title: Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids allocate somatic and germline lipids to ensure fitness during nutrient and oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: Animals in nature are continually challenged by periods of feast and famine as resources inevitably fluctuate, and must allocate somatic reserves for reproduction to abate evolutionary pressures. We identify an age-dependent lipid homeostasis pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans that regulates the mobilization of lipids from the soma to the germline, which supports fecundity but at the cost of survival in nutrient-poor and oxidative stress environments. This trade-off is responsive to the levels of dietary carbohydrates and organismal oleic acid and is coupled to activation of the cytoprotective transcription factor SKN-1 in both laboratory-derived and natural isolates of C. elegans. The homeostatic balance of lipid stores between the somatic and germ cells is mediated by arachidonic acid (omega-6) and eicosapentaenoic acid (omega-3) precursors of eicosanoid signaling molecules. Our results describe a mechanism for resource reallocation within intact animals that influences reproductive fitness at the cost of somatic resilience.
authors.affiliation: Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089; Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Department of Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089;
authors.forename: Dana A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lynn
authors.affiliation: Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089; Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Department of Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089;
authors.forename: Hans M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030;
authors.forename: Jessica N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Sowa
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030;
authors.forename: Meng C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Genetic Research and Diabetes Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114.
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Soukas
authors.affiliation: Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089; Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Department of Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089; spcurran@usc.edu.
authors.forename: Sean P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Curran
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005502:Food; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D019301:Oleic Acid / Q000172:deficiency; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014818:Vitellogenesis / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D019301:Oleic Acid
keywords: germline; lipids; soma; survival; trade-off