174th iCeMS Seminar: Prof. Shawn Ahmed
The Piwi/piRNA pathway promotes silencing of transposons and other heterochromatic segments of the genome in the germline. We found that mutants deficient for the C. elegans Piwi orthologue PRG-1 become sterile after growth for many generations, suggesting transmission of a 'heritable stress' that could be relevant to senescence or aging. Brief periods of starvation extended the transgenerational lifespan of prg-1 mutants due to transient activation of the DAF-16/Foxo stress response and longevity transcription factor. Constitutive activation of DAF-16/Foxo via reduced daf-2 insulin/IGF-1 signaling restored germ cell immortality to Piwi/piRNA mutants by activating a cell-non-autonomous small RNA silencing cascade. These results are relevant to a form of 'heritable stress' that can become severe enough to trigger sterility, and that could promote somatic aging in mammals by limiting the proliferative capacity of somatic cells.
| Lecturer |  Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Title | The DAF-16/Foxo somatic longevity pathway promotes germ cell immortality in the absence of Piwi/piRNAs |
| Date / Time | Fri 12 Sep 2014 / 14:00-15:00 |
| Venue | 2nd Floor Seminar Room (#A207), iCeMS Main Building (#77), Kyoto University -> Directions |
| Flyer |  PDF (93KB) |
| Host | Kyoto University Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS) | Contact | iCeMS Carlton Group | carlton-g@icems.kyoto-u.ac.jp |