Transgenerational fitness effects of lifespan extension by dietary restriction in Caenorhabditis elegans

Ivimey-Cook, E. , Sales, K., Carlsson, H., Immler, S., Chapman, T. and Maklakov, A. (2021) Transgenerational fitness effects of lifespan extension by dietary restriction in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1950), 20210701. (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0701) (PMID:33975472) (PMCID:PMC8113902)

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Abstract

Dietary restriction (DR) increases lifespan in a broad variety of organisms and improves health in humans. However, long-term transgenerational consequences of dietary interventions are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effect of DR by temporary fasting (TF) on mortality risk, age-specific reproduction and fitness across three generations of descendants in Caenorhabditis elegans. We show that while TF robustly reduces mortality risk and improves late-life reproduction of the individuals subject to TF (P0), it has a wide range of both positive and negative effects on their descendants (F1–F3). Remarkably, great-grandparental exposure to TF in early life reduces fitness and increases mortality risk of F3 descendants to such an extent that TF no longer promotes a lifespan extension. These findings reveal that transgenerational trade-offs accompany the instant benefits of DR, underscoring the need to consider fitness of future generations in pursuit of healthy ageing.

Item Type:Articles
Keywords:Ageing, dietary restriction, longevity, reproduction, senescence.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Ivimey-Cook, Dr Edward
Authors: Ivimey-Cook, E., Sales, K., Carlsson, H., Immler, S., Chapman, T., and Maklakov, A.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Journal Name:Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Publisher:Royal Society of London
ISSN:0962-8452
ISSN (Online):1471-2954
Published Online:15 April 2021
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2021 The Authors
First Published:First published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 288(1950):20210701
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence

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