A functional study of the conserved LSM proteins in C. elegans reveals their involvement in the stress response of metazoans
Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Lsm proteins regulate RNA metabolism and are conserved in the three domains of life, typically functioning as RNA-binding complexes involved in a wide range of post-transcriptional mechanisms. Generally, their functions have been explored in unicellular models using biochemical approaches; however their physiological roles in multicellular organisms remain unknown. This gap in knowledge is biomedically relevant since alterations of individual LSM proteins functions have been related to cancer development. We performed a functional study of the eleven LSM proteins encoded in the C. elegans genome. We found that although lsm-1 and lsm-3 genes are not essential for the viability of the organism, they are required for wild type healthspan. In addition LSM-1 and LSM-3 proteins function in stress responses by promoting cytoplasmic LSM foci formation and influencing Insulin/IGF-like signaling pathway, a major regulator of development and stress response in metazoans. This study uncovers a physiological role for the LSM proteins in multicellular organisms as essential players for healthspan maintenance and stress adaptation.
Authors: Cornes Maragliano, Eric Eric
Language: English
Subfield: Aging
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2286876256