FGT-1 is the major glucose transporter in C. elegans and is central to aging pathways

Caenorhabditis elegans is widely used as a model for investigation of the relationships between aging, nutrient restriction and signalling via the DAF-2 receptor for insulin-like peptides and AGE-1 (PI 3-kinase) but the identity of the glucose transporters that may link these processes is unknown. We unexpectedly find that of the eight putative GLUT-like genes only the two splice variants of one gene have a glucose transport function in an oocyte expression system. We have named this gene (fgt-1 (Facilitated Glucose Transporter, isoform 1). We show that knockdown of fgt-1 RNA leads to loss of glucose transport and reduced glucose metabolism in wild type worms. The FGT-1 glucose transporters of C. elegans thus play a key role in glucose energy supply to C. elegans. Importantly, knockdown of fgt-1 leads to an extension of lifespan equivalent, but not additive, to that observed in daf-2 and age-1 mutant worms. Our data are consistent with DAF-2 and AGE-1 signalling to glucose transport in C. elegans and this process being associated with the longevity phenotype in daf-2 and age-1 mutant worms. We propose that fgt-1 constitutes a common axis for the life-span extending effects of nutrient restriction and reduced insulin-like peptide signalling.
Source: BJ Cell - Category: Biochemistry Authors: Tags: BJ Metabolism Source Type: research