Remodeling of gene expression during C. elegans hibernation. [Ribo-Seq]

In the wild, many animals respond to cold temperatures by entering hibernation. In the clinic, controlled cooling is used widely in transplantation and emergency medicine. Yet, the molecular mechanisms the cells use in response to cold remain largely unexplored. One aspect of cold adaptation is a global downregulation of protein synthesis. Here, we performed total RNA sequencing combined with ribosome profiling to assess specific mRNA levels and their translational status during Caenorhabditis elegans hibernation. Total RNA sequencing and ribosome profiling analysis was performed on synchronzied wild-type animals that were grown at different temperatures. For the 20°C condition, animals were grown from the L1 stage to 1-day-old adults at 20°C before collection. For the 10°C condition, animals were grown from the L1 stage to 1-day-old adults at 20°C, after which they were grown for 2 hours at 10°C before collection. For the 4°C 1, 3, or 5 days conditions, animals were grown from the L1 stage to 1-day-old adults at 20°C, after which they were grown for 2 hours at 10°C followed by 1, 3, or 5 days at 4°C before collection.