Expression of a single-copy hsp-16.2 reporter predicts life span

Abstract

The level of green fluorescent protein expression from an hsp-16.2-based transcriptional reporter predicts life span and thermotolerance in Caenorhabditis elegans. The initial report used a high-copy number reporter integrated into chromosome IV. There was concern that the life-span prediction power of this reporter was not attributable solely to hsp-16.2 output. Specifically, prediction power could stem from disruption of some critical piece of chromatin on chromosome IV by the gpIs1 insertion, a linked mutation from the process used to create the reporter, or from an artifact of transgene regulation (multicopy transgenes are subject to regulation by C elegans chromatin surveillance machinery). Here we determine if the ability to predict life span and thermotolerance is specific to the gpIs1 insertion or a general property of hsp-16.2-based reporters. New single-copy hsp-16.2-based reporters predict life span and thermotolerance. We conclude that prediction power of hsp-16.2-based transcriptional reporters is not an artifact of any specific transgene configuration or chromatin surveillance mechanism. © 2012 The Gerontological Society of America.