C. elegans ageing is accelerated by a self-destructive reproductive programme

Carina C. Kern, Shivangi Srivastava, Marina Ezcurra, Kuei Ching Hsiung, Nancy Hui, StJohn Townsend, Dominik Maczik, Bruce Zhang, Victoria Tse, Viktoras Konstantellos, Jürg Bähler and David Gems ()
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Carina C. Kern: University College London
Shivangi Srivastava: University College London
Marina Ezcurra: University College London
Kuei Ching Hsiung: University College London
Nancy Hui: University College London
StJohn Townsend: University College London
Dominik Maczik: University College London
Bruce Zhang: University College London
Victoria Tse: University College London
Viktoras Konstantellos: University College London
Jürg Bähler: University College London
David Gems: University College London

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract In post-reproductive C. elegans, destructive somatic biomass repurposing supports production of yolk which, it was recently shown, is vented and can serve as a foodstuff for larval progeny. This is reminiscent of the suicidal reproductive effort (reproductive death) typical of semelparous organisms such as Pacific salmon. To explore the possibility that C. elegans exhibits reproductive death, we have compared sibling species pairs of the genera Caenorhabditis and Pristionchus with hermaphrodites and females. We report that yolk venting and constitutive, early pathology involving major anatomical changes occur only in hermaphrodites, which are also shorter lived. Moreover, only in hermaphrodites does germline removal suppress senescent pathology and markedly increase lifespan. This is consistent with the hypothesis that C. elegans exhibit reproductive death that is suppressed by germline ablation. If correct, this would imply a major difference in the ageing process between C. elegans and most higher organisms, and potentially explain the exceptional plasticity in C. elegans ageing.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40088-1

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