Desynchronization between timers provokes transient arrest duringC. elegansdevelopment

Abstract

In multicellular organisms, developmental timers integrate internal and external cues to control numerous cellular processes that need to be temporally coordinated. The molting timer and the developmental timer run in parallel duringC. elegansdevelopment. We reveal a novel state of transient arrest of the molting timer upon delay of the developmental timer. This means that synchronous development is not inherent but requires active synchronization of parallel timers. Additional timer variability, like that provoked by modulation of nutrient sensing pathways, increases desynchrony between these timers and consequently extends transient arrest. Mutation of the insulin receptor genedaf-2reduces the speed of both timers but has a larger impact on the developmental timer, that then appears delayed relative to the molting timer. In this context, prolonged arrest of the molting timer provides a mechanism for resynchronization.

Accelerated hermaphrodite maturation on male pheromones suggests a general principle of coordination between larval behavior and development

“…2H ) are consistent with this view, because these processes take place early in L4 ( Ellis and Schedl, 2007 ). We speculate that larvae on MCP may be able to progress faster through the earliest portion of L4 when molting and developmental timers become synchronized ( Meeuse et al, 2020 ; Romero-Expósito et al, 2024 preprint).…”