“Cutting and Burning Guts” Nourish the Young

Abstract

Worm mothers produce yolk milk to maximize the survival chances of larvae at the risk of death. Self-fertilizing C. elegans hermaphrodites synthesize yolk proteins in the intestine, which are transported to embryos. After self-sperm depletion and cessation of reproduction, worms repurpose intestines by autophagy to produce yolk, accumulating in the body cavity. These worms release free yolk through the vulva and continue laying unfertilized eggs filled with yolk. Larvae feed on the vented yolk fluid, yolk milk, both free and bottled-in-egg, to grow. Insulin/IGF-1 signaling promotes the entire process, a trade-off between reproduction and aging. 2 Mol.