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Abnormal nutrient metabolism is a hallmark of aging, and the underlying genetic and nutritional framework is rapidly being uncovered, particularly using C. elegans as a model. However, the direct metabolic consequences of perturbations in life history of C. elegans remain to be clarified. Based on recent advances in the metabolomics field, we optimized and validated a sensitive mass spectrometry (MS) platform for identification of major metabolite classes in worms and applied it to study age and diet related changes. Using this platform that allowed detection of over 600 metabolites in a sample of 2500 worms, we observed marked changes in fatty acids, amino acids and phospholipids during worm life history, which were independent from the germ-line. Worms underwent a striking shift in lipid metabolism after early adulthood that was at least partly controlled by the metabolic regulator AAK-2/AMPK. Most amino acids peaked during development, except aspartic acid and glycine, which accumulated in aged worms. Dietary intervention also influenced worm metabolite profiles and the regulation was highly specific depending on the metabolite class. Altogether, these MS-based methods are powerful tools to perform worm metabolomics for aging and metabolism-oriented studies.

Premature aging syndromes have gained much attention, not only because of their devastating symptoms but also because they might hold a key to some of the mechanisms underlying aging. The Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is caused by a mutation in the LMNA gene, which normally produces lamins A and C through alternative splicing. Due to this mutation, HGPS patients express an incompletely processed form of lamin A called progerin. In this issue of EMBO Reports, the Tazi group demonstrates how mice expressing different LMNA isoforms present opposite phenotypes in longevity, fat storage and mitochondrial function.