TY - JOUR TI - Self-sperm induce resistance to the detrimental effects of sexual encounters with males in hermaphroditic nematodes AU - Booth, Lauren N AU - Maures, Travis J AU - Yeo, Robin W AU - Tantilert, Cindy AU - Brunet, Anne A2 - Kaeberlein, Matt A2 - Wittkopp, Patricia J A2 - Kaeberlein, Matt A2 - Sutphin, George VL - 8 PY - 2019 DA - 2019/07/08 SP - e46418 C1 - eLife 2019;8:e46418 DO - 10.7554/eLife.46418 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.46418 AB - Sexual interactions have a potent influence on health in several species, including mammals. Previous work in C. elegans identified strategies used by males to accelerate the demise of the opposite sex (hermaphrodites). But whether hermaphrodites evolved counter-strategies against males remains unknown. Here we discover that young C. elegans hermaphrodites are remarkably resistant to brief sexual encounters with males, whereas older hermaphrodites succumb prematurely. Surprisingly, it is not their youthfulness that protects young hermaphrodites, but the fact that they have self-sperm. The beneficial effect of self-sperm is mediated by a sperm-sensing pathway acting on the soma rather than by fertilization. Activation of this pathway in females triggers protection from the negative impact of males. Interestingly, the role of self-sperm in protecting against the detrimental effects of males evolved independently in hermaphroditic nematodes. Endogenous strategies to delay the negative effect of mating may represent a key evolutionary innovation to maximize reproductive success. KW - C. briggsae KW - self-sperm KW - hermaphrodite evolution KW - aging KW - mating-induced death KW - sexual interactions JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -