| Title: | Natural variation in dauer pheromone production and sensing supports intraspecific competition in nematodes |
| Author(s): | Bose N; Meyer JM; Yim JJ; Mayer MG; Markov GV; Ogawa A; Schroeder FC; Sommer RJ; |
| Address: | "Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tubingen, Germany. Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tubingen, Germany. Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tubingen, Germany; Laboratory for Developmental Dynamics, RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center, Kobe 6500047, Japan. Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Electronic address: schroeder@cornell.edu. Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tubingen, Germany. Electronic address: ralf.sommer@tuebingen.mpg.de" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cub.2014.05.045 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-0445 (Electronic) 0960-9822 (Print) 0960-9822 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Dauer formation, a major nematode survival strategy, represents a model for small-molecule regulation of metazoan development [1-10]. Free-living nematodes excrete dauer-inducing pheromones that have been assumed to target conspecifics of the same genotype [9, 11]. However, recent studies in Pristionchus pacificus revealed that the dauer pheromone of some strains affects conspecifics of other genotypes more strongly than individuals of the same genotype [12]. To elucidate the mechanistic basis for this intriguing cross-preference, we compared six P. pacificus wild isolates to determine the chemical composition of their dauer-inducing metabolomes and responses to individual pheromone components. We found that these isolates produce dauer pheromone blends of different composition and respond differently to individual pheromone components. Strikingly, there is no correlation between production of and dauer response to a specific compound in individual strains. Specifically, pheromone components that are abundantly produced by one genotype induce dauer formation in other genotypes, but not necessarily in the abundant producer. Furthermore, some genotypes respond to pheromone components they do not produce themselves. These results support a model of intraspecific competition in nematode dauer formation. Indeed, we observed intraspecific competition among sympatric strains in a novel experimental assay, suggesting a new role of small molecules in nematode ecology" |
| Keywords: | "Adaptation, Physiological/drug effects/*physiology Animals Competitive Behavior/*physiology Larva/metabolism/physiology *Models, Biological Molecular Structure Nematoda/genetics/metabolism/*physiology Pheromones/chemistry/*metabolism/pharmacology Phylogen;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineBose, Neelanjan Meyer, Jan M Yim, Joshua J Mayer, Melanie G Markov, Gabriel V Ogawa, Akira Schroeder, Frank C Sommer, Ralf J eng R01 GM085285/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ R01 GM088290/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ GM085285/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ GM088290/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2014/07/02 Curr Biol. 2014 Jul 7; 24(13):1536-41. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.05.045" |
