Exploring the link between branched chain fatty acids and endocannabinoids in Caenorhabditis elegans

PREZ, G. M.; ALTABE, S.; GALLES, C.; DE MENDOZA, D.

Córdoba

Congreso; Congreso SAIB 2016; 2016

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

We have previously described an experimental model in which reduction of de novo synthesis of long chain fatty acids by RNA-interference (RNAi) of let-767 induces the entry of C. elegans daf-7(e1372) mutant strain into dauer state. More importantly, administration of exogenous endocannabinoids (ECs) in these conditions can induce the nematode to resume its reproductive cycle. Gas Chromatography?Mass Spectrometry analysis of the interfered worms shows a sharp reduction in the relative abundance of esterified branched chain fatty acids (BCFAs), and this lower level is maintained in samples treated with the EC 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG), which reverses the dauer arrest. BCFAs are central in the regulation of TOR signaling pathway in the worm, a pathway connected with the processes of intestinal cell apical polarization, autophagy and fat accumulation, among others. We set out to explore the impact of let-767 RNAi on these processes in the daf-7(e1372) background, and whether 2-AG treatment is capable of reversing any of these effects, in order to establish a link between EC treatment and the signals that determine reproductive growth in the worm.