Age deceleration and reversal gene patterns in dauer diapause
The aging process is characterized by a general decrease in physical functionality and poses the biggest risk factor for a variety of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders among others. Understanding the naturally evolved mechanisms that could slow aging and rejuvenate an animal could provide important concepts as to how aging could be slowed and functionality restored. The C. elegans dauer state is a robust and long-lived alternative developmental state that upon dauer exit has a normal adult lifespan with fully retained fecundity. In order to understand how dauer longevity and rejuvenation following dauer exit is mediated, we here characterized the gene expression changes during dauer and upon exit. We assessed how biological age, as determined via BiT Age, a transcriptional aging clock, is affected during dauer and upon dauer exit. During the dauer stage, we measured a decelerated increase in age compared to the chronological age and an age reversal following dauer exit. We characterized the underlying gene expression patterns that indicate major metabolic shifts as well as enhanced biomolecular degradation. Our data provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms of naturally occurring age deceleration and rejuvenation. Overall design: RNA-sequencing of C.elegans for 1, 4, 15 and 30 days in dauer diapuse and 6h and 24h post-exit on each of the 4 days, plus L3 as a reference.