UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Excessive folate synthesis limits lifespan in the C. elegans: E. coli aging model

Virk, B; Correia, G; Dixon, DP; Feyst, I; Jia, J; Oberleitner, N; Briggs, Z; ... Weinkove, D; + view all (2012) Excessive folate synthesis limits lifespan in the C. elegans: E. coli aging model. BMC Biology , 10 (67) 10.1186/1741-7007-10-67. Green open access

[thumbnail of 1741-7007-10-67.pdf]
Preview
PDF
1741-7007-10-67.pdf

Download (774kB)

Abstract

Background Gut microbes influence animal health and thus, are potential targets for interventions that slow aging. Live E. coli provides the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans with vital micronutrients, such as folates that cannot be synthesized by animals. However, the microbe also limits C. elegans lifespan. Understanding these interactions may shed light on how intestinal microbes influence mammalian aging. Results Serendipitously, we isolated an E. coli mutant that slows C. elegans aging. We identified the disrupted gene to be aroD, which is required to synthesize aromatic compounds in the microbe. Adding back aromatic compounds to the media revealed that the increased C. elegans lifespan was caused by decreased availability of para-aminobenzoic acid, a precursor to folate. Consistent with this result, inhibition of folate synthesis by sulfamethoxazole, a sulfonamide, led to a dose-dependent increase in C. elegans lifespan. As expected, these treatments caused a decrease in bacterial and worm folate levels, as measured by mass spectrometry of intact folates. The folate cycle is essential for cellular biosynthesis. However, bacterial proliferation and C. elegans growth and reproduction were unaffected under the conditions that increased lifespan. Conclusions In this animal:microbe system, folates are in excess of that required for biosynthesis. This study suggests that microbial folate synthesis is a pharmacologically accessible target to slow animal aging without detrimental effects.

Type: Article
Title: Excessive folate synthesis limits lifespan in the C. elegans: E. coli aging model
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-10-67
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-10-67
Language: English
Additional information: © 2012 Virk et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. PubMed ID: 22849329
Keywords: Aging, Microbes, Folate, C. elegans, E. coli
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Genetics, Evolution and Environment
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Biochemical Engineering
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1376709
Downloads since deposit
0Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item