PAQR-2 regulates fatty acid desaturation during cold adaptation inC. elegans. PLOS Genetics 9:e1003801. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003801

C. elegans PAQR-2 is homologous to the insulin-sensitizing adiponectin receptors in mammals, and essential for adaptation to growth at 15uC, a low but usually acceptable temperature for this organism. By screening for novel paqr-2 suppressors, we identified mutations in genes involved in phosphatidylcholine synthesis (cept-1, pcyt-1 and sams-1) and fatty acid metabolism (ech-7, hacd-1, mdt-15, nhr-49 and sbp-1). We then show genetic evidence that paqr-2, phosphatidylcholines, sbp-1 and D9-desaturases form a cold adaptation pathway that regulates the increase in unsaturated fatty acids necessary to retain membrane fluidity at low temperatures. This model is supported by the observations that the paqr-2 suppressors normalize the levels of saturated fatty acids, and that low concentrations of detergents that increase membrane fluidity can rescue the paqr-2 mutant