Dauer formation

From wormbook: In response to harsh environmental conditions, C. elegans larvae undergo dauer arrest at the second molt. The past decade has yielded many insights into the signaling pathways and the molecular mechanisms that govern this developmental transition. Dauer pheromone, the major physiologic signal promoting dauer arrest, has been purified, identified, and synthesized. The molecular identities of the vast majority of dauer regulatory genes isolated in initial genetic screens are now known. Physiologic ligands for DAF-12, a nuclear receptor that is the final common target of dauer regulatory pathways, have been identified. The discovery of the Hid (high temperature induction of dauer) phenotype and the results of enhancer screens have greatly expanded the repertoire of dauer regulatory genes. Genomic analysis of dauer arrest has highlighted the role of pathway crosstalk in dauer regulation. Nonetheless, critical questions remain about the mechanistic underpinnings of dauer arrest.

源自 wormbook：面对严酷的环境条件，秀丽隐杆线虫的幼虫在第二次蜕皮时进入滞育状态。过去十年中，我们对调控这一发育转换的信号通路和分子机制有了许多新的认识。滞育信息素，作为促进滞育状态的主要生理信号，已被提纯、鉴定和合成。在最初的遗传筛选中分离出的绝大多数滞育调控基因的分子身份现已明确。DAF-12（滞育调控途径的共同靶点之一）的生理配体已被鉴定。Hid（高温诱导滞育）表型的发现以及增强子筛选的结果极大地丰富了滞育调控基因的库。滞育状态的基因组分析突出了通路互作在滞育调控中的作用。尽管如此，关于滞育状态机制基础的若干关键问题仍待解决。