Biosynthetic tailoring of existing ascaroside pheromones alters their biological function in C. elegans. Elife 2018 Jun 04;7
Date
06/05/2018Pubmed ID
29863473Pubmed Central ID
PMC5986272DOI
10.7554/eLife.33286Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85051954656 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 24 CitationsAbstract
Caenorhabditis elegans produces ascaroside pheromones to control its development and behavior. Even minor structural differences in the ascarosides have dramatic consequences for their biological activities. Here, we identify a mechanism that enables C. elegans to dynamically tailor the fatty-acid side chains of the indole-3-carbonyl (IC)-modified ascarosides it has produced. In response to starvation, C. elegans uses the peroxisomal acyl-CoA synthetase ACS-7 to activate the side chains of medium-chain IC-ascarosides for β-oxidation involving the acyl-CoA oxidases ACOX-1.1 and ACOX-3. This pathway rapidly converts a favorable ascaroside pheromone that induces aggregation to an unfavorable one that induces the stress-resistant dauer larval stage. Thus, the pathway allows the worm to respond to changing environmental conditions and alter its chemical message without having to synthesize new ascarosides de novo. We establish a new model for biosynthesis of the IC-ascarosides in which side-chain β-oxidation is critical for controlling the type of IC-ascarosides produced.
Author List
Zhou Y, Wang Y, Zhang X, Bhar S, Jones Lipinski RA, Han J, Feng L, Butcher RAAuthor
Rachel Jones Lipinski Research Scientist I in the Biochemistry department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Acyl-CoA OxidaseAnimals
Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
Coenzyme A Ligases
Glycolipids
Larva
Models, Chemical
Molecular Structure
Oxidation-Reduction
Pheromones
