Abstract
The free-living soil nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans forms a nonfeeding dispersal stage at the second molt called the dauer larva when exposed to environmental cues indicating crowding and limited food. An improved bioassay, tenfold more sensitive than that used previously, has been used in the characterization of the two chemical cues which act competitively in controlling this developmental process. The pheromone concentration provides a measure of the population density; it enhances dauer larva formation, and inhibits recovery (exit) from the dauer stage. The pheromone is a family of related molecules which are nonvolatile, very stable, and possess physical and Chromatographie properties similar to those of hydroxylated fatty acids and bile acids. A food signal, with effects on development opposite those of the pheromone, is produced by bacteria, and is also present in yeast extract. In contrast to the pheromone, the food signal is a labile substance which is neutral and hydrophilic.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albert, P.S., Brown, S.J.,andRiddle, D.L. 1981. Sensory control of dauer larva formation inCaenorhabditis elegans.J. Comp. Neural. 198:435–451.
Anya, A.O. 1976. Physiological aspects of reproduction in nematodes.Adv. Parasitol. 14:327–331.
Bailey, J.M., Bryant, R.W., Feinmark, S.J., andMakheja, A.N. 1977. Differential separation of thromboxanes from prostaglandins by one- and two-dimensional thin layer chromatography.Prostaglandins 13:479–492.
Bone, L.W., andShorey, H.H. 1977. Disruption of sex pheromone communication in a nematode.Science 197:694–695.
Bovien, P. 1937. Some types of association between nematodes and insects.Vidensk. Medd. Dansk. Naturh. Foren. Kbh. 101:1–114.
Brenner, S. 1974. The genetics ofCaenorhabditis elegans.Genetics 77:71–94.
Byerly, L., Cassada, R.C., andRussell, R.L. 1976. The life cycle of the nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans I. Wild type growth and reproduction.Dev. Biol. 51:23–33.
Cassada, R.C. 1975 The dauer larva ofC. elegans: A specific developmental arrest, inducible environmentally and genetically, pp. 539–547,in D.M. McMahon and C.F. Fox (eds.). Developmental Biology: Pattern Formation and Gene Regulation. W.A. Benjamin, Menlo Park, CA.
Cassada, R.C., andRussell, R.L. 1975. The dauer larva, a post-embryonic developmental variant of the nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans.Dev. Biol. 46:326–342.
Cohn, W.E. 1961. Chromatography of nucleic acids and related substances, pp. 554–583,in E. Heftmann (ed.) Chromatography. Reinhold, New York.
Dropkin, V.H. 1980. Introduction to Plant Nematology. John Wiley & Sons, New York. pp. 170–181.
Eneroth, P. 1976. Thin-layer Chromatography of bile alcohols and bile acids,in G.V. Marinetti (ed.) Lipid Chromatographie Analysis, Vol. 3. Marcel Dekker, New York.
Golden, J.W., andRiddle, D.L. 1982. A pheromone influences larval development in the nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans.Science 218:578–580.
Golden, J.W., andRiddle, D.L. 1984a. A pheromone-induced developmental switch inCaenorhabditis elegans: Temperature-sensitive mutants reveal a wild-type temperature-dependent process.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81:819–823.
Golden, J.W., andRiddle, D.L. 1984b. TheCaenorhabditis elegans dauer larva: Developmental effects of pheromone, food, and temperature.Dev. Biol. 102:368–378.
Gupta, P., andSwarup, G. 1972. Ear-cockle and yellow ear rot diseases of wheat. II. Nematode bacterial associaton.Nematologica 18:320–324.
Ishibashi, N., andKondo, E. 1977. Occurrence and survival of the dispersal forms of pine wood nematode,Bursaphelenchus lignicolus.Appl. Entomol. Zool. 12(4):293–302.
Kates, M., andMorris, L.J. 1975. Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: Techniques of Lipidology. North-Holland/American Elsevier, New York. pp. 393–446, 502–557.
Klass, M., andHirsh, D. 1976. Non-aging developmental variant ofCaenorhabditis elegans.Nature 260:523–525.
Mangold, H.K. 1965. Nucleic acids and nucleotides, pp. 440–460,in E. Stahl(ed.). Thin-Layer Chromatography, A Laboratory Handbook. Academic Press, New York.
Pataki, G. 1968. Thin-layer Chromatography of nucleic acid bases, nucleosides, nucleotides, and related compounds, pp. 47–86,in J.C. Giddings and R.A. Keller (eds.). Advances in Chromatography, Vol. 7. Marcel Dekker, New York.
Rende, J.F., Tefft, P.M., andBone, L.W. 1981. Pheromone attraction in the soybean cyst nematodeHeterodera glycines Race 3.J. Chem. Ecol. 8:981–991.
Riddle, D.L. 1978. The genetics of development and behavior inCaenorhabditis elegans.J. Nematol. 10:1–16.
Riddle, D.L., Swanson, M.M., andAlbert, P.S. 1981. Interacting genes in nematode dauer larva formation.Nature 290:668–671.
Sulston, J.E., andBrenner, S. 1974. The DNA ofCaenorhabditis elegans.Genetics 77:95–105.
Van Fleteren, J.R. 1974. Nematode growth factor.Nature 248:255–257.
Waldi, D. 1965. Steroids, pp. 249–278,in E. Stahl (ed.). Thin-Layer Chromatography, A Laboratory Handbook. Academic Press, New York.
Ward, J.B. andBone, L.W. 1983. Chromatography and isolation of the KAV 1.0 pheromone of femaleNippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nematoda).J. Parasitol. 69:302–306.
Zuckerman, B.M. (ed.) 1980. Nematodes as Biological Models, Vol. 1. Academic Press, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Golden, J.W., Riddle, D.L. ACaenorhabditis elegans dauer-inducing pheromone and an antagonistic component of the food supply. J Chem Ecol 10, 1265–1280 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00988553
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00988553