Larval crowding accelerates C. elegans development and reduces lifespan.

ABSTRACT: Environmental conditions experienced during animal development are thought to have sustained impact on maturation and adult lifespan. Here we show that in the model organism C. elegans developmental rate and adult lifespan depend on larval population density, and that this effect is mediated by excreted small molecules. By using the time point of first egg laying as a marker for full maturity, we found that wildtype hermaphrodites raised under high density conditions developed significantly faster than animals raised in isolation. Population density-dependent acceleration of development (Pdda) was dramatically enhanced in fatty acid β-oxidation mutants that are defective in the biosynthesis of ascarosides, small-molecule signals that induce developmental diapause. In contrast, Pdda is abol

SUBMITTER: Ludewig AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5402976 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature