Worms, bacteria, and micronutrients: an elegant model of our diet

Yılmaz, L. Şafak; Walhout, Albertha J.M.

doi:10.1016/j.tig.2014.07.010

Cited by 83 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…All animals must receive nutrients from diet to support survival and reproduction. Diet also directly and indirectly affects development, metabolism, behavior, and aging (Nicholson et al, 2012; Pflughoeft and Versalovic, 2012; Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014). Different diets vary in the amount and composition of nutrients and thus elicit distinct dietary responses, depending on the genetic makeup and physiological state of the animal (Jones et al, 2012; Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Diet also directly and indirectly affects development, metabolism, behavior, and aging (Nicholson et al, 2012; Pflughoeft and Versalovic, 2012; Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014). Different diets vary in the amount and composition of nutrients and thus elicit distinct dietary responses, depending on the genetic makeup and physiological state of the animal (Jones et al, 2012; Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014). Diet shift and aberrant dietary signaling have been linked to a growing list of human disorders such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases (Salonen and de Vos, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…C. elegans feeds on bacteria which directly supply nutrients after being digested in the gut (Brenner, 1974). Utilizing chemicals from the surrounding environment, bacteria also produce essential micronutrients, such as vitamins, which cannot be synthesized by the worm (Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014). In this regard, bacteria fed to the worm serve as direct diet to provide macronutrients and also supply essential micronutrients, a role similar to that carried out by gut microbiota in mammals (Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Utilizing chemicals from the surrounding environment, bacteria also produce essential micronutrients, such as vitamins, which cannot be synthesized by the worm (Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014). In this regard, bacteria fed to the worm serve as direct diet to provide macronutrients and also supply essential micronutrients, a role similar to that carried out by gut microbiota in mammals (Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014). Remarkably, worms and humans require a similar set of essential nutrients and also share similar basic metabolic pathways (Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this regard, bacteria fed to the worm serve as direct diet to provide macronutrients and also supply essential micronutrients, a role similar to that carried out by gut microbiota in mammals (Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014). Remarkably, worms and humans require a similar set of essential nutrients and also share similar basic metabolic pathways (Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014). These features together have led to the suggestion that C. elegans represents a great genetically-tractable model system for the study of both direct and indirect effects of diet, including host-microbiota interactions (Yilmaz and Walhout, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

RNAi Interrogation of Dietary Modulation of Development, Metabolism, Behavior, and Aging in C. elegans

et al. 2015

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Diet affects nearly every aspect of animal life, such as development, metabolism, behavior and aging, both directly by supplying nutrients and indirectly through gut microbiota. C. elegans feeds on bacteria, and like other animals, different bacterial diets induce distinct dietary responses in the worm. However, the lack of certain critical tools hampers the use of worms as a model for dietary signaling. Here, we genetically-engineered the bacterial strain OP50, the standard laboratory diet for C. elegans, making it compatible for dsRNA production and delivery. Using this RNAi-compatible OP50 strain and the other bacterial strain HT115, we feed worms different diets while delivering RNAi to interrogate the genetic basis underlying diet-dependent differential modulation of development, metabolism, behavior, and aging. We show by RNAi that neuroendocrine and mTOR pathways are involved in mediating differential dietary responses. This genetic tool greatly facilitates the use of C. elegans as a model for dietary signaling.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

RNAi Interrogation of Dietary Modulation of Development, Metabolism, Behavior, and Aging in C. elegans

et al. 2015

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Dietary fiber chemical structure determined gut microbiota dynamics

Meng

Zheng

Wang

et al. 2022

iMeta

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Precision modulation of gut microbiota requires elucidation of the relation between dietary fiber intake and gut microbe dynamics. However, current studies on this aspect are few due to many technical limitations. Here, we used Caenorhabditis elegans to minimize the complicated host–microbial factors and to find the relation between dietary fiber chemical structures and gut microbiota dynamics. The Allium schoenoprasum polysaccharide (AssP) structure was elucidated and used as the complex dietary fiber against the simple fiber inulin. In vitro bacterial growth and genome analysis indicated that AssP supports bacterial growth better than inulin, while in vivo gut microbiota analysis of C. elegans fed with AssP showed that microbiota richness increased significantly compared with those fed with inulin. It is concluded that the more complex the dietary fiber chemical structure, the more gut bacteria growth it supports. Together with the community bacterial interactions that alter their abundances in vivo, these factors regulate gut microbiota synergistically.

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Comparison of ESI‐MS/MS and APCI‐MS methods for the quantification of folic acid analogs in C. elegans

et al. 2019

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Folic acid (FA) plays a vital role in central metabolism, including the one carbon cycle, nucleotide, and amino acid biosynthesis. The development of sensitive, accurate analytical methods to measure FA intermediates in tissues is critical to understand their biological roles in diverse physiological and pathological contexts. Here, we developed a highly sensitive method for the simultaneous quantification of FA intermediates in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to dissect metabolic networks. The method was further validated by analyzing the worm folate pool upon RNAi knockdown of the dihydrofolate reductase gene dhfr‐1. Comparative mass spectrometry behavior of the FA analogs using two different ion sources, electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), revealed ESI‐MS/MS to be more sensitive, but APCI‐MS provided more detailed structure inferences, which can elucidate chemical investigation and synthesis of FA analogs. Finally, we report on the use of in vitro oxidation coupled with high‐resolution mass spectrometry as a tool to discover new endogenous FA derivatives in the nematode.

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Worms, bacteria, and micronutrients: an elegant model of our diet

Cited by 83 publications

References 77 publications

RNAi Interrogation of Dietary Modulation of Development, Metabolism, Behavior, and Aging in C. elegans

RNAi Interrogation of Dietary Modulation of Development, Metabolism, Behavior, and Aging in C. elegans

Dietary fiber chemical structure determined gut microbiota dynamics

Comparison of ESI‐MS/MS and APCI‐MS methods for the quantification of folic acid analogs in C. elegans

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