2025/06/13 by Aalimah Akinosho, Joseph M. Alexander, Kyle Floyd +1 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
paper · doi:10.7554/elife.107034.1
Abstract Transgenerational inheritance of learned behaviors remains a controversial topic in biology. The Murphy lab previously demonstrated that C. elegans exposed to pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA14) not only learn to avoid this bacterium but also transmit this avoidance behavior to untrained offspring. A recent study has challenged these findings, questioning the robustness of this phenomenon. Here, we independently validate the transgenerational inheritance of PA14 avoidance in C. elegans. Using standardized choice assays, we show that worms trained on PA14 develop significant avoidance that persists in F1 and F2 generations, though with decreased strength after P0. Our results provide independent confirmation of transgenerational inheritance of PA14 avoidance through the F2 generation, in agreement with previous findings from the Murphy lab and in contrast to a recent study by the Hunter group that failed to detect this phenomenon beyond the F1 generation.