As a major risk factor to human health, obesity presents a massive burden to people and society. Interestingly, the obese status of parents can cause progeny’s lipid accumulation through epigenetic inheritance in multiple species. To date, many questions remain as to how lipid accumulation leads to signals that are transmitted across generations. In this study, we establish a nematode model of C. elegans raised on a high-fat diet (HFD) that leads to measurable lipid accumulation, which can transmit the lipid accumulation signal to their multigenerational progeny. Using this model, we find that transcription factors DAF-16/FOXO and SBP-1/SREBP, nuclear receptors NHR-49 and NHR-80, and delta-9 desaturases (fat-5, fat-6, and fat-7) are required for transgenerational lipid accumulation. Additionally, histone H3K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) marks lipid metabolism genes and increases their transcription response to multigenerational obesogenic effects. In summary, this study establishes an interaction between a network of lipid metabolic genes and chromatin modifications, which work together to achieve transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of obesogenic effects.

Heat stress–induced survival advantages can be transgenerationally transmitted through the epigenetic marks of N ⁶ -mA and H3K9me3.

Hypotaurine, an important sulfur-containing and nonpeptidic amino acid, is a precursor of taurine and an antioxidant. Our previous study indicated that hypotaurine levels are associated with the ageing of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). However, whether hypotaurine plays a role in the lifespan regulation of C. elegans and the mechanism remains undetermined. Here, we found that hypotaurine enhances oxidative stress resistance and ameliorates ageing in C. elegans. Our results show that hypotaurine regulates a variety of pathways and leads to the upregulation of some age-related genes to extend lifespan. We also found that the stress response-related transcription factors DAF-16/FOXO and SKN-1/NRF2 contribute to the beneficial longevity conferred by hypotaurine. Moreover, our results demonstrate that hypotaurine induced lifespan extension by regulating the insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway, the reproductive signaling pathway and DR-like mechanisms. Additionally, our results also indicated that mitochondrial function also plays a crucial role in the lifespan extension induced by hypotaurine. Taken together, these data indicate that hypotaurine delays the ageing of C. elegans, due, at least in part, to its antioxidant activity, which in turn regulates IIS, and reproductive and DR-related pathways, thereby inducing the activity of the transcription factors DAF-16 and SKN-1.

Introduction: Lycium barbarum glycopeptide (LbGp) is the main bioactive compound extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine. L. barbarum berries and has been proven to have numerous health benefits, including antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and cytoprotective activities. However, the antiaging effect of LbGp remains unknown.Methods: The lifespan and body movement of C. elegans were used to evaluate the effect of LbGp on lifespan and health span. The thrashing assay was used to determine the role of LbGp in Parkinson’s disease. To investigate the mechanisms of LbGp-induced antiaging effects, we analyzed changes in lifespan, movement, and the expression of longevity-related genes in a series of worm mutants after LbGp treatment.Results: We found that LbGp treatment prolonged the lifespan and health span of C. elegans. Mechanistically, we found that LbGp could activate the transcription factors DAF-16/FOXO, SKN-1/Nrf2, and HSF-1, as well as the nuclear receptor DAF-12, thereby upregulating longevity-related genes to achieve lifespan extension. In addition, we found that the lifespan extension induced by LbGp partially depends on mitochondrial function. Intriguingly, LbGp also ameliorated neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease in a DAF-16-, SKN-1-, and HSF-1-dependent manner.Conclusion: Our work suggests that LbGp might be a viable candidate for the treatment and prevention of aging and age-related diseases.

Cadmium is a significant environmental pollutant that poses a substantial health hazard to humans due to its propensity to accumulate in the body and resist excretion. We have a comprehensive understanding of the damage caused by Cd exposure and the mechanisms of tolerance, however, the intricate mechanisms underlying multigenerational effects resulting from Cd exposure remain poorly understood. In this study, Caenorhabditis elegans were used as a model organism to investigate Cd-induced multigenerational effects and its association with epigenetic modifications. The results showed that Cd exposure leads to an increase in germ cell apoptosis and a decrease in fertility, which can be passed down to subsequent generations. Further analysis revealed that transcription factors DAF-16/FOXO and SKN-1/Nrf2 play essential roles in responding to Cd exposure and in the transgenerational induction of germ cell apoptosis. Additionally, histone H3K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) marks stress-responsive genes and enhances their transcription, ultimately triggering multigenerational germ cell apoptosis. This study provides compelling evidence that the detrimental effects of Cd on the reproductive system can be inherited across generations. These findings enhance our understanding of the multigenerational effects of environmental pollutants and may inform strategies for the prevention and control of such pollutants.

Mitochondrial hormetic oxidative stress (mtHOS) is crucial in physiology and disease; however, its effects on epigenetic inheritance and organism fitness across generations remains elusive. Utilizing the C. elegans as a model, we elucidate that parental exposure to mtHOS not only elicits a lifespan extension in the exposed individuals but also confers this longevity advantage to the progeny through the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI) mechanism. This transgenerational transmission of lifespan prolongation depends on the activation of the UPR^mt and the synergistic action of the transcription factors DAF-16/FOXO and SKN-1/Nrf2. Additionally, the H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 serve as epigenetic mediators, selectively marking and regulating the expression of genes associated with oxidative stress response and longevity determination. Our findings illuminate the mechanisms underlying the implementation and transmission of mtHOS, revealing a sophisticated interplay among oxidative stress response genes and chromatin remodeling that collectively enhances the progeny's adaptive resilience to future challenges.