Neuronal perception of the social environment generates an inherited memory that controls the development and generation time of C. elegans

An old and controversial question in biology is whether information perceived by the nervous system of an animal can cross the Weismann barrierto alter the phenotypes and fitness of their progeny. Here, we show that such intergenerational transmission of sensory information occurs in the model organism, C. elegans, with a major effect on fitness. Specifically, that perception of social pheromones by chemosensory neurons controls the post-embryonic timing of the development of one tissue, the germline, relative to others in the progeny of an animal. Neuronal perception of the social environment thus intergenerationally controls the generation time of this animal.

Automated summary

Research shows that chemical pheromones in the social environment can be transmitted across generations through sensory neurons, significantly impacting the timing of offspring development.