title: Antioxidant response is a protective mechanism against nutrient deprivation in C. elegans.
abstract: Animals often experience periods of nutrient deprivation; however, the molecular mechanisms by which animals survive starvation remain largely unknown. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the nuclear receptor DAF-12 acts as a dietary and environmental sensor to orchestrate diverse aspects of development, metabolism, and reproduction. Recently, we have reported that DAF-12 together with co-repressor DIN-1S is required for starvation tolerance by promoting fat mobilization. In this report, we found that genetic inactivation of the DAF-12 signaling promoted the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during starvation. ROS mediated systemic necrosis, thereby inducing organismal death. The DAF-12/DIN-1S complex up-regulated the expression of antioxidant genes during starvation. The antioxidant enzyme GST-4 in turn suppressed ROS formation, thereby conferring worm survival. Our findings highlight the importance of antioxidant response in starvation tolerance and provide a novel insight into multiple organisms survive and adapt to periods of nutrient deprivation.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China.
authors.forename: Qin-Yi
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Cheng
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China.
authors.forename: Yuan-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Gang
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Zou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D009154:Mutation; D009336:Necrosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013217:Starvation / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species