Neuronal temperature perception induces specific defenses that enable C. elegans to cope with the enhanced reactivity of hydrogen peroxide at high temperature

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide is the most common reactive chemical that organisms face on the microbial battlefield. The rate with which hydrogen peroxide damages biomolecules required for life increases with temperature, yet little is known about how organisms cope with this temperature-dependent threat. Here, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes use temperature information perceived by sensory neurons to cope with the temperature-dependent threat of hydrogen peroxide produced by the pathogenic bacterium Enterococcus faecium. These nematodes preemptively induce the expression of specific hydrogen peroxide defenses in response to perception of high temperature by a pair of sensory neurons. These neurons communicate temperature information to target tissues expressing those defenses via an insulin/IGF1 hormone. This is the first example of a multicellular organism inducing their defenses to a chemical when they sense an inherent enhancer of the reactivity of that chemical.

Defining the contribution of microRNA-specific Argonautes with slicer capability in animals

“…We observed that only animals expressing ALG-2(CD) in alg-1(null) background were the only ones showing reduced fitness to a level greater than seen in alg-1(null) animals (Figure 1C , S3A ). As an increased growing temperature creates physiological stress ( 48 , 49 ), we next surveyed the phenotypes of the different mutant animals by maintaining them for at least three generations at 25°C. In this specific condition, while single mutants, alg-1 and alg-2 catalytically dead animals displayed no significant health issues.…”

Sex-specific developmental gene expression atlas unveils dimorphic gene networks in C. elegans

“…INS-39 has recently been reported to be expressed in AFD neurons 89 , but its male pattern suggests a broader expression. To determine the complete expression pattern for INS-39, we generated a nuclear-localized CRISPR/Cas9-engineered reporter allele [ ins-39 ::SL2::GFP::H2B] (Fig.…”

“…The survival assay was conducted on solid agar plates containing tert-butyl hydroperoxide at a final concentration of 6 mM, following previous protocols 89 , with slight modifications. To prepare the assay plates, tert-butyl hydroperoxide was added to molten agar maintained at 55 °C, and 12 ml of the mixture was poured onto 60 mm NGM agar plates.…”

“…Insulin/IGF1 signaling (IIS) regulates dauer entry, behavior, aging, development, and fat accumulation 100 . Recently, it was discovered that high temperature represses INS-39 expression in the AFD neuron of hermaphrodites 89 . We, therefore, examined the changes in INS-39::GFP expression in the AFD neurons of both sexes when subjected to temperature shifts (25 °C and 15 °C) from the cultivation temperature (22 °C).…”

“…9a, b). ins-39 was previously shown to play a role in nematode survival against peroxide stress through the insulin signaling pathway 89 . We confirmed the previously reported enhanced peroxide survival in ins-39 mutant hermaphrodites grown and assayed at 20 °C or 25 °C (Fig.…”