The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans expresses a single Toll-like receptor, TOL-1, that is involved in the avoidance of pathogens via an unknown mechanism. In Current Biology, Brandt and Ringstad show that TOL-1 promotes the development of specific sensory neurons. Expression of TOL-1 by BAG neurons is required for productive signaling via MAPK kinases and mediates their chemosensing function. The authors find that BAG neurons detect CO2, which, along with other unknown odorants, is interpreted as a signature specific to live pathogenic microbes; this leads to avoidance behavior by the nematode. The absence of TOL-1 on BAG neurons leads the nematodes to linger on an otherwise hazardous lawn of microbes. These findings directly link the nematode Toll-like receptor to a defensive behavioral response.
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Fehervari, Z. Danger takes its Toll. Nat Immunol 16, 1013 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.3280
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.3280
