Scent of a worm

Genetically identical individuals growing in the same environment often show substantial phenotypic variation. The reasons for this phenotypic variation are usually unknown. We start from genome wide expression profiling on genetically identical C. elegans roundworms to characterize molecular differences, understand their phenotypic impact and infer the mechanisms that generate such variation. I will show how using this strategy we previously found maternal age to be an important determinant of phenotypic variation with changes in maternal provisioning of yolk to the embryo explain some of the observed phenotypic differences. Then I will show we have now found the ‘smell’ of the worms (i.e pheromones) - which is perceived by neurons – also induces important phenotypic variation generating an inherited memory that alters germline development and minimum generation time in the progeny of exposed worms.