A male pheromone that improves the quality of the oogenic germline

Abstract

SignificanceAging animals, particularly females, suffer from diminished reproductive ability, likely due to high costs of germline maintenance. Potential remedies may be found in signals exchanged by members of opposite sexes to promote reproductive success. We show that in the nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans, male pheromone facilitates healthy oocyte aging. This pheromone increases germline proliferation and physiological cell death, which is required to maintain oocyte quality. We show that young adults that have not yet commenced reproduction are particularly sensitive to signals from mates and nutrients, likely because during this narrow time window, they set an environment-appropriate balance between germline and soma investment. We advocate the study of social signals as a productive avenue for identifying regulators of physiology and aging.