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Updated: Aug 7, 2026
The Replica Set Method: A High-throughput Approach to Quantitatively Measure Caenorhabditis elegans Lifespan
Published on: June 29, 2018
C. elegans 14-3-3 proteins regulate life span and interact with SIR-2.1 and DAF-16/FOXO
Yamei Wang1, Seung Wook Oh, Bart Deplancke
1Program in Gene Function and Expression, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, 01605, USA.
Abstract:
14-3-3 proteins are evolutionarily conserved and ubiquitous proteins that function in a wide variety of biological processes. Here we define a new role for C. elegans 14-3-3 proteins in life span regulation. We identify two C. elegans 14-3-3 proteins as interacting proteins of a major life span regulator, the C. elegans SIR2 ortholog, SIR-2.1. Similar to sir-2.1, we find that overexpression of either 14-3-3 protein (PAR-5 or FTT-2) extends life span and that this is dependent on DAF-16, a forkhead transcription factor (FOXO), another important life span regulator in the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway. Furthermore, we show that both 14-3-3 proteins are co-expressed with DAF-16 and SIR-2.1 in the tissues critical for life span regulation. Finally, we show that DAF-16/FOXO also physically interacts with the 14-3-3 proteins. These results suggest that C. elegans 14-3-3 proteins can regulate longevity by cooperating with both SIR-2.1 and DAF-16/FOXO.
