. The results indicate that both behavioral rates and lifespan are regulated by the clk-1 gene through the action of CoQ in nematodes.
authors.affiliation: Biological Process of Aging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan. mmtaka@timg.or.jp
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Midori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogawara
authors.forename: Takahiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirasawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D003470:Culture Media; D003672:Defecation / Q000187:drug effects; D004926:Escherichia coli; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D010614:Pharynx / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: C104339:CLK-1 protein, C elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D014451:Ubiquinone; C024989:coenzyme Q10