Enzyme induction in recovering dauer larvae of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans in response to increasing concentrations of food source in the recovery medium.

Exposure of recovering dauer larvae of Caenorhabditis elegans to increasing concentrations of Escherichia coli in the recovery medium produced dramatic increases in the enzymes of intermediary metabolism. There was no significant difference between the rates of development of recovering dauer larvae grown on different concentrations of E. coli. When the activity of several key enzymes was assayed after 12, 22 and 32 hours of recovery in 0.5% w/v E. coli it was found that the activities recorded never reached levels observed at 12 hours for larvae grown on the optimum concentration of E. coli. These results imply that enzymes of intermediary metabolism in the nematode C. elegans are capable of being induced in response to changes in nutrient intake, as previously described for mammals and microorganisms.