title: Environmental Temperature Differentially Modulates C. elegans Longevity through a Thermosensitive TRP Channel.
abstract: Temperature profoundly affects aging in both poikilotherms and homeotherms. A general belief is that lower temperatures extend lifespan, whereas higher temperatures shorten it. Although this "temperature law" is widely accepted, it has not been extensively tested. Here, we systematically evaluated the role of temperature in lifespan regulation in C. elegans. We found that, although exposure to low temperatures at the adult stage prolongs lifespan, low-temperature treatment at the larval stage surprisingly reduces lifespan. Interestingly, this differential effect of temperature on longevity in larvae and adults is mediated by the same thermosensitive TRP channel TRPA-1 that signals to the transcription factor DAF-16/FOXO. DAF-16/FOXO and TRPA-1 act in larva to shorten lifespan but extend lifespan in adulthood. DAF-16/FOXO differentially regulates gene expression in larva and adult in a temperature-dependent manner. Our results uncover complexity underlying temperature modulation of longevity, demonstrating that temperature differentially regulates lifespan at different stages of life.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Technology and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Bi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ronan
authors.affiliation: Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Yongqun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Ao-Lin
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Technology and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of MOE, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China. Electronic address: jfliu@mail.hust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jianfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Electronic address: shawnxu@umich.edu.
authors.forename: X Z Shawn
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004777:Environment; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D007814:Larva; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000074025:TRPA1 Cation Channel; D013696:Temperature; D050051:Transient Receptor Potential Channels / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D000074025:TRPA1 Cation Channel; D050051:Transient Receptor Potential Channels; C108831:daf-16 protein, C elegans; C579819:trpa-1 protein, C elegans