An alternative food source for metabolism and longevity studies in Caenorhabditis elegans

• DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01764-4
• Publication Date: 2021-02-26T11:03:35Z
• Authors: Safa Beydoun; Hyo Sub Choi; Gabrielle Dela-Cruz; Joseph Kruempel; Shijiao Huang; Daphne Bazopoulou; Hillary A. Miller; Megan L. Schaller; Charles R. Evans; Scott F. Leiser
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Microbial Viability; Time Factors; QH301-705.5; Polymers; Longevity; Feeding Behavior; Animal Feed; Article; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Fertility; Formaldehyde; Escherichia coli; Metabolome; Animals; Metabolomics; Biology (General); Caenorhabditis elegans; Energy Metabolism; Nutritive Value

Abstract Caenorhabditis elegans is an instrumental research model used to advance our knowledge in areas including development, metabolism, and aging. However, on metabolism and/or other measures of health/aging are confounded by the nematode’s food source lab, live E. coli bacteria. Commonly treatments, ultraviolet irradiation antibiotics, successful preventing bacterial replication, but bacteria can remain metabolically active. The purpose this study develop a inactive for worms that will allow us minimize confounding effects worm Our strategy use paraformaldehyde (PFA) treated determine its health, longevity. We initially lowest possible concentrations PFA necessary rapidly reproducibly kill then measure various aspects behavior, healthspan longevity, growth rate, attraction, brood size, lifespan metabolic assessments, such as oxygen consumption metabolomics. resulting data show eat grow well these support 0.5% PFA-killed nematode metabolic, drug, longevity experiments.