Sophie Cai
Research Mentor: Scott Leiser
Mentor Department: Molecular and integrative Physiology, Medicine
Author(s): Ajay Bhat
Session: Session 1 (9:00 AM – 9:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 86
Abstract
The biological process of aging is influenced by multiple factors, including oxidative stress, whose damage can lead to cellular and organism decline. Produced during metabolism, Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are oxygen-containing molecules that are essential for health due to their role in cell signaling, immune response, and apoptosis regulation. However, when ROS production exceeds the body’s antioxidant defenses, excessive accumulation leads to accelerated damage that can trigger loss of organ function and age-related diseases such as neurodegeneration (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease). The ROS produced by metabolism can cause oxidative damage that drives cellular senescence and progressive functional decline. Metaorganisms, such as mammals and humans, host a large population of microbes called the microbiota. The role of these microbes in regulating host aging and tolerance to oxidative stress is not well understood. Recent research has shown the critical role of the microbiota in host physiology. In this study, we used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and its bacterial diet as a simple host-microbe model to study how host-microbial interactions affect host physiology and longevity. Our goal was to investigate how microbe diets influence the lifespan, survival, behavior, and stress response of C. elegans. We used two Escherichia coli bacterial strains, BW25113 (a K-12 derivative), and OP50 (a B strain commonly used as laboratory diet for worms), as food sources for the worms seeded on Nematode growth media (NGM) plates. Using paraquat as an inducer of oxidative stress, we tested how these microbes modulate the stress tolerance of worms, finding intriguing differences based on bacterial strain. Our final goal of the work is to identify the microbic changes that benefit C. elegans longevity and stress tolerance.
