<i>daf-16/FOXO</i> promotes the activity of ligand-bound DAF-12/NHR to coordinate dauer exit and post-dauer seam cell fate.

ABSTRACT: The mechanisms by which developmental pathways are modulated to accommodate periods of arrest are poorly understood. In Caenorhabditis elegans larvae that encounter adverse environments, dauer diapause can interrupt developmental progression after the second larval molt. During continuous (non-dauer) development, a heterochronic molecular timer comprised primarily of microRNAs and their targets controls the progression of stage-specific cell fates in lateral hypodermal seam cells. In unfavorable conditions, the DAF-16/FOXO transcription factor and the DAF-12 nuclear hormone receptor in its ligand-free state promote dauer formation and oppose the expression of let-7 family microRNAs, thus pausing developmental progression during dauer. Surprisingly, we found that daf-16(0)<

SUBMITTER: Wirick MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12262518 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature