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Updated: Jun 17, 2026
07:49
High-Resolution C. elegans Imaging Across All Larval Stages
Published on: May 23, 2025
A cellular memory of developmental history generates phenotypic diversity in C. elegans
Sarah E Hall1, Matthew Beverly, Carsten Russ
1Department of Biology and National Center for Behavioral Genomics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA. sehall@brandeis.edu
Current Biology : CB
|January 19, 2010
Summary
Early life stress in Caenorhabditis elegans, specifically passing through the dauer stage, alters gene expression and life history traits. These changes are linked to epigenetic modifications, suggesting a cellular memory of early experiences.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Epigenetics
- Genomics
Background:
- Early life experiences significantly influence adult phenotypes.
- Mechanisms for cellular memory of early experiences are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how transient passage through the dauer larval stage affects gene expression and life history traits in adult Caenorhabditis elegans.
- To explore the role of epigenetic modifications in mediating the long-term effects of early life stress.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of gene expression profiles and life history traits between post-dauer and non-dauer adult Caenorhabditis elegans.
- Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) to identify genome-wide histone tail modifications.
- Genetic analysis using mutations in chromatin remodeling genes.
Main Results:
- Adult Caenorhabditis elegans that passed through the dauer stage exhibited distinct gene expression profiles and life history traits compared to controls.
- Genome-wide histone tail modifications were significantly altered in post-dauer animals.
- Mutations in chromatin remodeling genes affected the observed changes in gene expression and life history traits.
Conclusions:
- Epigenetic modifications following early life stress contribute to a cellular memory of experience.
- These epigenetic changes can generate phenotypic variation even within an isogenic population.
- This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the long-term impact of early life experiences.
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