Figure 1.
Mating causes vulva cuticle damage in C. elegans hermaphrodites.
(A) The vulva of an unmated N2 hermaphrodite. (B) The vulva of a N2 hermaphrodite mated with a male with an N2 background. The arrow denotes where delamination of the cuticle surface near the vulva has occurred. (C–D) Unmated QG2288 hermaphrodites with no apparent physical damage. (E) A rare unmated QG2288 hermaphrodite with damage near the vulva (arrow). (F–I). QG2288 hermaphrodites mated with males of the same strain. Arrows denote the presence of cuticle tearing near the vulva. Scale bars represent ten microns in all panels.
Table 1.
Incidence of vulva cuticle damage in mated and unmated hermaphrodites.
Figure 2.
Soil conditions do not cause cuticle damage.
SEM images of hermaphrodites grown in soil plate conditions. (A) Low- (left) and high-magnification (right) images of a worm grown for five days in soil, showing pristine ultrastructure of the cuticle. The three parallel alae (ridges running transversely across the cuticle) are clearly visible in the high-magnification view. (B) Soil conditions also do not damage cuticle surrounding the vulva. Two representative specimens are shown. Scales bars represent 100 microns in A and 10 microns in B.