Accelerated hermaphrodite maturation on male pheromones suggests a general principle of coordination between larval behavior and development
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Abstract
Environment in general and social signals in particular could alter development. In Caenorhabditis elegans, male pheromones hasten development of hermaphrodite larvae. We show that this involves acceleration of growth and both somatic and germline development during the last larval stage (L4). Larvae exposed to male pheromones spend more time in L3 and less in the quiescent period between L3 and L4. This behavioral alteration improves provision in early L4, likely allowing for faster development. Larvae must be exposed to male pheromones in late L3 for behavioral and developmental effects to occur. Latter portions of other larval stages also contain periods of heightened sensitivity to environmental signals. Behavior during the early part of the larval stages is biased toward exploration, whereas later the emphasis shifts to food consumption. We argue that this organization allows assessment of the environment to identify the most suitable patch of resources, followed by acquisition of sufficient nutrition and salient information for the developmental events in the next larval stage. Evidence from other species indicates that such coordination of behavior and development may be a general feature of larval development.
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The first sign of acceleration of the sequence of morphological transformations of the anchor cell on MCPs was evident around 36 hours
see my comment on the staging in the methods - i think it's important to stage AC invasion by multiple criteria - DIC showing the VPC stage is an excellent one in addition to any morphological changes you might see in the AC, which can be highly variable during invasion.
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Staging (see Figure S1D for representative images) was based primarily on the shape of the cell’s ventral side. AC1 = long curving ventral side not attached to P6 daughter cells. AC2 = flat and short ventral side indicates attachment. AC3 = invasive protrusion forms a V-shape. AC4 = invasive protrusion retracts forming an M-shape.
There is a well-established staging system for the timing of AC invasion based on the divisions of the underlying P6.p lineage (see Sherwood et al. 2003 or later papers from Sherwood lab). The shape of the AC is indicative but also highly variable. It is also worth pointing out that the AC breaches the underlying basement membrane during the mid-L3 stage, and that in wild-type the AC is in contact with the underlying vulval cells prior to the L3/L4 molt. The reason this is important, is that it appears from …
Staging (see Figure S1D for representative images) was based primarily on the shape of the cell’s ventral side. AC1 = long curving ventral side not attached to P6 daughter cells. AC2 = flat and short ventral side indicates attachment. AC3 = invasive protrusion forms a V-shape. AC4 = invasive protrusion retracts forming an M-shape.
There is a well-established staging system for the timing of AC invasion based on the divisions of the underlying P6.p lineage (see Sherwood et al. 2003 or later papers from Sherwood lab). The shape of the AC is indicative but also highly variable. It is also worth pointing out that the AC breaches the underlying basement membrane during the mid-L3 stage, and that in wild-type the AC is in contact with the underlying vulval cells prior to the L3/L4 molt. The reason this is important, is that it appears from your images that your AC4 image is younger (by VPC morphology) than your AC3 image (although I realize that the DIC image is quite small in the figure so I'm not 100% sure). Given that the effect you are seeing from the MCPs in relation to AC morphology (as a proxy for invasion status) is getting to "AC4" faster, I think it would be important to be careful with developmental staging here. I'd be happy to look at your images if that would be at all helpful!
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vulva anchor cell,
technically, the anchor cell is part of the somatic gonad, it just induces vulval fates (and forms the connection between the uterus and vulva)
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