Caenorhabditis elegans as a potential model organism for studying the function of glycosylation in aging-related diseases.

Abstract

Advances in mass spectrometry and analytical platforms now allow precise qualitative and quantitative profiling of diverse intracellular molecules. The glycome was long considered technically difficult to analyze, and its biological roles remained poorly understood, but recent high-throughput glycomic technologies have greatly simplified its characterization. As a result, new glycan functions are being uncovered, underscoring the importance of using multiple model organisms to dissect the biological roles of the glycome. Caenorhabditis elegans serves as a robust model system for examining the complex interactions between glycosylation, aging, and neurological function. This microscopic nematode provides distinct experimental benefits for elucidating the regulatory role of glycan modifications on lifespan and neural circuit modulation, mechanisms that are conserved across metazoans. This review summarizes current evidence on the roles of the glycome in regulating neuronal function and aging in humans and compares these findings with glycomic features in C. elegans to highlight the advantages of C. elegans as an efficient model system for glycome research.