Athena Alcala

Constitutive somatic expression of four tardigrade disordered proteins shortened C. elegans lifespan and healthspan and gave little stress protection. Three of the four reduced polyQ aggregation under hyperosmotic stress.

This study investigates how actin structure and function affect aging in C. elegans and finds that actin dysfunction accelerates aging hallmarks and correlates with human age-related decline in gait speed.

This study shows heat stress activates UPRER through XBP-1 and HSF-1 in C. elegans, with cross-talk to cytosolic HSR and inter-tissue stress communication enhancing thermotolerance.

The paper develops a fluorescent biosensor to measure methionine dynamics with high spatiotemporal resolution and applies it to study methionine metabolism in cells and in vivo.

The paper identifies distinct roles of GABAergic, glutamatergic, and octopaminergic neurons in mediating non-autonomous UPRER through transcriptomic and functional analyses in C. elegans.

This study compares mitochondrial imaging strategies in C. elegans during aging, evaluating transgenic constructs for mitochondrial morphology analysis.

This study investigates the impact of substrate stiffness on C. elegans health and longevity, finding only mild effects on cellular and organismal health.

This study investigates the effects of marine sponge-derived mycothiazole and its acetylated derivative on mitochondrial function and aging using in vitro and in vivo models.

This study shows glial cells in C. elegans sense mitochondrial stress and signal to neurons to improve protein homeostasis and longevity.