Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

10:08
Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: May 18, 2022
"AcCoA"lade for energy and life span
Rafael de Cabo1, Plácido Navas
1Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. decabora@mail.nih.gov
Cell Metabolism
|April 10, 2009
Summary
Organisms adapt metabolism for survival when food changes. A study reveals that acetyl-CoA regulates extranuclear enzyme acetylation, linking nutrient availability to survival.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cellular Metabolism
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Organisms must adapt metabolic processes to changing food availability to ensure survival.
- Metabolic regulation is crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis and responding to environmental cues.
- Extranuclear enzymes play vital roles in cellular functions, but their regulation is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the regulatory mechanisms of extranuclear enzyme acetylation in response to nutrient availability.
- To elucidate the role of acetyl-CoA in modulating enzyme activity and cellular adaptation.
- To connect nutrient sensing pathways with metabolic control and organismal survival.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of enzyme acetylation patterns under varying nutrient conditions.
- Biochemical assays to determine the effect of acetyl-CoA levels on enzyme activity.
- Molecular techniques to identify the specific enzyme and its regulatory site.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that the acetylation of a specific extranuclear enzyme is directly regulated by acetyl-CoA levels.
- Showcased a direct link between nutrient availability, intracellular acetyl-CoA concentration, and enzyme acetylation status.
- Identified the acetylation event as a key regulatory point for metabolic adaptation.
Conclusions:
- Extranuclear enzyme acetylation, modulated by acetyl-CoA, serves as a critical link between nutrient availability and metabolic adaptation.
- This regulatory mechanism allows organisms to adjust their energy status and enhance survival in response to changing food sources.
- The findings provide new insights into the intricate crosstalk between nutrient sensing and metabolic control at the cellular level.
Related Concept Videos
Energy Budgets and Reproductive Strategies
Organisms must balance energy intake with the energy required for growth, maintenance, and reproduction. These trade-offs result in a variety of survivorship and reproductive strategies, including semelparity and iteroparity. Semelparous species reproduce only once in their lifetime, often investing most available resources into that single reproductive event. Iteroparous species, by contrast, reproduce multiple times over their lifetimes, typically allocating fewer resources to any single...
Energy to Drive Translocation
Mitochondrial protein import is powered by two distinct energy sources: ATP hydrolysis and electrochemical potential across the inner membrane. Newly synthesized precursors are bound by cytosolic chaperones of the Hsp70 family, which guide them to the import receptors on the mitochondrial surface. Utilizing the energy of ATP hydrolysis, Hsp70 chaperones transfer these precursors to the TOM receptors on the mitochondrial outer membrane.
Generally, polypeptides are unfolded by two distinct...
Generally, polypeptides are unfolded by two distinct...
ATP Energy Storage and Release
ATP is a highly unstable molecule. Unless quickly used to perform work, ATP spontaneously dissociates into ADP and inorganic phosphate (Pi), and the free energy released during this process is lost as heat. The energy released by ATP hydrolysis is used to perform work inside the cell and depends on a strategy called energy coupling. Cells couple the exergonic reaction of ATP hydrolysis with endergonic reactions, allowing them to proceed.
One example of energy coupling using ATP involves a...
One example of energy coupling using ATP involves a...
ATP Energy Storage and Release
ATP is a highly unstable molecule. Unless quickly used to perform work, ATP spontaneously dissociates into ADP and inorganic phosphate (Pi), and the free energy released during this process is lost as heat. The energy released by ATP hydrolysis is used to perform work inside the cell and depends on a strategy called energy coupling. Cells couple the exergonic reaction of ATP hydrolysis with endergonic reactions, allowing them to proceed.
One example of energy coupling using ATP involves a...
One example of energy coupling using ATP involves a...
ATP and Energy Production
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a critical molecule that functions as the main energy carrier in cells. Structurally, ATP consists of an adenosine molecule—comprising adenine and ribose—bonded to three phosphate groups. The high-energy bonds between these phosphate groups store significant amounts of potential energy. This energy is released during hydrolysis, wherein ATP is converted to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or adenosine monophosphate (AMP), driving a variety of essential cellular...
Life Histories
Constrained by limited energy and resources, organisms must compromise between offspring quantity and parental investment. This trade-off is represented by two primary reproductive strategies; K-strategists produce few offspring but provide substantial parental support, whereas r-strategists produce much progeny that receives little care. These strategies are related to an organism’s survival likelihood across its lifespan, which is represented by a survivorship curve. Three general types of...

