Small-molecule pheromones that control dauer development in Caenorhabditis elegans

被引:263
作者
Butcher, Rebecca A. [1 ]
Fujita, Masaki [1 ]
Schroeder, Frank C. [1 ]
Clardy, Jon [1 ]
机构
[1] Harvard Univ, Sch Med, Dept Biol Chem & Mol Pharmacol, Boston, MA 02115 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1038/nchembio.2007.3
中图分类号
Q5 [生物化学]; Q7 [分子生物学];
学科分类号
071010 ; 081704 ;
摘要
In response to high population density or low food supply, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans enters an alternative larval stage, known as the dauer, that can withstand adverse conditions for prolonged periods. C. elegans senses its population density through a small-molecule signal, traditionally called the dauer pheromone, that it secretes into its surroundings. Here we show that the dauer pheromone consists of several structurally related ascarosides - derivatives of the dideoxysugar ascarylose - and that two of these ascarosides ( 1 and 2) are roughly two orders of magnitude more potent at inducing dauer formation than a previously reported dauer pheromone component ( 3) and constitute a physiologically relevant signal. The identification of dauer pheromone components 1 and 2 will facilitate the identification of target receptors and downstream signaling proteins.
引用
收藏
页码:420 / 422
页数:3
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