The intracellular pathogen response is regulated by multiple pals genes in C. elegans . How such responses change with age is largely unknown. Thus, we investigated potential age-dependent changes in the immune response to the C. elegans -specific Orsay virus . When animals were exposed to equal viral concentrations, the expression of known immune-response pals genes and viral RNAs was lower in aged populations than in young adults. However, when young and aged populations were infected with equal viral loads, pals gene expression did not change with age. Therefore, aged C. elegans experience a decline in viral infection rate.
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