Fig. 5: Microbial diet effects on stiffness and cuticle senescence with age are regulated by host nutrient sensors. | Nature Communications

Fig. 5: Microbial diet effects on stiffness and cuticle senescence with age are regulated by host nutrient sensors.

From: Mechanical properties measured by atomic force microscopy define health biomarkers in ageing C. elegans

Fig. 5

a Lifespan curve of wild-type (WT) C. elegans grown on control E. coli OP50 (blue), C. aquatica DA2123 (yellow) and B. subtilis PY79 (black) bacteria (n = 256, 250 and 292, respectively; log rank test p < 0.001 vs OP50) and b longitudinal study of mechanical properties as Young’s Modulus (YM; kPa) until mean lifespan (D18 for OP50, D16 for C. aquatica and D21 for B. subtilis). Error bars indicate 95% CI, dotted lines mark mean YM at day 1 for OP50 (blue), C. aquatica (yellow) and B. subtilis (black). Two-tailed unpaired t test for statistical comparison of OP50 with other bacteria at chronological age day 12 and at mean lifespan. c Representative AFM cuticle topography images of WT C. elegans grown on E. coli, C. aquatica or B. subtilis at mean lifespan and d roughness quantification of topographical images presented as RMS roughness Rq ± standard deviation. Two-tailed unpaired t test for statistical comparison of OP50 to other bacteria. e Lifespan curve of daf-16 mutant C. elegans grown on E. coli (blue), C. aquatica (yellow) or B. subtilis (black) (n = 94, 120 and 128, respectively; log rank test p = 0.9265 and p = 0.3676 vs daf-16 on E. coli). f Mechanical properties as YM (kPa) of WT or daf-16 mutant C. elegans grown on control E. coli (blue), C. aquatica (yellow) or B. subtilis (black) at chronological age of 9 days. Error bars indicate 95% CI. Two-way ANOVA Tukey’s multiple comparison test for statistical comparison and interaction of terms (green). g Lifespan curve of nhr-49 mutant C. elegans grown on E. coli (blue), C. aquatica (yellow) or B. subtilis (black) (n = 65, 55 and 71, respectively; log rank test p < 0.0001 vs nhr-49 on E. coli). h Mechanical properties as YM (kPa) of WT or nhr-49 mutant C. elegans grown on control E. coli (blue), C. aquatica (yellow) or B. subtilis (black) at chronological age of 9 days. Error bars indicate 95% CI. Two-way ANOVA Tukey’s multiple comparison test for statistical comparison and interaction of terms (green). n represented above the graph, show number of biologically independent worm samples. For lifespan measurements, n represents the number of worms scored as dead. For a summary of YM values and additional statistics for independent trials, see Supplementary Data 1 and for a summary of worm lifespan trials and statistical comparison between genotypes see Supplementary Data 2. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

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