Uncovering the Role of C. elegans CEPsh Glia in Immune Function and Pathogen Resistance

• Grant number: 25/04375-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: August 28, 2025
• End date: February 27, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Compared Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Evandro Araújo de Souza
• Grantee: Maria Fernanda Kobayashi Rossi
• Supervisor: Alexandre Benedetto
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Lancaster University, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/17778-6 - The role of CEPsh glia in the regulation of proteostasis and aging in C. elegans, BP.MS

Abstract

The central nervous system (CNS) coordinates a myriad of physiological functions in the body. Besides receiving signals from the environment to respond to infection, the CNS is also involved in the regulation of the immune system. In the CNS, glial cells can be as important as neurons, but the interaction between glia and the peripheral immune system in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans is a topic that remains elusive. Between the 56 C. elegans' glial cells, the CEPsh glia (cephalic sensilla sheath), are particularly significant. Because of their identity and location in the nerve ring, they are proposed to be C. elegans astrocyte-like glial cells. Using a CEPsh glia-ablated strain that expresses a reconstituted caspase protein under the regulation of the CEPsh-glia-specific hlh-17p promoter, we performed an RNA-seq to identify the physiological role of these cells in the maintenance of C. elegans' homeostasis. Interestingly, we found an intestinal immune system activation in the CEPsh glia ablated strain along with a depletion in lipid accumulation and a sensitivity to acute oxidative stress. Given these findings, we want to explore the implications of this immune system activation using a technique co-developed by Dr. Alexandre Benedetto: label-free automated survival scoring assays (LFASS). LFASS allows to perform high-throughput assays to evaluate survival of C. elegans. In this project, we aim to perform pathogen resistance (E. faecalis and P. aeruginosa) assays to identify pathways behind infection resistance and immune system activation, as well as oxidative stress resistance in the CEPsh-glia ablated strain. (AU)