Oleic Acid Protects Caenorhabditis Mothers From Mating-Induced Death and the Cost of Reproduction

Reproduction comes at a cost, including accelerated death. Previous studies of the interconnections between reproduction, lifespan, and fat metabolism in C. elegans were predominantly performed low-reproduction conditions. To understand how increased reproduction affects lifespan metabolism, we examined mated worms; find that Δ9 desaturase, FAT-7, is significantly up-regulated. Dietary supplementation oleic acid (OA), immediate downstream product FAT-7 activity, restores storage completely rescues mating-induced death, while other fatty acids cannot. OA-mediated restoration also observed mutants suffering death from short-term mating, remanei females, indicating conserved role post-mating regulation. Our results suggest can be uncoupled costs somatic longevity regulation if provided with limiting lipid, acid.