| Title: | Chemical mating cues in C. elegans |
| Address: | "Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Life Science and Bioengineering Center, Gateway, Park, 60 Prescott Street, Worcester, MA 01605, United States. Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Life Science and Bioengineering Center, Gateway, Park, 60 Prescott Street, Worcester, MA 01605, United States. Electronic address: jsrinivasan@wpi.edu" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.semcdb.2014.06.002 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1096-3634 (Electronic) 1084-9521 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "In the natural environment it is vital that organisms are capable of locating mates to reproduce and, consequently, increase the diversity of their gene pool. Many species make use of audio and visual communication for mate location. However, the more ancient form of chemical communication is used by all forms of life, from bacteria to mammals. In the past decade, much information has been discovered regarding pheromones in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In this review, chemical signals that govern mating behavior in C. elegans will be discussed, from the existence and identification of mating cues, to the neurons involved in the behavioral response. Specifically, mate attraction is dictated by specific glycosides and side chains of the dideoxysugar ascarylose, a class of molecules known as ascarosides. Intriguingly, modifications of the ascarosides can dictate different behaviors such as male attraction, hermaphrodite attraction, and dauer formation. In general, interactions between core sensory neurons such as ASK and sex-specific neurons like CEM are critical for detecting these small molecules. These data reveal the existence of a complex, synergistic, chemical mating cue system between males and hermaphrodites in C. elegans, thereby highlighting the importance of mate attraction in a primarily hermaphroditic population" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Caenorhabditis elegans/*physiology Chemotaxis Cues Glycolipids/physiology Nervous System Physiological Phenomena Pheromones/*physiology Reproduction Sexual Behavior, Animal 2d-nmr Ascarosides Attraction C.elegans Chemical signals Mating cues;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineChute, Christopher D Srinivasan, Jagan eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review England 2014/07/01 Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2014 Sep; 33:18-24. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2014.06.002. Epub 2014 Jun 27" |
