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The Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans - A Versatile In Vivo Model to Study Host-microbe Interactions
Published on: October 18, 2017
The C. elegans touch response facilitates escape from predacious fungi.
Sean M Maguire1, Christopher M Clark, John Nunnari
1Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
Current Biology : CB
|August 2, 2011
Summary
Caenorhabditis elegans escape behavior, crucial for survival, is shaped by predatory fungi. Suppressing head movements helps the worm evade capture by fungal traps.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral ecology
- Evolutionary biology
- Nematology
Background:
- Predator-prey interactions drive natural selection for behavioral traits.
- Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits an escape response to gentle touch, involving reversal and suppressed head movements.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the ecological significance of the touch response in predator-prey interactions.
- Examine the role of C. elegans touch response against predacious fungi.
Main Methods:
- Studied interactions between C. elegans and Drechslerella doedycoides.
- Observed capture efficiency of fungal constricting hyphal rings on different C. elegans larval stages.
- Compared wild-type and mutant C. elegans lacking suppressed head movements.
Main Results:
- Drechslerella doedycoides traps capture early larval stages of C. elegans.
- A delay in ring closure allows worms to withdraw before capture.
- Mutants with unsuppressed head movements are captured more efficiently than wild-type.
Conclusions:
- Coordination of motor programs, specifically suppressed head movements, is essential for C. elegans to evade fungal traps.
- Predatory fungi exert selective pressure, shaping the evolution of C. elegans escape behavior.
