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Acidic intracellular pH shift during Caenorhabditis elegans larval development.
1Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211.
Summary
During nematode recovery from the dauer stage, a decrease in intracellular pH (pHi) occurs, not an increase. This pH shift precedes feeding and suggests a role in regulating C. elegans larval development.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Developmental Biology
- Nematology
Background:
- The dauer stage in *Caenorhabditis elegans* is a nonfeeding, developmentally arrested state.
- Metabolic activation during recovery from dauer is typically associated with an alkaline intracellular pH (pHi) shift in other organisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the changes in intracellular pH (pHi) during the recovery of *Caenorhabditis elegans* from the dauer larval stage.
- To determine the relationship between pHi dynamics and the initiation of development after the dauer stage.
Main Methods:
- Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (31P NMR) spectroscopy was used to analyze metabolites in perchloric acid extracts of dauer larvae.
- In vivo 31P NMR was employed to monitor intracellular pH (pHi) changes in recovering dauer larvae.
Main Results:
- Dauer larvae predominantly contain inorganic phosphate, while recovering larvae show increased ATP and high-energy metabolites within 6 hours of feeding.
- Contrary to expectations, a significant decrease in pHi from ~7.3 to ~6.3 was observed within 3 hours of food availability.
- This pHi decrease occurs before feeding commences and coincides with the commitment to exit the dauer stage.
Conclusions:
- Metabolic activation during *C. elegans* dauer recovery is accompanied by an acidic pHi shift, not alkaline.
- The observed pHi decrease suggests that intracellular pH regulation plays a crucial role in controlling nematode larval development from the dauer stage.