| Title: | Caenorhabditis elegans pheromones regulate multiple complex behaviors |
| Address: | "Box 100245, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, McKnight Brain Institute, and National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0245, USA. aedison@ufl.edu" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.conb.2009.07.007 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1873-6882 (Electronic) 0959-4388 (Print) 0959-4388 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "A family of small molecules called ascarosides act as pheromones to control multiple behaviors in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. At picomolar concentrations, a synergistic mixture of at least three ascarosides produced by hermaphrodites causes male-specific attraction. At higher concentrations, the same ascarosides, perhaps in a different mixture, induce the developmentally arrested stage known as dauer. The production of ascarosides is strongly dependent on environmental conditions, although relatively little is known about the major variables and mechanisms of their regulation. Thus, male mating and dauer formation are linked through a common set of small molecules whose expression is sensitive to a given microenvironment, suggesting a model by which ascarosides regulate the overall life cycle of C. elegans" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Caenorhabditis elegans Chemoreceptor Cells/*physiology Feeding Behavior/*physiology Larva/physiology Sex Attractants/biosynthesis/*physiology Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineEdison, Arthur S eng R01 GM085285/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ R01 GM085285-01A1/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ 1R01GM085285-01/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review England 2009/08/12 Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2009 Aug; 19(4):378-88. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2009.07.007. Epub 2009 Aug 7" |
