Abstract
AbstractEarly-life stress experiences can produce lasting impacts on organismal adaptation and fitness. How transient stress elicits memory-like physiological effects is largely unknown. Here we show that early-life thermal stress strongly up-regulatestsp-1, a gene encoding the conserved transmembrane tetraspanin inC. elegans. TSP-1 forms prominent multimers and stable web- like structures critical for membrane barrier functions in adults and during aging. The up- regulation of TSP-1 persists even after transient early-life stress. Such regulation requires CBP- 1, a histone acetyl-transferase that facilitates initialtsp-1transcription. Tetraspanin webs form regular membrane structures and mediate resilience-promoting effects of early-life thermal stress. Gain-of-function TSP-1 confers markedC. eleganslongevity extension and thermal resilience in human cells. Together, our results reveal a cellular mechanism by which early-life thermal stress produces long-lasting memory-like impact on organismal resilience and longevity.TeaserStudies reveal mechanisms of how early-life heat exposure produces long-lasting benefits on longevity in the nematodeC. elegans.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory