A study in Current Biology found that small RNA molecules derived from neurons and a neural circuit that senses oxygen levels affect the resistance of reproductive cells to heat stress. The study was conducted in C. elegans worms, and there is no evidence yet that a similar mechanism operates in humans.
When the temperature rises, reproductive cells can be damaged. New research in microscopic worms suggests that the response to heat doesn't just occur in the reproductive cells themselves: Nervous System Senses environmental conditions and sends molecular signals that affect the cells' ability to cope with stress.
The study was conducted in worms. Caenorhabditis elegans by researchers from the Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, and the Austrian Institute of Science and Technology. It was published on July 20, 2026 in the journal Current Biology.
Among the research leaders were Dr. Chi Qiang Yu, Dr. Hannah Akhash, Dr. Jonathan Tzur From the Hebrew University and Prof. Oded Carabi From Tel Aviv University.
Message from nerve cells to the germ line
The germ line is the population of cells from which sperm and eggs are formed. For years, much research has focused on how these cells respond directly to temperature, radiation, food deprivation, and other stresses.
The new study points to another communication channel: Nerve cells are able to influence reproductive cells through small RNA molecules that do not code for proteins. These molecules participate in a mechanism known as RNA disruption, or RNAi, which regulates the activity of genes.
The researchers found that Small RNA Produced in the worm's nervous system, it helps maintain germline development under heat. Its effect was seen in both sperm-producing and egg-producing cells. This is a "non-cell-autonomous" mechanism: the signal is generated in one cell type—a nerve cell—but affects another tissue.
When the researchers disrupted the RNAi pathway, fertility The worms were exposed to high temperatures. The damage was linked, among other things, to abnormal sperm development. In contrast, restoring the activity of the pathway in nerve cells alone significantly improved reproductive ability under hot conditions.
According to Dr. Tzur, the findings show that the nervous system not only responds to the environment, but also transmits instructions to reproductive cells that help them cope with difficult conditions.
The way the worm sensed oxygen also had an impact
The researchers identified the involvement of a neural circuit that sensed oxygen levels. Changing the way the nervous system interpreted oxygen concentration affected the germ line's resistance to heat, even when the environmental conditions themselves did not change.
In my worms C. elegans, certain oxygen levels are associated with the presence of food and conditions suitable for reproduction. The nervous system appears to integrate information from several environmental senses before influencing the investment of resources in reproduction.
In mutants in which the RNAi mechanism did not function normally, the circuitOxygen sensing Acted against germline preservation under heat conditions. The response was mediated, in part, by neuropeptides – small molecules that nerve cells use to transmit signals.
The researchers also examined two genes involved in oxygen sensing: NPR-1, which encodes a neuropeptide receptor, andGLB-5, which encodes a protein from the globin family. They found that genetic variants that spread in worm strains that had been domesticated for years in laboratories compromised the germline's resistance to heat.
The finding is also a reminder that the adaptation of a model animal to laboratory conditions can alter the results of experiments. A worm raised for generations in constant, comfortable conditions does not necessarily accurately represent the response of animal populations in a changing natural environment.
Possible link to climate change – but not yet to humans
Thermal pollution and rising temperatures can harm the reproductive success of many species, so understanding the natural defense mechanisms of reproductive cells is important for studying the effects of climate change on ecosystems.
However, it should not be concluded from the study that the human nervous system protects sperm or eggs through the same pathway. C. elegans It is a simple and useful model animal, but there are major differences between it and mammals in the structure of the nervous system, the development of reproductive cells, and the control of body temperature.
The study did not test humans or mammals and did not suggest a treatment to improve fertility. It raises a question for future research: whether RNA-based communication between the nervous system and the germ line also exists in more complex animals, and how it affects the response to environmental stress.
The main importance of the finding is in expanding the biological picture. Reproductive cells do not respond to the environment in isolation. At least in worms, the nervous system integrates information about heat, oxygen, and other conditions and influences the animal's reproductive capacity through molecular signals.
Questions and Answers
What animal was the study conducted on? The experiments were conducted on the microscopic worm Caenorhabditis elegans, a common model animal in genetic and developmental research.
How did the nervous system affect reproductive cells? Using small RNA molecules and a neural circuit, it increases oxygen levels and activates neuropeptide signaling.
What happened when the RNAi pathway was disrupted? The worms' fertility was impaired in hot conditions, partly due to damage to sperm cell development.
Does the mechanism also exist in humans? Unknown. The study did not test humans or mammals, so at this point it is impossible to extrapolate the results to human fertility.
More on the subject on the science website
- Can high temperature accelerate the rate of evolution?
- Tel Aviv 360 Podcast: Epigenetics – What Really Passes From Generation to Generation?
- Three laws that dictate intergenerational epigenetic inheritance – not through changes in the DNA sequence
- Mechanism deciphered that allows brain activity to be passed from generation to generation – not through DNA
For the original publication: Opening the original publication
One response
It's a wonder, beyond my understanding, that tiny insects, or in the popular language, 'barashishim', sit on a hot lamp (at night) for a really long time without getting burned, while I literally get burned immediately.
I spotted various wasps, cicadas, and even a tiny winged aphid (1 mm) and even baby spiders 3.5 mm long with splayed legs waiting on the hot lamp to hunt.