Chemosensation and longevity in C. elegans

众所周知，气味和味觉等化学物质可以调节动物的行为。有趣的是，这样 化学信号不仅调节行为，而且还调节其他类型的关键生理过程，如 长寿。虽然对行为的化学感官调节已经被广泛地表征，但努力要少得多。 致力于研究化学物质是如何调节寿命的。食物是主要的环境因素。 这会影响衰老。限制饮食(DR)是最有效的延长寿命的方法之一 经过测试的生物体。饮食限制(DR)如何促进长寿一直是深入研究的主题； 然而，潜在的机制还远未明朗。以前的工作主要集中在刻画 食物营养如何调节寿命。应该注意的是，除了营养物质，其他成分还包括 也可以在食物中发现。一个值得注意的例子是与食物有关的气味。然而，尽管这些机制 营养信号调节寿命的方式已经被广泛地描述，但对此知之甚少 食物气味在长寿中的作用。因此，在很大程度上仍不清楚食物是否、程度以及如何 气味调节长寿。目前也不清楚化学感觉系统是如何参与其中的。因为气味是不可缺少的 解决这个问题将有助于我们更好地理解 延年益寿。它还将帮助我们理解化学感觉系统是如何调节长寿的。C。 对于衰老研究来说，优雅是一个很好的遗传模型。到目前为止，几乎所有的主要长寿路径都是第一 在蠕虫、苍蝇和酵母等无脊椎动物模型中发现，随后发现 在哺乳动物中进化保守的。这一点，再加上短寿命(~3周)和灵活的遗传学， 使线虫成为衰老研究的一个非常有价值的模型。我们发现食物气味可以调节人的寿命。 在线虫中，化学感觉系统在调节食源性气味的效果中起着关键作用 关于长寿博士。在这里，我们建议研究潜在的神经和遗传机制。为了做到这一点，我们 将使用神经科学和衰老研究工具的组合。因为长寿机制往往是 从蠕虫到哺乳动物在进化上都是保守的，拟议的工作将为研究DR- 依赖于其他生物体的寿命。

Chemical cues, such as odors and tastants, are best known to regulate animal behavior. Interestingly, such chemical cues not just regulate behavior, but also other types of critical physiological processes such as longevity. While chemosensory regulation of behavior has been extensively characterized, much less effort has been devoted to investigating how chemical cues regulate longevity. Food is a primary environmental factor that affects aging. Dietary restriction (DR) represents one of the most effective means to extend lifespan in all tested organisms. How dietary restriction (DR) promotes longevity has been a subject of intensive research; however, the underlying mechanisms are far from clear. Previous effort has mostly focused on characterizing how food nutrients regulate longevity. It should be noted that in addition to nutrients, other components are also found in food. One notable example is the odors associated with food. However, though the mechanisms by which nutrient signaling regulates lifespan has been extensively characterized, much less is known about the role of food odors in longevity. As such, it remains largely unclear whether, to what extent, and how food odors regulates longevity. It is also unclear how the chemosensory system is involved. As odors are integral components of food, addressing this question will help us to achieve a better understanding of how DR promotes longevity. It will also help us to understand how the chemosensory system regulates longevity. C. elegans is a nice genetic model for aging research. Thus far, nearly all the major longevity pathways were first discovered in invertebrate models such as worms, flies and yeast, and subsequently were found to be evolutionarily conserved in mammals. This, together with a short lifespan (~3 weeks) and facile genetics, makes C. elegans a highly valuable model for aging research. We found that food odors regulate DR longevity in C. elegans, and that the chemosensory system plays a key role in mediating the effect of food-derived odors on DR longevity. Here, we propose to investigate the underlying neural and genetic mechanisms. To do so, we will use a combination of neuroscience and aging research tools. As longevity mechanisms tend to be evolutionarily conserved from worms to mammals, the proposed work will provide novel insights into DR- dependent longevity in other organisms.