Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System to Study Protein Homeostasis in a Multicellular Organism
Published on: December 18, 2013
Cellular Adaptation Relies on Regulatory Proteins Having Episodic Memory: Proteins Modulate Cell Metabolism and
Razvan C Stan1,2, Darshak K Bhatt3, Maristela M de Camargo2
1Cantacuzino National Military-Medical Institute for Research-Development, Bucharest, 050096, Romania.
Abstract:
The ability to memorize changes in the environment is present at all biological levels, from social groups and individuals, down to single cells. Trans-generational memory is embedded subcellularly through genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Evidence that cells process and remember features of the immediate environment using protein sensors is reviewed. It is argued that this mnemonic ability is encapsulated within the protein conformational space and lasts throughout its lifetime, which can overlap with the lifespan of the organism. Means to determine diachronic changes in protein activity are presented.
Related Concept Videos
Global Regulatory Systems
Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response
Constitutive and Regulated Gene Expression
Adaptability of Cytoskeletal Filaments
Regulation of Metabolism
Covalently Linked Protein Regulators
These groups modify specific amino acids in a protein....

