Analysis of Germline Mitochondria in the C. elegans longevity mutant, dod-18

Abstract

America’s 65 and older population is predicted to nearly double from 48 million to 88 million by 2050 (National Institute of Aging). Therefore, interventions that increase the healthspan and consequently lifespan of people is an important area of research. The insulin/insulin like-growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway has been implicated in regulating longevity in multiple organisms, including the model organism C. elegans. Here, we further characterize a lifespan-extending gene of the IGF pathway, dod-18. DOD-18 is predicted to be localized to the mitochondria, and in C. elegans the majority of mitochondria are localized to the gonad. dod-18 mutants have irregularly shaped mitochondria, reminiscent of the mitochondria fusion mutant, fzo-1 and the fission mutant, drp-1. Additionally, mitochondria mediated lifespan extension may also occur through signaling to the nucleus. dod-18 germline nuclei morphology are reminiscent of cells in the transition zone between mitosis and meiosis with age. Future studies will aim to further elucidate dod-18 mediated lifespan extension, to see whether a mitochondria to nuclear signaling mechanism exists by quantifying whether dod-18 maintains stable nuclei, conducting CRISPR to create an endogenous pdod-18::GFP to investigate tissue specific localization, and performing qPCR experiments to quantify mitochondrial DNA copy number.