Biology subjects

Ruvinsky, I.

Publications and source records attributed to Ruvinsky, I..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Sex-specificity of the C. elegans metabolome

Recent studies of animal metabolism have revealed large numbers of novel metabolites that are involved in all aspects of organismal biology, but it is unclear to what extent metabolomes differ between sexes. Here, using untargeted comparative metabolomics for the analysis of wildtype animals and a series of germline mutants, we show that C. elegans hermaphrodites and males exhibit pervasive metabolomic differences. Several hundred small molecules are produced exclusively or in much larger amounts in one sex, including a host of previously unreported metabolites that incorporate building blocks from nucleoside, carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. A subset of male-enriched metabolites is specifically associated with the presence of a male germline, whereas enrichment of other compounds requires a male soma. Further, we show that one of the male germline-dependent metabolites, an unusual dipeptide incorporating N,N-dimethyltryptophan, accelerates the last stage of larval development in hermaphrodites. Our results serve as a foundation for mechanistic studies of how the genetic sex of soma and germline shape the C. elegans metabolome and provides a blueprint for the discovery of sex-dependent metabolites in other animals.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2022

Serotonin coordinates reproductive functions in Caenorhabditis elegans

Reproduction alters animal behavior and physiology, but neuronal circuits that coordinate these changes remain largely unknown. Insights into mechanisms that regulate and possibly coordinate reproduction-related traits could be gleaned from the study of sex pheromones that manipulate potential mating partners to improve reproductive success. In C. elegans, the prominent male pheromone, ascr#10, modifies reproductive behavior and several aspects of reproductive physiology in hermaphrodite recipients, including improving oocyte quality. Here we show that a circuit that contains serotonin-producing and serotonin-uptaking neurons plays a key role in mediating these beneficial effects of ascr#10. We also demonstrate that increased serotonergic signaling promotes proliferation of germline progenitors in adult hermaphrodites. Our results establish a role for serotonin in maintaining germline quality and highlight a simple neuronal circuit that acts as a linchpin that couples food intake, mating behavior, reproductive output, and germline renewal and provisioning.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Inferring temporal organization of postembryonic development from high-content behavioral tracking

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWUnderstanding temporal regulation of development remains an important challenge. Whereas average, species-typical timing of many developmental processes has been established, less is known about inter-individual variability and correlations in timing of specific events. We addressed these questions in the context of postembryonic development in Caenorhabditis elegans. Based on patterns of locomotor activity of freely moving animals, we inferred durations of four larval stages (L1-L4) in over 100 individuals. Analysis of these data supports several notable conclusions. Individuals have consistently faster or slower rates of development because durations of L1 through L3 stages are positively correlated. The last larval stage, the L4, is less variable than earlier stages and its duration is largely independent of the rate of early larval development, implying existence of two distinct larval epochs. We argue that characteristic patterns of variation and correlation arise because duration of each stage tends to scale relative to total developmental time. This scaling relationship suggests that each larval stage is not limited by an absolute duration, but is instead terminated when a subset of events that must occur prior to adulthood have been completed. The approach described here offers a scalable platform that will facilitate the study of temporal regulation of postembryonic development.

developmental biology↗