Reactive oxygen species drive foraging decisions in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: Environmental surveillance-mediated behavior integrates multiple cues through complex signaling mechanisms. In Caenorhabditis elegans, neurons coordinate perception and response through evolutionarily conserved molecular signaling cascades to mediate attraction and avoidance behaviors. However, despite lacking eyes, C. elegans was recently reported to perceive and react to the color blue. Here, we provide an explanation for this apparent color perception. We show that internally-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) occurring in response to light are additive to exogenous sources of ROS, such as bacterial toxins or photosensitizers. Multiple sub-threshold sources of ROS are integrated to coordinate behavioral responses to the environment with internal physiologic cues, independent of col

SUBMITTER: Bischer AP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10616421 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature