Food sensing controls <i>C. elegans</i> reproductive behavior by neuromodulatory disinhibition.

ABSTRACT: Like many organisms, the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans incorporates an assessment of environmental quality into its reproductive strategy. C. elegans hermaphrodites release fertilized eggs into food-rich environments but retain them in the absence of food. Here, we report the discovery of a neural circuit required for the modulation of reproductive behavior by food sensing. A mutation that electrically silences the AVK interneurons uncouples egg laying from detection of environmental food cues. We find that AVK activity inhibits egg laying, and AVKs themselves are inhibited by dopamine released from food-sensing neurons. AVKs express a large number of structurally and functionally diverse neuropeptides. Coordination of food-sensing and reproductive behavior requires a subs

SUBMITTER: Chen YC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12002139 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature