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

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Abstract

Caenorhabditis elegans is widely used as amodel for investigation of the relationships between aging, nutrient restriction and signalling via the DAF-2 (abnormal dauer formation 2) receptor for insulin-like peptides and AGE-1 [ageing alteration 1; orthologue of PI3K (phosphoinositide 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 (glucose transporter)-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. The results of the present study are consistent with DAF-2 and AGE-1 signalling stimulating 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 lifespan extending effects of nutrient restriction and reduced insulin-like peptide signalling. © 2013 The Author(s).

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Feng, Y., Williams, B. G., Koumanov, F., Wolstenholme, A. J., & Holman, G. D. (2013). FGT-1 is the major glucose transporter in C. elegans and is central to aging pathways. Biochemical Journal, 456(2), 219–229. https://doi.org/10.1042/BJ20131101

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