The Mediator is a conserved transcriptional coregulator complex required for eukaryotic gene expression. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the Mediator subunit mdt-15 is essential for the expression of genes involved in fatty acid metabolism and ingestion-associated stress responses. mdt-15 loss of function causes defects in reproduction and mobility and shortens lifespan. In the present study, we find that worms with mutated or depleted mdt-15 (mdt-15 worms) exhibit decreased membrane phospholipid desaturation, especially in phosphatidylcholine. Accordingly, mdt-15 worms exhibit disturbed endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis, as indicated by a constitutively activated ER unfolded protein response (UPR ER ). Activation of this stress response is only partially the consequence of reduced membrane lipid desaturation, implicating other mdt-15-regulated processes in maintaining ER homeostasis. Interestingly, mdt-15 inactivation or depletion of the lipid metabolism enzymes stearoyl-CoA-desaturases (SCD) and S-adenosyl methionine synthetase (sams-1) activates the UPR ER without promoting misfolded protein aggregates. Moreover, these worms exhibit wild-type sensitivity to chemically induced protein misfolding, and they do not display synthetic lethality with mutations in UPR ER genes, which cause protein misfolding. Therefore, the constitutively activated UPR ER in mdt-15, SCD, and sams-1 worms is not the consequence of proteotoxic stress but likely is the direct result of changes in ER membrane fluidity and composition. Together, our data suggest that the UPR ER is induced directly upon membrane disequilibrium and thus monitors altered ER homeostasis.

Summary s-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is the sole methyl donor modifying histones, nucleic acids and phospholipids. Its fluctuation impacts hepatic phosphatidylcholine (PC) synthesis or may be linked to variations in DNA or histone methylation. Physiologically, low SAM is associated with lipid accumulation, tissue injury and immune responses in fatty liver disease. However, molecular connections between SAM limitation, methyltransferases and disease-associated phenotypes are unclear. We find that low SAM can activate or attenuate Caenorhabditis elegans immune responses. Immune pathways are stimulated downstream of PC production on a non-pathogenic diet. In contrast, distinct SAM-dependent mechanisms limit survival on pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa. C. elegans undertakes a broad transcriptional response to pathogens and we find that low SAM restricts H3K4me3 at Pseudomonas-responsive promoters, limiting their expression. Furthermore, this response depends on the H3K4 methyltransferase set-16/MLL. Thus, our studies provide molecular links between SAM and innate immune functions and suggest that SAM depletion may limit stress-induced gene expression.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play important signaling roles in metazoans, but also cause significant molecular damage. Animals tightly control ROS levels using sophisticated defense mechanisms, yet the transcriptional pathways that induce ROS defense remain incompletely understood. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the transcription factor SKN-1 is considered a master regulator for detoxification and oxidative stress responses. Here, we show that MDT-15, a subunit of the conserved Mediator complex, is also required for oxidative stress responses in nematodes. Specifically, mdt-15 is required to express SKN-1 targets upon chemical and genetic increase in SKN-1 activity. mdt-15 is also required to express genes in SKN-1-dependent and SKN-1-independent fashions downstream of insulin/IGF-1 signaling and for the longevity of daf-2/insulin receptor mutants. At the molecular level, MDT-15 binds SKN-1 through a region distinct from the classical transcription-factor-binding KIX-domain. Moreover, mdt-15 is essential for the transcriptional response to and survival on the organic peroxide tert-butyl-hydroperoxide (tBOOH), a largely SKN-1-independent response. The MDT-15 interacting nuclear hormone receptor, NHR-64, is specifically required for tBOOH but not arsenite resistance, but NHR-64 is dispensable for the transcriptional response to tBOOH. Hence, NHR-64 and MDT-15’s mode of action remain elusive. Lastly, the role of MDT-15 in oxidative stress defense is functionally separable from its function in fatty acid metabolism, as exogenous polyunsaturated fatty acid complementation rescues developmental, but not stress sensitivity phenotypes of mdt-15 worms. Our findings reveal novel conserved players in the oxidative stress response and suggest a broad cytoprotective role for MDT-15.