Universität zu Köln

Totska, Khrystyna (2025). Age deceleration and reversal patterns in Caenorhabditis elegans dauer diapause. PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

While the aging process affects almost all species, some organisms show extraordinary ability to halt the aging process or even undergo a decrease in biological age, or rejuvenation. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has several diapause states including dauer diapause. C. elegans larvae enter dauer diapause during unfavorable conditions such as overcrowding or starvation. Dauer was originally termed as “non-aging” because of the lack of negative consequences in postdauer animals. Here, we establish an experimental setup in which we test effects of dauer of different duration on postdauer fitness and report no changes in recovery dynamics, lifespan, or brood size. Using the BiT Age transcriptomic clock, we observe an increase in predicted biological age as the diapause progress and a reversal during recovery from dauer, although only worms arrested for up to 4 days revert their biological age completely. We characterize transcriptomic patterns occurring in dauer and during recovery in a duration-dependent manner, highlighting the importance of protein homeostasis and the role of V-ATPase in dauer exit. We also compare aging patterns in dauer and adult worms with the same genetic background. Furthermore, we investigate the impact UV-treatment has on normal and NER-deficient worms and gene-length-dependent gene expression. Taken together, our results suggest that C. elegans dauer diapause is an example of slow aging and dauer exit is a naturally occurring rejuvenation process.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD thesis)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Totska, Khrystyna UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-785523
Date:	2025
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Divisions:	CECAD - Cluster of Excellence Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases
Subjects:	Natural sciences and mathematics
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language caenorhabditis elegans English dauer English aging English
Date of oral exam:	26 July 2024
Referee:	Name Academic Title Schumacher, Björn Prof. Dr. Beyer, Andreas Prof.Dr.
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/78552