Anti-aging effect of recombinant Morchella eximia immunomodulatory protein on Caenorhabditis elegans

A fungal immunomodulatory protein (FIP) (MeIMP) was discovered in edible mushroom Morchella eximia . Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that MeIMP possesses cerato-platanin domains. Phylogenetic analysis positioned MeIMP within a distinct branch of the FIP family. The MeIMP gene was cloned and expressed in the Rosetta (DE3) strain. The anti-aging effect of recombinant MeIMP (rMeIMP) was evaluated by several indicators of Caenorhabditis elegans ( C. elegans ). The results indicated that rMeIMP significantly prolonged the lifespan of C. elegans , enhanced their motility ability, and diminished lipofuscin accumulation, while not affecting reproductive ability. Under UV, high temperature, and hydrogen peroxide stress, rMeIMP also significantly prolonged survival times of C. elegans . Additionally, rMeIMP extended the lifespan of C. elegans by scavenging ROS to mitigate the detrimental effects of oxidative stress. The establishment of a prokaryotic expression system for MeIMP and the assessment of rMeIMP function provided valuable insights for the further development and utilization of MeIMP. • Recombinant MeIMP was successfully cloned and expressed in the Rosetta (DE3) strain. • rMeIMP significantly extended the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans . • rMeIMP enhanced the stress resistance capacity of Caenorhabditis elegans .