Worms’ Epigenetic Memories

When kept at warmer temperatures for five generations, C. elegans showed evidence of “remembering” that experience for up to 14 generations.

| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share

THE SCIENTIST STAFF

Researchers engineered C. elegans with multiple copies of a transgene called mCHERRY connected to a promoter for daf-21. When kept at 25 degrees, the worms began to fluoresce red and had progeny that showed similarly elevated expression of the transgenes, despite never having experienced the higher temperature—an effect that persisted for seven generations. When worms were kept at 25 degrees for five generations, the memory of the heatwave lasted longer, with expression levels taking as many as 14 generations to return to normal.

Read the full story.

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

  • Catherine Offord

    Catherine is a science journalist based in Barcelona.
Share
Image of a woman in a microbiology lab whose hair is caught on fire from a Bunsen burner.
April 1, 2025, Issue 1

Bunsen Burners and Bad Hair Days

Lab safety rules dictate that one must tie back long hair. Rosemarie Hansen learned the hard way when an open flame turned her locks into a lesson.

View this Issue
Conceptual image of biochemical laboratory sample preparation showing glassware and chemical formulas in the foreground and a scientist holding a pipette in the background.

Taking the Guesswork Out of Quality Control Standards

sartorius logo
An illustration of PFAS bubbles in front of a blue sky with clouds.

PFAS: The Forever Chemicals

sartorius logo
Unlocking the Unattainable in Gene Construction

Unlocking the Unattainable in Gene Construction

dna-script-primarylogo-digital
Concept illustration of acoustic waves and ripples.

Comparing Analytical Solutions for High-Throughput Drug Discovery

sciex

Products

Green Cooling

Thermo Scientific™ Centrifuges with GreenCool Technology

Thermo Fisher Logo
Singleron Avatar

Singleron Biotechnologies and Hamilton Bonaduz AG Announce the Launch of Tensor to Advance Single Cell Sequencing Automation

Zymo Research Logo

Zymo Research Launches Research Grant to Empower Mapping the RNome

Magid Haddouchi, PhD, CCO

Cytosurge Appoints Magid Haddouchi as Chief Commercial Officer