Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, Vol 52, Issue 4 B212-B216, Copyright © 1997 by The Gerontological Society of America
Modulation of kinase activities in dauers and in long-lived mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans
JR Vanfleteren and A De Vreese
Department of Morphology, Systematics and Ecology, University of Ghent, Belgium.
Mutant alleles of the genes age-1 and daf-2 that lengthen life span (Age
phenotype) of Caenorhabditis elegans cause higher protein kinase (PKA, PKC,
PTK) activity levels in senescing worms relative to wild- type. Elevated
levels of PKA and PTK were also present in dauer larvae, developmentally
arrested juveniles specialized for long-term survival, relative to L3
larvae, the alternative developmental stage. PKC activity was downregulated
in dauers of a non-Age control strain and in age-1 mutant dauers, compared
to L3 larvae, but similar activities were measured in dauers and L3 larvae
of a daf-2 mutant strain. Thus, age-1 and daf-2 mutant worms may express
distinct elements of a dauer- specific survival program during adult life.
