Caenorhabditis elegans star formation and negative chemotaxis induced by infection with corynebacteria.
Caenorhabditis elegans is one of the major model systems in biology based on advantageous properties such as short life span, transparency, genetic tractability and ease of culture using an Escherichia coli diet. In its natural habitat, compost and rotting plant material, this nematode lives on bacteria. However, C. elegans is a predator of bacteria, but can also be infected by nematopathogenic coryneform bacteria such Microbacterium and Leucobacter species, which display intriguing and diverse modes of pathogenicity. Depending on the nematode pathogen, aggregates of worms, termed worm-stars, can be formed, or severe rectal swelling, so-called Dar formation, can be induced. Using the human and animal pathogens Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans as well as the non-pathogenic species Corynebacterium glutamicum, we show that these coryneform bacteria can also induce star formation slowly in worms, as well as a severe tail-swelling phenotype. While C. glutamicum had a significant, but minor influence on survival of C. elegans, nematodes were killed after infection with C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans. The two pathogenic species were avoided by the nematodes and induced aversive learning in C. elegans.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.|Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.|Faculty of Medical Sciences, Rio de Janeiro State University, UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Camila Azevedo
CA
Antunes
Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Laura
L
Clark
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Marie-Therès
MT
Wanuske
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Elena
E
Hacker
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Lisa
L
Ott
Faculty of Medical Sciences, Rio de Janeiro State University, UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Liliane
L
Simpson-Louredo
Faculty of Medical Sciences, Rio de Janeiro State University, UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Maria das Gracas
MDG
de Luna
Faculty of Medical Sciences, Rio de Janeiro State University, UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Raphael
R
Hirata
Faculty of Medical Sciences, Rio de Janeiro State University, UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Ana Luíza
AL
Mattos-Guaraldi
Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Jonathan
J
Hodgkin
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Andreas
A
Burkovski
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology*; D002633:Chemotaxis; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male