C. elegans Avoids Toxin-Producing Streptomyces

Species of the non‐motile bacterium Streptomyces protect themselves from predation by the bacteriovore Caenorhabditis elegans through the secretion of nematicides. To evade death by these agents, C. elegans has evolved the ability to detect and avoid the bacterium. We characterize fatty acid analogs, including dodecanoic acid, which elicit a fast avoidance response by C. elegans . We also detect dodecanoic acid that has been secreted by Streptomyces by derivatization and detection with high resolution mass spectrometry. By sensing these signals, C. elegans can escape the nematicidal bacteria that would otherwise be a good food source. Support or Funding Information Laura Miller Conrad: National Institutes of Health (5SC3GM118199); Angelina Tang and Sarah Matthews: National Science Foundation (HRD‐1302873); Miri VanHoven: National Institutes of Health (NS087544, GM089595), National Science Foundation (1355202). This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .