Figure 6

Relationship between C. elegans genotype, colonizing bacterial species, and lifespan. Symbols for the 14 worm genotypes are as indicated in Table 1. Panel A: Relationship of lifespans for worms grown on E. coli OP50 and S. typhimurium SL1344, measured as TD₅₀. Worm survival is strongly correlated with growth on the two organisms (R = 0.98; p < 0.0001). Panel B: Relationship of intestinal bacterial density for worms grown on E. coli OP50 or S. typhimurium, measured as day 2 log₁₀ cfu. Results show a strong direct correlation for the two bacterial species (R = 0.82; p < 0.001). Panel C: Relationship between lifespan and intestinal bacterial density for C. elegans grown on E. coli OP50 lawns. There is an inverse correlation between intestinal bacterial density and survival (R = 0.83; p < 0.001). Panel D: Relationship between lifespan and intestinal bacterial density for C. elegans grown on S. typhimurium SL1344 lawns. There is an inverse correlation between intestinal bacterial density and survival (R = 0.89; p < 0.001).