Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026
07:36
C. elegans Tracking and Behavioral Measurement
Published on: November 17, 2012
19.7K
Wild strains reveal natural variation in C. elegans avoidance behaviors
Emily A Polk1, Alber Aqil1, J B Collins2
1Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, United States.
G3 (Bethesda, Md.)
|October 10, 2025
Summary
Wild C. elegans worms show significant natural variation in how they sense and avoid harmful chemicals like quinine and copper. These chemosensory responses differ greatly among strains and are not linked to geography.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Ecology
Background:
- Chemical cues are vital for animal survival, guiding food detection and avoidance of hazards.
- Extensive research on the laboratory strain Caenorhabditis elegans (N2) has illuminated its chemosensory mechanisms.
- The representativeness of the N2 strain's chemosensory behavior for the broader species remained unexamined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the natural variation in chemosensory behavior across diverse wild strains of C. elegans.
- To determine if responses to aversive stimuli are consistent across different wild populations.
- To identify genetic factors underlying variations in chemical avoidance behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Collected hundreds of wild C. elegans strains globally.
- Assessed behavioral responses to three aversive stimuli: quinine, copper, and SDS.
- Utilized genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify genetic correlations.
- Developed near-isogenic lines to validate identified genomic regions.
Main Results:
- Observed substantial (10- to 20-fold) differences in sensitivity to aversive stimuli among wild strains.
- Found that responses to different chemicals were largely independent of each other.
- Identified specific genomic regions significantly associated with differential responses to quinine, copper, and SDS.
- Confirmed the role of two genomic regions in modulating quinine avoidance behavior.
Conclusions:
- Wild C. elegans populations exhibit remarkable natural diversity in chemosensory responses.
- Geographical origin does not strongly correlate with specific chemosensory sensitivities.
- Discovered two novel quantitative trait loci linked to reduced sensitivity to the bitter tastant quinine.
