18S rRNA methyltransferases DIMT1 and BUD23 drive intergenerational hormesis.

ABSTRACT: Heritable non-genetic information can regulate a variety of complex phenotypes. However, what specific non-genetic cues are transmitted from parents to their descendants are poorly understood. Here, we perform metabolic methyl-labeling experiments to track the heritable transmission of methylation from ancestors to their descendants in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). We find heritable methylation in DNA, RNA, proteins, and lipids. We find that parental starvation elicits reduced fertility, increased heat stress resistance, and extended longevity in fed, naïve progeny. This intergenerational hormesis is accompanied by a heritable increase in N6'-dimethyl adenosine (m^6,2A) on the 18S ribosomal RNA at adenosines 1735 and 1736. We identified DIMT-1/DIMT1 as the m

SUBMITTER: Liberman N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11990152 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature