Germline mitotic quiescence and cell death are induced in Caenorhabditis elegans by exposure to pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

ABSTRACT: The impact of exposure to microbial pathogens on animal reproductive capacity and germline physiology is not well understood. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a bacterivore that encounters pathogenic microbes in its natural environment. How pathogenic bacteria affect host reproductive capacity of C. elegans is not well understood. Here, we show that exposure of C. elegans hermaphrodites to the Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes a marked reduction in brood size with concomitant reduction in the number of nuclei in the germline and gonad size. We define 2 processes that are induced that contribute to the decrease in the number of germ cell nuclei. First, we observe that infection with P. aeruginosa leads to the induction of germ cell apoptosis. Second, we observe that

SUBMITTER: Bollen DP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10763535 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature