Research Perspective Volume 1, Issue 10 pp 870—874
Dopamine suppresses octopamine signaling in C. elegans: possible involvement of dopamine in the regulation of lifespan
- 1 Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X5
- 2 Department of Medical Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X5
- 3 Deceased, April 20, 2006.
Received: September 22, 2009 Accepted: October 19, 2009 Published: October 21, 2009
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.100097How to Cite
Abstract
Amine neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline, play important roles in the modulation of behaviors and metabolism of animals. InC. elegans, it has been shown that serotonin and octopamine, an invertebrate equivalent of noradrenaline, also regulate lifespan through a mechanism related to food deprivation-mediated lifespan extension. We have shown recently that dopamine signaling, activated by the tactile perception of food, suppresses octopamine signaling and that the cessation of dopamine signaling in the absence of food leads to activation of octopamine signaling. Here, we discuss the apparent conservation of neural and molecular mechanisms for dopamine regulation of octopamine/noradrenaline signaling and a possible role for dopamine in lifespan regulation.