Fig. 3

Hypothesized dauer signaling during N. brasiliensis iL3 activation. Using reciprocal BLAST searches, we identified the homologs diagrammed above of canonical dauer pathway signaling molecules in the N. brasiliensis genome and de novo assembled transcriptome. We hypothesize that GPCRs in the chemosensory neurons receive cues from the host such as temperature and host-specific chemicals resulting in production of ligands for insulin/IGF-1 and dauer TGFβ signaling pathways. Additionally, we hypothesize that a dafachronic acid biosynthesis pathway upregulates production of this steroid hormone. Together, we hypothesize that activation of the cognate transcription factors in these pathways commit the infectious larvae to reproductive growth and development. Green boxes denote proteins that stimulate growth and development, while red boxes denote proteins that stimulate dauer arrest