title: Natural variation in dauer pheromone production and sensing supports intraspecific competition in nematodes.
abstract: Dauer formation, a major nematode survival strategy, represents a model for small-molecule regulation of metazoan development [1-10]. Free-living nematodes excrete dauer-inducing pheromones that have been assumed to target conspecifics of the same genotype [9, 11]. However, recent studies in Pristionchus pacificus revealed that the dauer pheromone of some strains affects conspecifics of other genotypes more strongly than individuals of the same genotype [12]. To elucidate the mechanistic basis for this intriguing cross-preference, we compared six P. pacificus wild isolates to determine the chemical composition of their dauer-inducing metabolomes and responses to individual pheromone components. We found that these isolates produce dauer pheromone blends of different composition and respond differently to individual pheromone components. Strikingly, there is no correlation between production of and dauer response to a specific compound in individual strains. Specifically, pheromone components that are abundantly produced by one genotype induce dauer formation in other genotypes, but not necessarily in the abundant producer. Furthermore, some genotypes respond to pheromone components they do not produce themselves. These results support a model of intraspecific competition in nematode dauer formation. Indeed, we observed intraspecific competition among sympatric strains in a novel experimental assay, suggesting a new role of small molecules in nematode ecology.
authors: Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
authors: Neelanjan
authors: N
authors: Bose
authors: Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors: Jan M
authors: JM
authors: Meyer
authors: Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors: Joshua J
authors: JJ
authors: Yim
authors: Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors: Melanie G
authors: MG
authors: Mayer
authors: Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors: Gabriel V
authors: GV
authors: Markov
authors: Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Laboratory for Developmental Dynamics, RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center, Kobe 6500047, Japan.
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Ogawa
authors: Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Electronic address: schroeder@cornell.edu.
authors: Frank C
authors: FC
authors: Schroeder
authors: Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. Electronic address: ralf.sommer@tuebingen.mpg.de.
authors: Ralf J
authors: RJ
authors: Sommer
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009348:Nematoda / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010675:Pheromones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010802:Phylogeny; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries