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Updated: Jan 22, 2026
08:12
Measuring the Effect of Chemicals on the Growth and Reproduction of Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: October 5, 2017
18.4K
An excreted small molecule promotes C. elegans reproductive development and aging
Andreas H Ludewig1, Alexander B Artyukhin1, Erin Z Aprison2
1Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Nature Chemical Biology
|July 20, 2019
Summary
Scientists discovered nacq#1, a novel molecule that speeds up reproductive development and reduces lifespan in C. elegans. This small-molecule signal, produced by males, impacts hermaphrodite development and longevity, with implications for broader animal signaling.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Developmental Biology
- Animal Signaling
Background:
- Excreted small-molecule signals influence animal development and physiology.
- The chemical nature of many such signals remains unknown.
- Understanding these signals is key to deciphering intercellular communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the chemical identity of a small-molecule signal affecting C. elegans development.
- To investigate the physiological effects of this novel signal on reproductive timing and lifespan.
- To explore the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary implications of this signaling molecule.
Main Methods:
- Chemical characterization and identification of nacq#1 from C. elegans.
- Assays to measure the impact of nacq#1 on reproductive development and dauer diapause.
- Lifespan experiments to determine the effect of nacq#1 on longevity.
- Genetic analysis to identify receptors and pathways involved in nacq#1 signaling.
Main Results:
- Identification of nacq#1, an N-acylated glutamine derivative, as a key signaling molecule.
- nacq#1 accelerates reproductive development in hermaphrodites by promoting dauer exit and faster larval progression.
- Even at picomolar concentrations, nacq#1 shortens hermaphrodite lifespan, indicating a trade-off between reproduction and longevity.
- Signaling requires chemosensation and involves homologs of vertebrate steroid hormone receptors.
Conclusions:
- nacq#1 is an unusual signaling molecule that modulates C. elegans development and lifespan.
- The findings suggest a conserved mechanism for small-molecule signaling across metazoa, extending beyond nematode-specific ascarosides.
- Fatty acylated amino acid derivatives may represent a widespread class of signaling compounds in the animal kingdom.
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