Nematode mind : exploring the role of the RNA interference pathway in learning, memory and beyond
(2025) In Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 380(1929).- Abstract
- Caenorhabditis nematodes, particularly the well-known Caenorhabditis elegans, have challenged early views of them as hard-wired by demonstrating diverse learning and memory capabilities. This cognitive repertoire, developed with just several hundred neurons, highlights the evolutionary importance of cognitive traits. In this study, we examine the relationship between learning, development, reproduction and lifespan, focusing on its regulation by the conserved RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. Specifically, we examine NRDE-3, a key Argonaute protein in this pathway using an RNAi-defective nrde-3 mutant to evaluate the effects of this mutation under two diets. Consistent with previous findings, nrde-3 mutants exhibited a trend towards... (More)
- Caenorhabditis nematodes, particularly the well-known Caenorhabditis elegans, have challenged early views of them as hard-wired by demonstrating diverse learning and memory capabilities. This cognitive repertoire, developed with just several hundred neurons, highlights the evolutionary importance of cognitive traits. In this study, we examine the relationship between learning, development, reproduction and lifespan, focusing on its regulation by the conserved RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. Specifically, we examine NRDE-3, a key Argonaute protein in this pathway using an RNAi-defective nrde-3 mutant to evaluate the effects of this mutation under two diets. Consistent with previous findings, nrde-3 mutants exhibited a trend towards deteriorated aversive learning; at the same time, no decline in positive learning was observed. Additionally, we found that the nrde-3 mutant had faster development but also reduced lifespan under the stressful condition of light exposure. We propose that the RNAi pathway, alongside the target of rapamycin and insulin/insulin-like signalling pathways, contributes to the correlated evolution of learning and life-history traits. Notably, recent research has linked the RNAi pathway to the epigenetic inheritance of learned behaviours, presenting new opportunities for integrated investigations into within-generation learning and transgenerational responses. Accordingly, we suggest future research directions that take advantage of the genomic resources, biodiversity and experimental tractability of Caenorhabditis. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/e6780564-71f5-4bb6-a7fc-b1f0ee72bfbb
- author
- Zwoinska, Martyna K. ; Paida, Varvara ; Chen, Hwei-Yen LU ; Darkes, Lauren and Lind, Martin I.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-06-26
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
- volume
- 380
- issue
- 1929
- article number
- 20240125
- publisher
- Royal Society Publishing
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:40566921
- scopus:105009795834
- ISSN
- 0962-8436
- DOI
- 10.1098/rstb.2024.0125
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e6780564-71f5-4bb6-a7fc-b1f0ee72bfbb
- date added to LUP
- 2025-07-16 09:17:50
- date last changed
- 2025-08-12 15:02:52
@article{e6780564-71f5-4bb6-a7fc-b1f0ee72bfbb,
abstract = {{Caenorhabditis nematodes, particularly the well-known Caenorhabditis elegans, have challenged early views of them as hard-wired by demonstrating diverse learning and memory capabilities. This cognitive repertoire, developed with just several hundred neurons, highlights the evolutionary importance of cognitive traits. In this study, we examine the relationship between learning, development, reproduction and lifespan, focusing on its regulation by the conserved RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. Specifically, we examine NRDE-3, a key Argonaute protein in this pathway using an RNAi-defective nrde-3 mutant to evaluate the effects of this mutation under two diets. Consistent with previous findings, nrde-3 mutants exhibited a trend towards deteriorated aversive learning; at the same time, no decline in positive learning was observed. Additionally, we found that the nrde-3 mutant had faster development but also reduced lifespan under the stressful condition of light exposure. We propose that the RNAi pathway, alongside the target of rapamycin and insulin/insulin-like signalling pathways, contributes to the correlated evolution of learning and life-history traits. Notably, recent research has linked the RNAi pathway to the epigenetic inheritance of learned behaviours, presenting new opportunities for integrated investigations into within-generation learning and transgenerational responses. Accordingly, we suggest future research directions that take advantage of the genomic resources, biodiversity and experimental tractability of Caenorhabditis.}},
author = {{Zwoinska, Martyna K. and Paida, Varvara and Chen, Hwei-Yen and Darkes, Lauren and Lind, Martin I.}},
issn = {{0962-8436}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{06}},
number = {{1929}},
publisher = {{Royal Society Publishing}},
series = {{Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences}},
title = {{Nematode mind : exploring the role of the RNA interference pathway in learning, memory and beyond}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2024.0125}},
doi = {{10.1098/rstb.2024.0125}},
volume = {{380}},
year = {{2025}},
}