biostudies-literatureFox BWNIDDK NIH HHS571-577https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9817093biostudies-literatureUnknown607(7919)Individuals can exhibit differences in metabolism that are caused by the interplay of genetic background, nutritional input, microbiota and other environmental factors^1-4. It is difficult to connect differences in metabolism to genomic variation and derive underlying molecular mechanisms in humans, owing to differences in diet and lifestyle, among others. Here we use the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to study inter-individual variation in metabolism. By comparing three wild strains and the commonly used N2 laboratory strain, we find differences in the abundances of both known metabolites and those that have not to our knowledge been previously described. The latter metabolites include conjugates between 3-hydroxypropionate (3HP) and several amino acids (3HP-AAs), whNatureC. elegans as a model for inter-individual variation in metabolism.PMC9817093R01 DK115690Fox BWZhang GWalker MSchroeder FCRoberto NMRodrigues PRPonomarova OYilmaz LSCurtis BJCrombie TAAndersen ECGiese GEKolodziej ARZdraljevic SLee YUWalhout AJMNa HfalseC. elegans as a model for inter-individual variation in metabolism.Individuals can exhibit differences in metabolism that are caused by the interplay of genetic background, nutritional input, microbiota and other environmental factors^1-4. It is difficult to connect differences in metabolism to genomic variation and derive underlying molecular mechanisms in humans, owing to differences in diet and lifestyle, among others. Here we use the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to study inter-individual variation in metabolism. By comparing three wild strains and the commonly used N2 laboratory strain, we find differences in the abundances of both known metabolites and those that have not to our knowledge been previously described. The latter metabolites include conjugates between 3-hydroxypropionate (3HP) and several amino acids (3HP-AAs), wh2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Jul2025-04-19T13:30:28.191Z2025-04-19T13:30:28.191ZS-EPMC98170933579447210.1038/s41586-022-04951-3