Short-term nicotine exposure induces long-lasting modulation of gustatory plasticity in Caenorhabditis elegans

ABSTRACTMetabolic disorders have a large heritable component, and have increased over the past few generations. Genome-wide association studies of metabolic traits typically find a substantial unexplained fraction of total heritability, suggesting an important role of spontaneous mutation. An alternative explanation is that epigenetic effects contribute significantly to the heritable variation. Here we report a study designed to quantify the cumulative effects of spontaneous mutation on adenosine metabolism in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, including both the activity and concentration of two metabolic enzymes and the standing pools of their associated metabolites. The only prior studies on the effects of mutation on metabolic enzyme activity, in Drosophila melanogaster, found that total enzyme activity presents a mutational target similar to that of morphological and life-history traits. However, those studies were not designed to account for short-term heritable effects. We find that the short-term heritable variance for most traits is of similar magnitude as the variance among MA lines. This result suggests that the potential heritable effects of epigenetic variation in metabolic disease warrant additional scrutiny.

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Short‐term starvation stress at young adult stages enhances meiotic activity of germ cells to maintain spermatogenesis in aged male Caenorhabditis elegans

Aging Cell ◽

10.1111/acel.12930 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. e12930 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Wan‐Yi Chou ◽

Yu‐Chun Lin ◽

Ying‐Hue Lee

Keyword(s):

Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

Young Adult ◽

Germ Cells ◽

Starvation Stress ◽

Short Term

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Biomarkers of Tobacco Exposure Decrease After Smokers Switch to an E-Cigarette or Nicotine Gum

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1093/ntr/nty140 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (9) ◽

pp. 1239-1247 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Elaine K Round ◽

Peter Chen ◽

Anthony K Taylor ◽

Eckhardt Schmidt

Keyword(s):

Electronic Cigarettes ◽

Baseline Period ◽

Controlled Environment ◽

Nicotine Exposure ◽

Nicotine Gum ◽

Tobacco Exposure ◽

Short Term ◽

Aerosol Composition ◽

Parallel Group ◽

Ad Libitum

Abstract Introduction The aerosol composition of electronic cigarettes (ECs) suggests that exposure to toxicants during use is greatly reduced compared to exposure from combustible cigarettes (CCs). Methods This randomized, parallel-group, clinical study enrolled smokers to switch to Vuse Solo (VS) Digital Vapor Cigarettes (Original or Menthol) or Nicorette 4 mg nicotine gum (NG) in a controlled setting. Subjects who smoked CCs ad libitum for 2 days during a baseline period were then randomized to ad libitum use of either VS or NG for 5 days. Biomarkers of 23 toxicants were measured in 24-hour urine samples and blood collected at baseline and following product switch. Results A total of 153 subjects completed the study. Total nicotine equivalents decreased in all groups, but higher levels were observed in the VS groups compared to the NG groups, with decreases of 38% and 60%–67%, respectively. All other biomarkers were significantly decreased in subjects switched to VS, and the magnitude of biomarker decreases was similar to subjects switched to NG. Decreases ranged from 30% to greater than 85% for constituents such as benzene and acrylonitrile. Conclusions These results indicate that exposure to toxicants when using VS is significantly reduced compared to CC smoking, and these reductions are similar to those observed with use of NG. Although statistically significantly decreased, nicotine exposure is maintained closer to CC smoking with VS use compared to NG use. This research suggests that use of VS exposes consumers to fewer and lower levels of smoke toxicants than CCs while still providing nicotine to the consumer. Implications This is the first study to report changes in nicotine delivery and biomarkers of tobacco exposure following a short-term product switch from CCs to either an EC or NG in a controlled environment. The study shows that nicotine exposure decreased in both groups but was maintained closer to CC smoking with the EC groups. Biomarkers of tobacco combustion decreased to similar levels in both EC and gum groups.

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