Stress survival and longevity of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> lacking NCS-1

Although dysfunctional Ca²⁺ signaling can trigger biochemical reactions that lead to cell death, the role of calcium-binding proteins (CBPs) in this process is still a topic of debate. Neuronal calcium sensor 1 (NCS-1) is a CBP that is highly conserved and has been shown to increase cell survival against various types of injuries. As such, we hypothesized that NCS-1 could also be a stress-responsive protein with potential effects on survival and longevity. To explore this possibility, we conducted experiments to examine how <i>Caenorhabditis elegans ncs-1</i> mutant nematodes fared under three different stress conditions: hyperosmotic, thermal, and chemical oxidant challenges. Our results showed that while the lack of NCS-1 had no effect on survival responses to hyperosmotic and thermal stresses, <i>ncs-1</i> worms demonstrated remarkable resistance to the oxidant paraquat in a dose-dependent manner. Based on these findings, we conclude that <i>C. elegans</i> may employ adaptive mechanisms in the absence of NCS-1 to survive specific oxidative stress stimuli.