Pharmacological convergence reveals a lipid pathway that regulates C. elegans lifespan

Nat Chem Biol. 2019 May;15(5):453-462. doi: 10.1038/s41589-019-0243-4. Epub 2019 Mar 25.

Abstract

Phenotypic screening has identified small-molecule modulators of aging, but the mechanism of compound action often remains opaque due to the complexities of mapping protein targets in whole organisms. Here, we combine a library of covalent inhibitors with activity-based protein profiling to coordinately discover bioactive compounds and protein targets that extend lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans. We identify JZL184-an inhibitor of the mammalian endocannabinoid (eCB) hydrolase monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL or MGLL)-as a potent inducer of longevity, a result that was initially perplexing as C. elegans does not possess an MAGL ortholog. We instead identify FAAH-4 as a principal target of JZL184 and show that this enzyme, despite lacking homology with MAGL, performs the equivalent metabolic function of degrading eCB-related monoacylglycerides in C. elegans. Small-molecule phenotypic screening thus illuminates pure pharmacological connections marking convergent metabolic functions in distantly related organisms, implicating the FAAH-4/monoacylglyceride pathway as a regulator of lifespan in C. elegans.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Benzodioxoles / chemistry
  • Benzodioxoles / pharmacology*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / drug effects*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism
  • Endocannabinoids / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Endocannabinoids / metabolism
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Longevity / drug effects*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Monoacylglycerol Lipases / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Monoacylglycerol Lipases / metabolism
  • Piperidines / chemistry
  • Piperidines / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Benzodioxoles
  • Endocannabinoids
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • JZL 184
  • Piperidines
  • Monoacylglycerol Lipases