ARS | Publication request: Effects of sterols on the development and aging of caenorhabditis elegans

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: December 29, 2007
Publication Date: February 28, 2009
Citation: Lee, E.Y., Jeong, P.Y., Kim, S.Y., Shim, Y.H., Chitwood, D.J., Paik, Y.K. 2009. Effects of sterols on the development and aging of Caenorhabditis elegans. In: Larijani, B., Woscholski, R., Rosser, C.A., editors. Lipid Signaling Protocols. New York, NY: Humana Press. p. 167-179.

Technical Abstract: Because Caenorhabditis elegans lacks several components of the de novo sterol biosynthesis pathway, it requires sterols as essential nutrients. Supplemented cholesterol undergoes extensive enzymatic modification in C. elegans to form other sterols of unknown function. Because sterol metabolism in C. elegans differs from that of mammals and yeast, understanding the regulation of nematode physiology by sterols is very important. To examine the function of sterols in C. elegans, we conducted a sterol supplementation experiment and measured several critical parameters, such as brood size, growth rate, and life span. In addition, changes in lipid distribution in C. elegans were qualitatively and quantitatively determined by various methods, including staining and chromatographic techniques. The effects of sterols on C. elegans are very prominent and can be easily assessed using the techniques described here.