Mechanical properties measured by atomic force microscopy define health biomarkers in ageing C. elegans

摘要

Genetic and environmental factors are key drivers regulating organismal lifespan but howthese impact healthspan is less well understood. Techniques capturing biomechanicalproperties of tissues on a nano-scale level are providing new insights into diseasemechanisms. Here, we apply Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to quantitatively measure thechange in biomechanical properties associated with ageing Caenorhabditis elegans in additionto capturing high-resolution topographical images of cuticle senescence. We show thatdistinct dietary restriction regimes and genetic pathways that increase lifespan lead toradically different healthspan outcomes. Hence, our data support the view that prolongedlifespan does not always coincide with extended healthspan. Importantly, we identify theinsulin signalling pathway in C. elegans and interventions altering bacterial physiology asincreasing both lifespan and healthspan. Overall, AFM provides a highly sensitive techniqueto measure organismal biomechanical fitness and delivers an approach to screen for healthimprovingconditions, an essential step towards healthy ageing.