WNT regulates programmed muscle remodeling through PLC-β and calcineurin in males.

The ability of a muscle to break down and reform fibers is vital for development; however, if unregulated, abnormal muscle remodeling can occur, such as in the heart following cardiac infarction. To study how normal developmental remodeling is mediated, we used fluorescently tagged actin, mutant analyses, Ca imaging and controlled Ca release to determine the mechanisms regulating a conspicuous muscle change that occurs in males. In hermaphrodites and larval males, the single cell anal depressor muscle, used for waste expulsion, contains bilateral dorsal-ventral sarcomeres.

Succinate Dehydrogenase-Regulated Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Sustains Copulation Fitness in Aging C. elegans Males.

Dysregulated metabolism accelerates reduced decision-making and locomotor ability during aging. To identify mechanisms for delaying behavioral decline, we investigated how C. elegans males sustain their copulatory behavior during early to mid-adulthood.

Male Copulation Circuitry Incorporates Sex-Shared Defecation Components To Promote Intromission and Sperm Transfer.

Sexual dimorphism can be achieved using a variety of mechanisms, including sex-specific circuits and sex-specific function of shared circuits, though how these work together to produce sexually dimorphic behaviors requires further investigation. Here, we explore how components of the sex-shared defecation circuitry are incorporated into the sex-specific male mating circuitry in to produce successful copulation. Using behavioral studies, calcium imaging, and genetic manipulation, we show that aspects of the defecation system are coopted by the male copulatory circuitry to facilitate intromission and ejaculation.

CRF-like receptor SEB-3 in sex-common interneurons potentiates stress handling and reproductive drive in C. elegans.

Environmental conditions can modulate innate behaviours. Although male Caenorhabditis elegans copulation can be perturbed in the presence of stress, the mechanisms underlying its decision to sustain copulation are unclear. Here we describe a mating interference assay, which quantifies the persistence of male C.

Evaluation of hormone-free protocols based on the "male effect" for artificial insemination in lactating goats during seasonal anestrus.

Goat estrous and ovulatory responses to the "male effect" were characterized to determine the time range over which fertile ovulations occur after buck exposure. The results were used to explore the efficacy of different hormone-free artificial insemination (AI) protocols aimed at diminishing the number of inseminations needed to optimize fertility. Adult bucks and does were exposed to artificially long days during winter and then exposed to a natural photoperiod before buck exposure (Day 0).