Longevity is dictated by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. One of the key mechanisms implicated in regulating lifespan extension is the ability to induce protein chaperones to promote protein homeostasis. However, it is unclear whether protein chaperones exclusively regulate longevity. Previous work has shown that activating the unfolded protein response of the endoplasmic reticulum (UPR ER ) in neurons can signal peripheral tissues to promote chaperone expression, thus enhancing organismal stress resistance and extending lifespan. Here, we find that this activation not only promotes chaperones, but facilitates a dramatic restructuring of ER morphology in intestinal cells. This restructuring, which includes depletion of lipid droplets, ER expansion, and ER tubulation, depends of lipophagy. Surprisingly, we find that lipophagy is required for lifespan extension and is completely independent of chaperone function. Therefore, UPR induction in neurons triggers two distinct programs in the periphery: the canonical arm through protein chaperones, and a non-canonical mechanism through lipid depletion. In summary, our study identifies lipophagy as an integral component of UPR ER -induced longevity.
MAINLife presents a myriad of challenges, stressors, and environmental shifts to which cells must adapt in order to survive and thrive. The homeostatic regulation of protein folding (proteostasis), which is monitored in specific subcellular compartments (the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria, cytosol) is an integral player in stress resistance and longevity. The ER, in particular, is a central regulator of stress monitoring since it controls (1) nearly a third of the cell's proteins, (2) provides an internal medium and transponder for lipid homeostasis and cell signaling, and (3) communicates directly with all other organelles to maintain cellular secretion.