title: Nematophagous fungusArthrobotrys oligosporamimics olfactory cues of sex and food to lure its nematode prey.
abstract: To study the molecular basis for predator-prey coevolution, we investigated howCaenorhabditis elegansresponds to the predatory fungusArthrobotrys oligospora.C. elegansand other nematodes were attracted to volatile compounds produced byA. oligospora. Gas-chromatographic mass-spectral analyses ofA. oligospora-derived volatile metabolites identified several odors mimicking food cues attractive to nematodes. One compound, methyl 3-methyl-2-butenoate (MMB) additionally triggered strong sex- and stage-specific attraction in severalCaenorhabditisspecies. Furthermore, when MMB is present, it interferes with nematode mating, suggesting that MMB might mimic sex pheromone inCaenorhabditisspecies. Forward genetic screening suggests that multiple receptors are involved in sensing MMB. Response to fungal odors involves the olfactory neuron AWCs. Single-cell RNA-seq revealed the GPCRs expressed in AWC. We propose thatA. oligosporalikely evolved the means to use olfactory mimicry to attract its nematode prey through the olfactory neurons inC. elegansand related species.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States.|Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Hsueh
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia, United States.
authors.forename: Matthew R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Gronquist
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States.
authors.forename: Erich M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States.
authors.forename: Ravi David
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Nath
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Han
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States.
authors.forename: Shalha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gharib
authors.affiliation: Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States.|Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States.
authors.forename: Frank C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States.
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7699-0173
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Sternberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000378:metabolism*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects*; D003463:Cues; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D010675:Pheromones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
keywords: AWC; Arthrobotrys oligospora; C. elegans; attraction; evolutionary biology; genomics; neuroscience; olfactory mimicry