ore particles were electrophoresed on a 1% native agarose gel and resolved core particles transferred to PVDF membranes. Immunoblotting was performed using polyclonal rabbit anti-HBc antibody. Horseradish-peroxidase conjugated anti-rabbit secondary antibody and enhanced chemiluminescence were employed to visualize HBV core particles. Cell Culture, Transfection, and Isolation of Core Particles HuH7 hepatoma cells were maintained as previously described. For expression of PubMed ID:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19828691 chimeric C AVE8062A protein variants and assessment of their core particle formation, 8 mg of pHCP plasmid or various chimeric C protein constructs were transfected into HuH7 cells as previously described. For analysis of pgRNA encapsidation or HBV DNA synthesis, 2 mg of C-deficient-RT-YMHA or Cdeficient mutants and 6 mg of various chimeric C protein constructs were co-transfected into HuH7 cells as previously described. 1 mg of the Renilla luciferase expression plasmid phRL-CMV was co-transfected into HuH7 cells as a transfection control. pcDNA3.1 was used in transfections to equalize total 
DNA transfected.The dauer state is controlled by an IIS mechanism in which DAF-16 serves as a downstream effector. The dauer state is resistant to environmental stresses, such as heat and cold, as well as oxidative stress, and the metabolic activity of dauer larvae is generally reduced. Because dauer larvae do not feed, they use mostly stored triglycerides as an energy source; TGs, in turn, are hydrolyzed to fatty acids by lipases. Additional macronutrients that are stored and metabolized in dauer larvae include glycogen and trehalose. Because their supply of stored nutrients is limited, dauers must suppress energy-consuming metabolic activities to survive. Microarray and SAGE assays of dauer larvae, recovered dauers, and mixed-stage populations have suggested that the expression of enzymes involved in b-oxidation of fatty acids, glycolysis, glyoxylate, and gluconeogenesis pathways are enhanced under nutritionally adverse conditions, indicating that TGs are degraded by lipases and converted into sugars that are used for survival. Slow energy release and tightly controlled energy consumption may be critical to long-term survival through diapause, hibernation, or long-term fasting in a PDHK-2 and Fat Consumption in C. elegans Survival variety of organisms via AMP-activated protein kinase function. That is, most daf-2 worms at the L1 stage typically entered dauer formation within 3 days at 25uC, whereas transgenic daf-2;PDHK-2/ OE worms displayed slow growth, abnormal dauer formation, and even bypassed the dauer stage. We also observed only PDHK-2 deficiency is associated with attenuated lipase activity Our results seem to suggest that PDHK-2 deficiency causes suppression of lipolysis, which is usually mediated by lipases. To test how lipase activity is influenced by PDHK-2 deficiency, we measured the enzymatic activity of total cellular lipases in the daf2;pdhk-2 and daf-2;pdhk-2 double mutants at different dauer-state durations. In both short-term and long-term dauer groups, total lipase activity was substantially reduced in the double mutants compared to daf-2 controls, confirming a strong positive correlation between lipase and PDHK-2 activity. There is very minor difference in lipase activity between the short-term dauer and long-term dauer of daf-2. Loss of either the ATP-binding or BCDH domain of PDHK-2 in daf-2;pdhk-2 double mutants appeared to similarly contribute to this
