AGE

, Volume 30, Issue 1, pp 43–52 | Cite as

Genetic analysis of hyl-1, the C. elegans homolog of LAG1/LASS1

  • Patricia Tedesco
  • James Jiang
  • Jinqing Wang
  • S. Michal Jazwinski
  • Thomas E. Johnson
Article
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Abstract

Yeast LAG1 was one of the first longevity genes found. Subsequent analysis showed that it encodes a component of ceramide synthase. Homologs of LAG1 have been identified in all eukaryotes examined for their presence, and multiple homologs are the norm. In human and mouse, the LAG1 counterpart is called LASS1. The involvement of this gene in determining yeast replicative life span led us to ask whether longevity effects could be found in C. elegans. Extended longevity was seen when we used RNAi to decrease expression of the worm homolog of LAG1, termed hyl-1, for Homolog of Yeast Longevity gene. In contrast, neither deletion of the gene nor overexpression resulted in life extension. There was no evidence that hyl-1 interacts with the insulin/IGF-1 like signaling pathway to specify longevity or dauer formation, nor were effects on stress resistance detected. Gene expression of hyl-1 homologs was altered in the deletion mutant and by RNAi, showing distinct evidence for compensation at the transcript level. These regulatory changes may explain the subtle phenotypic effects found under the conditions studied here.

Keywords

Aging Ceramide synthase Compensation IIL pathway RNAi Stress resistance 

Abbreviations

IIL

insulin/IGF-1 like

IGF

insulin-like growth factor 1

RNAi

RNA interference

PCR

poymerase chain reaction

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Notes

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), AG16219 to T.E.J. and AG006168 to S.M.J. Some nematode strains were provided by the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center which is funded by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) of the NIH. We would like to thank Heather Greer, Sarah Hegi, Ibett Hynek, and Chris Link for technical help and Lina Obeid for permission to cite her unpublished work. Address correspondence to Thomas E. Johnson, PhD, Institute for Behavioral Genetics, Campus Box 447, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309.

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Copyright information

© American Aging Association, Media, PA, USA 2008

Authors and Affiliations

  • Patricia Tedesco
    • 1
  • James Jiang
    • 2
    • 4
  • Jinqing Wang
    • 2
  • S. Michal Jazwinski
    • 2
    • 4
  • Thomas E. Johnson
    • 1
    • 3
  1. 1.Institute for Behavioral GeneticsUniversity of Colorado at BoulderBoulderUSA
  2. 2.Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyLouisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New OrleansNew OrleansUSA
  3. 3.Department of Integrative PhysiologyUniversity of Colorado at BoulderBoulderUSA
  4. 4.Department of MedicineTulane University Health Sciences CenterNew OrleansUSA

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