C. elegans Nuclear Receptors: Insights into Life Traits

Nuclear receptors (NRs) are a class of hormone-gated transcription factors found in metazoans that regulate global changes in gene expression when bound to their cognate ligands. Despite species diversification, NRs act similarly across taxa to play fundamental roles in detecting intrinsic and environmental signals, and subsequently in coordinating transcriptional cascades that direct reproduction, development, metabolism, and homeostasis. These endocrine receptors function in vivo in part as molecular switches and timers that regulate transcriptional cascades. Here we discuss in detail how several C. elegans NRs integrate intrinsic and extrinsic signals to regulate the dauer diapause and longevity, molting, and heterochronic circuits of development, and draw parallels to similar in vivo endocrine regulated processes in other animals.