Cortisol promotes stress tolerance via DAF-16 in .

In this study, we studied the effects of cortisol and cortisone on the age-related decrease in locomotion in the nematode and on the tolerance to heat stress at 35 °C and to oxidative stress induced by the exposure to 0.1% HO. Changes in mRNA expression levels of genes related to stress tolerance were also analyzed. Cortisol treatment restored nematode movement following heat stress and increased viability under oxidative stress, but also shortened worm lifespan. Cortisone, a cortisol precursor, also restored movement after heat stress. Additionally, cortisol treatment increased mRNA expression of the and genes. Furthermore, cortisol treatment failed to restore movement of -deficient mutants after heat stress, whereas cortisone failed to restore the movement of -deficient mutants after heat stress. In conclusion, the results suggested that cortisol promoted stress tolerance via DAF-16 but shortened the lifespan, whereas cortisone promoted stress tolerance via DHS-30.