Alcedo Joy, Kenyon Cynthia
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, 94143, USA.
Neuron. 2004 Jan 8;41(1):45-55. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(03)00816-x.
The life span of C. elegans is extended by mutations that inhibit the function of sensory neurons. In this study, we show that specific subsets of sensory neurons influence longevity. We find that certain gustatory neurons inhibit longevity, whereas others promote longevity, most likely by influencing insulin/IGF-1 signaling. Olfactory neurons also influence life span, and they act in a distinct pathway that involves the reproductive system. In addition, we find that a putative chemosensory G protein-coupled receptor that is expressed in some of these sensory neurons inhibits longevity. Together our findings imply that the life span of C. elegans is regulated by environmental cues and that these cues are perceived and integrated in a complex and sophisticated fashion by specific chemosensory neurons.
抑制感觉神经元功能的突变可延长秀丽隐杆线虫的寿命。在本研究中，我们表明感觉神经元的特定亚群会影响寿命。我们发现某些味觉神经元会抑制寿命，而其他味觉神经元则会促进寿命，最有可能是通过影响胰岛素/胰岛素样生长因子-1信号通路。嗅觉神经元也会影响寿命，并且它们通过涉及生殖系统的独特途径发挥作用。此外，我们发现在其中一些感觉神经元中表达的一种假定的化学感觉G蛋白偶联受体会抑制寿命。我们的研究结果共同表明，秀丽隐杆线虫的寿命受环境线索调节，并且这些线索由特定的化学感觉神经元以复杂而精细的方式感知和整合。
