title: daf-31 encodes the catalytic subunit of N alpha-acetyltransferase that regulates Caenorhabditis elegans development, metabolism and adult lifespan.
abstract: The Caenorhabditis elegans dauer larva is a facultative state of diapause. Mutations affecting dauer signal transduction and morphogenesis have been reported. Of these, most that result in constitutive formation of dauer larvae are temperature-sensitive (ts). The daf-31 mutant was isolated in genetic screens looking for novel and underrepresented classes of mutants that form dauer and dauer-like larvae non-conditionally. Dauer-like larvae are arrested in development and have some, but not all, of the normal dauer characteristics. We show here that daf-31 mutants form dauer-like larvae under starvation conditions but are sensitive to SDS treatment. Moreover, metabolism is shifted to fat accumulation in daf-31 mutants. We cloned the daf-31 gene and it encodes an ortholog of the arrest-defective-1 protein (ARD1) that is the catalytic subunit of the major N alpha-acetyltransferase (NatA). A daf-31 promoter::GFP reporter gene indicates daf-31 is expressed in multiple tissues including neurons, pharynx, intestine and hypodermal cells. Interestingly, overexpression of daf-31 enhances the longevity phenotype of daf-2 mutants, which is dependent on the forkhead transcription factor (FOXO) DAF-16. We demonstrate that overexpression of daf-31 stimulates the transcriptional activity of DAF-16 without influencing its subcellular localization. These data reveal an essential role of NatA in controlling C. elegans life history and also a novel interaction between ARD1 and FOXO transcription factors, which may contribute to understanding the function of ARD1 in mammals.
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing Biomedical Research Institute, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jiuli
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America.
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Minnerly
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America.
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaul
authors.affiliation: Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Donald L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Riddle
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kailiang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D063209:N-Terminal Acetyltransferase A / Q000737:chemistry; D063213:N-Terminal Acetyltransferase E / Q000737:chemistry; D063206:N-Terminal Acetyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C000607006:DAF-15 protein, C elegans; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C108831:daf-16 protein, C elegans; D000123:Acetyltransferases; D063209:N-Terminal Acetyltransferase A; C000607005:DAF-31 protein, C elegans; C508558:Naa10 protein, mouse; D063213:N-Terminal Acetyltransferase E; D063206:N-Terminal Acetyltransferases