EPISODE 10: Self or Snack? Peptide-Mediated Kin Recognition in Pristionchus pacificus
The Worm Podcast23 Apr 2025

EPISODE 10: Self or Snack? Peptide-Mediated Kin Recognition in Pristionchus pacificus

How do predatory nematodes avoid cannibalising their own offspring? In this episode, we explore a remarkable study that uncovers a peptide-based self-recognition system in Pristionchus pacificus. This system hinges on a single hypervariable peptide, SELF-1, which allows individuals to distinguish between kin and non-kin—preventing self-killing but enabling predation on rivals.


We discuss:


  • The discovery and characterisation of the self-1 gene

  • How a single amino acid change can disrupt recognition

  • The role of hypervariable C-terminal sequences in defining identity

  • CRISPR-Cas9 experiments to map and manipulate self-recognition

  • Why this system may represent a new form of species- and strain-specific recognition in the animal kingdom



📖 Based on the research article:

“Small peptide–mediated self-recognition prevents cannibalism in predatory nematodes”

James W. Lightfoot, Martin Wilecki, Christian Rödelsperger, et al.

Published in Science (2019).

🔗 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aav9856



🎧 Subscribe to the WoRM Podcast for more on whole-organism behaviour, evolution, and molecular mechanisms of identity.

🔗 www.veerenchauhan.com


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