Stearoyl-CoA desaturases sustain cholinergic excitation and copulatory robustness in metabolically aging C. elegans males

• Published in: iScience 2022-04, Vol.25 (4), p.104082
• Main Authors: Goncalves, Jimmy, Wan, Yufeng, Garcia, L René
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2589-0042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104082

Regulated metabolism is required for behaviors as adults age. To understand how lipid usage affects motor coordination, we studied male copulation as a model of energy-intensive behavior. Copulation performance drops after 48 h of adulthood. We found that 12-24 h before behavioral decline, males prioritize exploring and copulation behavior over feeding, suggesting that catabolizing stored metabolites, such as lipids, occurs during this period. Because -encoded stearoyl-CoA desaturases are essential for converting the ingested fatty acids to lipid storage, we examined the copulation behavior and neural calcium transients of ( ) ( ) mutants. In wild-type males, intestinal and epithelial expression increases during the first 48 h of adulthood. The ( ) ( ) behavioral and metabolic defects indicate that in aging wild-type males, the increased expression of stearoyl-CoA desaturases in the epidermis may indirectly modulate the levels of EAG-family K channels in the reproductive cholinergic neurons and muscles.