PLoS geneticsNov 14, 2006

p38 MAPK controls immune gene activity and may help worms live longer

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

Loss-of-function mutants in the pmk-1 gene exhibit enhanced sensitivity to pathogens.

The DAF-2-DAF-16 insulin signaling pathway is associated with enhanced resistance to pathogens, requiring the upregulation of the DAF-16 transcription factor.
Both the PMK-1 and DAF-16 pathways independently promote immunity without overlapping in the genes they regulate.
PMK-1 regulates the expression of secreted antimicrobial proteins, including C-type lectins and toxins.
Approximately 25% of genes positively regulated by PMK-1 are induced by infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
PMK-1 influences both baseline and infection-triggered expression of pathogen response genes, unlike DAF-16.
PMK-1 also plays a role in the increased lifespan observed in daf-2 mutants.

Simplified

The PMK-1 p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and the DAF-2-DAF-16 insulin signaling pathway control Caenorhabditis elegans intestinal innate immunity. pmk-1 loss-of-function mutants have enhanced sensitivity to pathogens, while daf-2 loss-of-function mutants have enhanced resistance to pathogens that requires upregulation of the DAF-16 transcription factor. We used genetic analysis to show that the pathogen resistance of daf-2 mutants also requires PMK-1. However, genome-wide microarray analysis indicated that there was essentially no overlap between genes positively regulated by PMK-1 and DAF-16, suggesting that they form parallel pathways to promote immunity. We found that PMK-1 controls expression of candidate secreted antimicrobials, including C-type lectins, ShK toxins, and CUB-like genes. Microarray analysis demonstrated that 25% of PMK-1 positively regulated genes are induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Using quantitative PCR, we showed that PMK-1 regulates both basal and infection-induced expression of pathogen response genes, while DAF-16 does not. Finally, we used genetic analysis to show that PMK-1 contributes to the enhanced longevity of daf-2 mutants. We propose that the PMK-1 pathway is a specific, indispensable immunity pathway that mediates expression of secreted immune response genes, while the DAF-2-DAF-16 pathway appears to regulate immunity as part of a more general stress response. The contribution of the PMK-1 pathway to the enhanced lifespan of daf-2 mutants suggests that innate immunity is an important determinant of longevity.

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p38 MAPK controls immune gene activity and may help worms live longer

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