The regulation and function of C. elgans flavin-containing monooxygenase-2

Abstract

In the last one hundred years, aging has become an increasingly tractable problem. The pioneering dietary restriction experiments of the 1920s and '30s, the robust evolutionary and molecular theories of the 1950s -'70s, and the identification of conserved longevity genes in the 1980s – 2000s all paved the way for the aging research field's current rapid expansion and mainstream traction. Along with metformin, senolytics, and numerous other promising avenues, the field is still characterizing the molecular mechanisms through which major interventions like dietary restriction and the inhibition of insulin and mTOR signaling promote longevity. In this dissertation, I use the nematode roundworm model species Caenorhabditis elegans to define the regulation and function of the conserved pro-longevity target gene flavin-containing monooxygenase-2 (fmo-2). I find that both the regulation and function of fmo-2 is dependent on endogenous sulfur amino acid metabolism, placing fmo-2 at a nexus of redox, cellular energetics, and other processes central to aging.