The Sexual Dimorphism of Dietary Restriction Responsiveness in Caenorhabditis elegans

Sakiko Honjoh,Akiko Ihara,Yukiko Kajiwara,Takuya Yamamoto,Eisuke Nishida

doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2017.11.108

Sakiko Honjoh, Akiko Ihara + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2017.11.108

Copy DOI

Journal: Cell Reports	Publication Date: Dec 1, 2017
Citations: 32	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: University of Tsukuba, Kyoto University

Abstract

Organismal lifespan is highly plastic in response to environmental cues, and dietary restriction (DR) is the most robust way to extend lifespan in various species. Recent studies have shown that sex also is an important factor for lifespan regulation; however, it remains largely unclear how these two factors, food and sex, interact in lifespan regulation. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has two sexes, hermaphrodite and male, and only the hermaphrodites are essential for the short-term succession of the species. Here, we report an extreme sexual dimorphism in the responsiveness to DR in C.elegans; the essential hermaphrodites show marked longevity responses to various forms of DR, but the males show few longevity responses and sustain reproductive ability. Our analysis reveals that the sex determination pathway and the steroid hormone receptor DAF-12 regulate the sex-specificDR responsiveness, integrating sex and environmental cues to determine organismal lifespan.

Highlights

Aging is not merely a passive process of deterioration
The role of sexual interaction in aging remains unknown, it was shown that IGF-1-like signaling (IIS) affects the organismal lifespan differently depending on the sex
It remains unknown whether sex differences in lifespan are merely the by-products of anatomical differences, behavioral differences, or both, or whether sex plays a fundamental role in lifespan regulation

Summary

Introduction

Aging is not merely a passive process of deterioration. Organismal lifespan is modulated by environmental cues through sensory perception (Apfeld and Kenyon, 1999). In C. elegans, both seminal fluid and diffusible substances secreted by males shorten hermaphrodite’s lifespan (Maures et al, 2014; Shi and Murphy, 2014) by enhancing insulin/IGF-1-like signaling (IIS), which plays a central role in nutrient sensing and lifespan regulation (Kenyon et al, 1993). The role of sexual interaction in aging remains unknown, it was shown that IIS affects the organismal lifespan differently depending on the sex. Sexual dimorphism often is displayed through morphology and behavior It remains unknown whether sex differences in lifespan are merely the by-products of anatomical differences, behavioral differences, or both, or whether sex plays a fundamental role in lifespan regulation

Results

Discussion

Conclusion