Abstract
The transparent nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can sense UV and blue-violet light to alter behavior. Because high-dose UV and blue-violet light are not a common feature outside of the laboratory setting, we asked what role, if any, could low-intensity visible light play in C. elegans physiology and longevity. Here, we show that C. elegans lifespan is inversely correlated to the time worms were exposed to visible light. While circadian control, lite-1 and tax-2 do not contribute to the lifespan reduction, we demonstrate that visible light creates photooxidative stress along with a general unfolded-protein response that decreases the lifespan. Finally, we find that long-lived mutants are more resistant to light stress, as well as wild-type worms supplemented pharmacologically with antioxidants. This study reveals that transparent nematodes are sensitive to visible light radiation and highlights the need to standardize methods for controlling the unrecognized biased effect of light during lifespan studies in laboratory conditions.
Highlights
The transparent nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can sense UV and blue-violet light to alter behavior
While light exposure could entrain a set of genes that appear circadian in nature, a large group of genes regulated by light are allegedly noncircadian[21]
This effect is independent of circadian rhythm per se since we find that modulating the intensity of light while keeping the same total amount of daily light exposure is sufficient to modulate the lifespan
Summary
The transparent nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can sense UV and blue-violet light to alter behavior. High-energy UV and blue wavelength light trigger an escape behavior and a pharyngeal pumping (feeding) inhibition in C. elegans[2,3,4,5,6]. Circadian rhythms are endogenous rhythms of approximately 24 h that help organisms synchronize their physiology and behaviors with the daily alteration of light and dark phases from the Earth’s rotation. Such rhythms still persist in constant darkness (free-running conditions), and can be reset by exposure to external signals including light (entrainment). The effects of light on worm physiology are just beginning to be clarified
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