Irreproducibility of transgenerational learned pathogen-aversion response inC. elegans

Here we report our attempt to replicate reports of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance inCaenorhabditis elegans. Published results from multiple laboratories show thatC. elegansadults and their F1 embryos exposed to the pathogenPseudomonas aeruginosashow pathogen aversion behavior and a pathogen exposure-dependent increase indaf-7/TGFβ reporter gene expression. However, results from one group show persistence of the aversion behavior and elevateddaf-7expression in the F2, F3, and F4 generations. In contrast, we failed to consistently detect either the pathogen avoidance response or elevateddaf-7expression beyond the F1 generation. The experimental methods are well-described, the source materials are readily available, including samples from the reporting laboratory, and we explored a variety of environmental conditions likely to account for lab-to-lab variability. None of these adjustments altered our results. Thus, we conclude that this example of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance lacks the robustness required for reliable experimental replication and investigation.