Li Xinyu, Zhao Jiaxin, Liu Xiaoying, Zhao Honglian, Zhang Xiaobing, Deng Yaqi, Wang Qi, Zou Wei
Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety & School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.
Biochem Res Int. 2025 Sep 4;2025:8485137. doi: 10.1155/bri/8485137. eCollection 2025.
Pathogen avoidance behavior is widespread across the animal kingdom and plays an important role in animal survival in natural environments. As a free-living nematode, is exposed to various microorganisms and toxic chemicals in the soil, including pathogenic bacteria and chemical toxins. can effectively avoid pathogenic bacteria, thereby minimizing the risk of infection. However, it remains unclear whether it also exhibits avoidance behavior in response to toxic substances such as sodium arsenite. In this report, we found that as the sodium arsenite concentration in the environment increased, the arsenic content in also increased, leading to an avoidance response. Further investigation revealed that deletion of the serotonin synthesis gene significantly suppressed this avoidance behavior. Moreover, the expression level of TPH-1 protein in ADF neurons was significantly upregulated. Our data indicate that exhibits a serotonin-mediated behavioral avoidance response to sodium arsenite. Additionally, we observed that the immune system of was suppressed following sodium arsenite exposure, likely as an adaptation to the adverse environment. This study provides new insights into the strategies of in response to toxic environmental conditions.
病原体回避行为在动物界广泛存在，并且在自然环境中动物的生存中发挥着重要作用。作为一种自由生活的线虫，其在土壤中会接触到各种微生物和有毒化学物质，包括致病细菌和化学毒素。线虫能够有效避开致病细菌，从而将感染风险降至最低。然而，尚不清楚它是否也会对诸如亚砷酸钠等有毒物质表现出回避行为。在本报告中，我们发现随着环境中亚砷酸钠浓度的增加，线虫体内的砷含量也增加，进而引发了回避反应。进一步研究表明，血清素合成基因的缺失显著抑制了这种回避行为。此外，ADF神经元中TPH-1蛋白的表达水平显著上调。我们的数据表明，线虫对亚砷酸钠表现出一种血清素介导的行为回避反应。此外，我们观察到亚砷酸钠暴露后线虫的免疫系统受到抑制，这可能是对不利环境的一种适应。这项研究为线虫应对有毒环境条件的策略提供了新的见解。
