-
[
Curr Biol,
2019]
A new study finds that signaling pathways promoting developmental quiescence can reprogram developmental time.
-
[
Elife,
2014]
A beetle pheromone that lures nematode worms to an insect host can also stop their development or even kill them outright.
-
[
Dev Cell,
2004]
Many cell types rely on asymmetrically localized PAR proteins to become polarized. New evidence reveals that cortical flows powered by actomyosin contractions can mobilize PAR complexes to create distinct cortical domains.
-
[
Curr Biol,
2011]
New work now shows that the dauer larvae of Caenorhabditis elegans can survive anhydrobiotically. The genetic tractability of this model organism may be useful in studying how organisms survive when losing most or all of their water.
-
[
Curr Biol,
2015]
Hermaphroditism leads to reduced sexual selection and can result in the retention of deleterious mutations. A new study characterizes one such mutation that results in male-male copulation in nematodes, while also implicating a previously undescribed source of chemical signaling.
-
[
Curr Biol,
2009]
For ectotherms, lifespan is increased at low temperature and decreased at high temperature. A new study in Caenorhabditis elegans shows that thermosensory neurons can counteract the effects of high temperature on lifespan by controlling the activity of a steroid signaling pathway.
-
[
Nat Neurosci,
2003]
In C. elegans, social and solitary feeding behavior can be determined by a single amino acid change in a G protein-coupled receptor. A new study identifies ligands for this receptor and suggests how changes in behavior evolve at the molecular level.
-
[
Curr Biol,
2006]
A new study shows that an antagonistic force model can explain a number of complex mitotic spindle movements in the first mitosis of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo by simply assuming that cortical force generators become increasingly persistent in their interaction with microtubules during mitosis.
-
[
Curr Biol,
2010]
Defects in meiosis can produce different checkpoint responses in female and male animals, suggesting that meiotic checkpoints exhibit sexual dimorphism. A recent study in Caenorhabditis elegans indicates that meiotic checkpoint activation is similar between the sexes and the primary difference lies in the downstream consequences.
-
[
Curr Biol,
2014]
Although historically reactive oxygen species have been implicated as apotential cause of ageing, recent evidence suggests that a modest increase inoxidants can actually extend lifespan. A new study suggests that, in Caenorhabditis elegans, reactive oxygen species regulate longevity through apathway classically linked to apoptosis.