biostudies-literatureFrezal LAgence Nationale de la RechercheCollege of Natural Resources and Sciences, Humboldt State UniversityFondation pour la Recherche MédicaleNIH HHSe58116https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10702804biostudies-literatureUnknown24(12)The animal germline lineage needs to be maintained along generations. However, some Caenorhabditis elegans wild isolates display a mortal germline phenotype, leading to sterility after several generations at 25°C. Using a genome-wide association approach, we detect a significant peak on chromosome III around 5 Mb, confirmed by introgressions. Thus, a seemingly deleterious genotype is maintained at intermediate frequency in the species. Environmental rescue is a likely explanation, and indeed associated bacteria and microsporidia suppress the phenotype of wild isolates as well as mutants in small RNA inheritance (nrde-2) and histone modifications (set-2). Escherichia coli strains of the K-12 lineage suppress the phenotype compared to B strains. By shifting a wild strain from E. coli K-12 toEMBO reportsGenome-wide association and environmental suppression of the mortal germline phenotype of wild C. elegans.PMC10702804FDT202106013206ARF202209015859ANR‐14‐CE10‐0003P40 OD010440ANR‐19‐CE12‐0025Zhang GRichaud ANoble LSaglio MFelix MAFrezal LfalseGenome-wide association and environmental suppression of the mortal germline phenotype of wild C. elegans.The animal germline lineage needs to be maintained along generations. However, some Caenorhabditis elegans wild isolates display a mortal germline phenotype, leading to sterility after several generations at 25°C. Using a genome-wide association approach, we detect a significant peak on chromosome III around 5 Mb, confirmed by introgressions. Thus, a seemingly deleterious genotype is maintained at intermediate frequency in the species. Environmental rescue is a likely explanation, and indeed associated bacteria and microsporidia suppress the phenotype of wild isolates as well as mutants in small RNA inheritance (nrde-2) and histone modifications (set-2). Escherichia coli strains of the K-12 lineage suppress the phenotype compared to B strains. By shifting a wild strain from E. coli K-12 to2023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 Dec2026-06-03T00:21:10.385Z2025-04-04T23:31:10.842ZS-EPMC107028043798367410.15252/embr.202358116