Slip the Noose – How C. elegans Dodges Deadly Fungal Traps

Show notes

In this episode, we explore a real-world predator–prey arms race: how Caenorhabditis elegans uses its anterior touch response to escape predacious fungi. Species like Drechslerella doedycoides use constricting hyphal rings to trap nematodes in soil. But thanks to mechanosensory neurons and fast reflexes, C. elegans larvae can sense the noose and back out — if they’re fast enough.

We dive into:

• The mechanics of fungal ring traps and the escape window before closure

• How C. elegans suppresses head movement and reverses direction to evade capture

• Why touch-insensitive and tyramine signalling mutants get caught more often

• How coordination of motor programmes evolved under selective pressure from fungal predators

📖 Based on the research article:

“The C. elegans Touch Response Facilitates Escape from Predacious Fungi”

Sean M. Maguire, Christopher M. Clark, Jennifer K. Pirri, Mark J. Alkema.

Published in Current Biology (2011).

🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2011.06.063

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