Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41540414›Full record

ArticleBMC biology2026

Cyclohexyl acetate functions like a volatile sex pheromone mimic in Caenorhabditis nematodes.

Xuan Wan, Yuki Togawa, Matthew R Gronquist, Marika Sagawa, Daniel Leighton, Chung Man Chan, Frank C Schroeder, King L Chow, Paul W Sternberg, Ryoji Shinya

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Xuan WanDivision of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA.
Yuki TogawaSchool of Agriculture, Meiji University, Chiyoda, Japan.
Matthew R GronquistDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia, USA.
Marika SagawaSchool of Agriculture, Meiji University, Chiyoda, Japan.
Daniel LeightonDivision of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA.
Chung Man ChanDivision of Life Science and Department of Chemistry & Biology Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.
Frank C SchroederBoyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA.
King L ChowDivision of Life Science and Department of Chemistry & Biology Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.
Paul W SternbergDivision of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA. pws@caltech.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-7699-0173
Ryoji ShinyaSchool of Agriculture, Meiji University, Chiyoda, Japan. shinya@meiji.ac.jp.ORCID 0000-0002-2450-3054

Funding

Small molecule signaling in C. elegansR35GM131877 · NIGMS · BOYCE THOMPSON INST FOR PLANT RESEARCH · PI Frank Clemens Schroeder · 2019 to 2026
$5.0M
Neural representation of mating partners by male C. elegansR01NS113119 · NINDS · CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · PI LINDERMAN, SCOTT WARREN, SAMUEL, ARAVINTHAN D. · 2019 to 2023
$3.3M
Japan Science and Technology Agency FOREST Grant number JPMJFR210ANational Institutes of Health grant R35GM131877NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM131877NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS113119U.S. National Institutes of Health R01NS113119
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNematodes communicate via diverse sex pheromones, including long-range volatile signals, short-range chemical cues, and contact-dependent molecules. While the ascaroside family of small molecules that mediate short-range attraction is well characterized, the identities and roles of volatile sex pheromones (VSPs) that act over longer ranges remain unknown.

resultsUsing GC-MS analysis of crude VSP extracts, we identified cyclohexyl acetate (CA) as a candidate mimic, sharing retention time and mass spectral features with natural VSPs. Behavioral assays demonstrated that CA acts as a concentration-dependent, male-specific attractant in Caenorhabditis. Pre-exposure to VSPs induced cross-adaptation to CA, suggesting shared sensory processing. Surprisingly, genetic and calcium imaging analyses revealed that CA perception is mediated primarily by AWC

conclusionsThese data indicate that CA is unlikely to be a major VSP constituent; rather, it is a structural analog that elicits male-specific attraction via a parallel sensory circuit. The endogenous source of CA in C. remanei remains unresolved; our data do not establish whether females produce CA. Its structural and behavioral mimicry provides new insights into the complexity of chemosensory signaling and the potential for interspecies chemical eavesdropping in nematode ecology.

Indexed as

AcetatesCaenorhabditis elegansSex AttractantsAnimalsFemaleGas Chromatography-Mass SpectrometryMaleAcetatesSex AttractantsCaenorhabditis nematodesMate searchingPheromone mimicSensory neuronsVolatile sex pheromone

Identifiers

PMID41540414
PMCPMC12892764

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.