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An intestinal sphingolipid confers intergenerational neuroprotection
In animals, the surroundings and diet of the mother can have an impact on the health of the young. It is unclear whether and how a mother’s food affects her offspring’s neurological systems throughout time. In this study by Wang et al. (2023), the authors demonstrate how feeding ursolic acid, a naturally occurring plant product, to Caenorhabditis elegans decreases adult-onset axon fragility and increases axon transport over generations. Ursolic acid protects the nervous system by improving the maternal supply of the bioactive sphingolipid sphingosine-1-phosphate. Intergenerational neuroprotection depends on the transport of sphingosine-1-phosphate from the intestine to the oocyte, which is mediated by the RME-2 lipoprotein yolk receptor. Through increasing the transcription of the acid ceramidase-1 (asah-1) gene in the gut, sphingosine-1-phosphate exerts its intergenerational action. Due to problems in developmental axon extension brought on by improper asah-1 expression in neurons, spatial modulation of sphingolipid metabolism is essential. The authors conclude that their findings show how sphingolipid homeostasis affects the nervous system’s growth and intergenerational health. There may be significant ramifications for dietary decisions made during reproduction if certain lipid metabolites can serve as messengers across generations. [NPID: Sphingolipids, neuroprotection, axon, ursolic acid, lipid metabolism]
Year: 2023
