OAC-39 is an O-acyltransferase required for the synthesis of maradolipids in the dauer larva of C. elegans

Abstract

Upon overcrowding or low food availability, the nematode C. elegans enters a specialized diapause stage for survival, called the dauer larva. The growth-arrested, non-feeding dauer larva undergoes a profound metabolic and physiologic switch underlying its extraordinary stress resistance and longevity. One of the metabolic signatures of dauer larvae is the accumulation of the disaccharide trehalose, which lowers the sensitivity of worms to desiccation and hyperosmotic shock. Previously, we have found that trehalose is incorporated as a headgroup into dauer-specific 6,6-di-O-acyltrehalose lipids, named maradolipids. Despite comprising a bulk fraction of the polar lipids in dauer larvae, little is known about the physiological function of maradolipds because the enzyme(s) involved in their synthesis has not yet been identified. Here, we report that the dauer-upregulated O-acyltransferase homolog OAC-39 is essential for the synthesis of maradolipids. This enzyme is enriched at the apical region of the intestinal cells of dauer larvae, where it might participate in the structuring of the gut lumen. As OAC-39 is most probably responsible for the last step of maradolipid synthesis, its identification will pave the way for the elucidation of the function of this obscure class of lipids.