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Updated: May 25, 2025
A Caenorhabditis elegans Nutritional-status Based Copper Aversion Assay
Published on: July 26, 2017
Free and Easy Wanderer Ameliorates Intestinal Bloating-Dependent Avoidance Behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans Through
Siyi Lin1, Huangjie Fu1, Hanxiao Wang1
1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of Free and Easy Wanderer (FAEW) on the avoidance behavior induced by feeding Heat-Killed Escherichia coli, and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
Methods:
Initially, the effects of FAEW on avoidance behavior, survival, neuroendocrine signaling gene expression, and intestinal bloating were examined. The impact of FAEW on gut-germline-neural signaling was assessed by monitoring H4K8ac expression and the avoidance behavior of par-5 RNAi animals and glp-1(e2141) mutants. RNA-sequencing was conducted to analyze potential signaling pathways. Finally, avoidance behavior was examined using daf-16(mu86) mutants and the rescued animals.
Results:
FAEW delayed avoidance behavior. FAEW significantly downregulated gene expression in the neuroendocrine signaling pathway and alleviated intestinal bloating of C. elegans. The levels of H4K8ac and par-5 in the germline decreased significantly with FAEW's treatment, and FAEW failed to affect the avoidance behavior of par-5 RNAi animals and glp-1(e2141) mutants. FAEW's effect on avoidance behavior diminished in daf-16(mu86) mutants but was restored in daf-16 rescued animals. FAEW has been observed to restore daf-16 levels.
Conclusion:
FAEW protects against avoidance behavior of C. elegans through downregulating H4K8ac protein expression and activating DAF-16. This study provides crucial experimental evidence supporting FAEW as a promising candidate for protecting against avoidance behavior associated with PTSD.
