title: A Lipid-TORC1 Pathway Promotes Neuronal Development and Foraging Behavior under Both Fed and Fasted Conditions in C. elegans.
abstract: Food deprivation suppresses animal growth and development but spares the systems essential for foraging. The mechanisms underlying this selective development, and potential roles of lipids in it, are unclear. When C. elegans hatch in a food-free environment, postembryonic growth and development stall, but sensory neuron differentiation and neuronal development required for food responses continue. Here, we show that monomethyl branched-chain fatty acids (mmBCFAs) and their derivative, d17iso-glucosylceramide, function in the intestine to promote foraging behavior and sensory neuron maturation through both TORC1-dependent and -independent mechanisms. We show that mmBCFAs impact the expression of a subset of genes, including ceh-36/Hox, which we show to play a key role in mediating the regulation of the neuronal functions by this lipid pathway. This study uncovers that a lipid pathway promotes neuronal functions involved in foraging under both fed and fasting conditions and adds critical insight into the physiological functions of TORC1.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. Electronic address: marinak@colorado.edu.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kniazeva
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Huanhu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Aileen K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Sewell
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. Electronic address: mhan@colorado.edu.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D000076222:Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000378:metabolism*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D000076222:Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases