Abstract
Animals possess conserved mechanisms to detect pathogens and to improve survival in their presence by altering their own behavior and physiology. Here, we utilize Caenorhabditis elegans as a model host to ask whether bacterial volatiles constitute microbe‐associated molecular patterns. Using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, we identify six prominent volatiles released by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We show that a specific volatile, 1‐undecene, activates nematode odor sensory neurons inducing both flight and fight responses in worms. Using behavioral assays, we show that worms are repelled by 1‐undecene and that this aversion response is driven by the detection of this volatile through AWB odor sensory neurons. Furthermore, we find that 1‐undecene odor can induce immune effectors specific to P. aeruginosa via AWB neurons and that brief pre‐exposure of worms to the odor enhances their survival upon subsequent bacterial infection. These results show that 1‐undecene derived from P. aeruginosa serves as a pathogen‐associated molecular pattern for the induction of protective responses in C. elegans.
Highlights
Threat perception is one of the key drivers of behavioral and physiological responses in living organisms
To confirm that 1-undecene-induced response was specific to P. aeruginosa, we examined the expression of eight immune response genes induced 10- to 100-fold in worms in response to Gram-positive bacteria, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus, or pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans (Dasgupta et al, 2020)
We show that a specific volatile organic compound, 1-undecene, produced by the pathogen P. aeruginosa is sensed as an aversive signal by C. elegans
Summary
Threat perception is one of the key drivers of behavioral and physiological responses in living organisms. Animals use their senses of vision, taste, auditory perception, and olfaction to perceive threats and engage in flight-or-fight mechanisms to improve survival. The sensing of pathogens via pattern recognition initiates physiological responses in the host including immune response to enhance survival. Volatiles are increasingly being recognized as a mode of communication between plants in response to herbivory and other threats (Erb et al, 2015). The contribution of volatiles in driving immune responses in animals remains poorly understood. We have used bacterivorous nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to identify volatiles that serve as molecular pattern to alter host behavior and immune response
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
