Irreproducibility of transgenerational learned pathogen-aversion response in C. elegans

Abstract

Here we report our attempt to replicate reports of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in Caenorhabditis elegans . Published results from multiple laboratories show that C. elegans adults and their F1 embryos exposed to the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa show pathogen aversion behavior and a pathogen exposure-dependent increase in daf-7/TGF β reporter gene expression. However, results from one group show persistence of the aversion behavior and elevated daf-7 expression in the F2, F3, and F4 generations. In contrast, we failed to consistently detect either the pathogen avoidance response or elevated daf-7 expression beyond the F1 generation. The experimental methods are well-described, the source materials are readily available, including samples from the reporting laboratory, and we explored a variety of environmental conditions likely to account for lab-to-lab variability. None of these adjustments altered our results. Thus, we conclude that this example of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance lacks the robustness required for reliable experimental replication and investigation.