# Sex Alters Hypoxic Responses in Caenorhabditis elegans

## TL;DR

This study shows that male C. elegans are more resistant to low oxygen than hermaphrodites, and their movement is less affected by sudden oxygen changes.

## Contribution

The study reveals that neuronal sex influences hypoxic responses and that sex determination components can alter these responses independently of biological sex.

## Key findings

- C. elegans males are more resistant to long-term hypoxic injury than hermaphrodites.
- Male worms show reduced sensitivity of locomotory speed to acute oxygen changes.
- Sex determination pathway overexpression can modify hypoxic responses regardless of biological sex.

## Abstract

The expression of shared behaviors can exhibit sexual dimorphism, which is often mediated by neuronal sex. However, the role of behavioral entrainment by environmental conditions as a function of underlying sex has been less studied. Here, we demonstrate that
Caenorhabditis elegans
males are more resistant to long-term hypoxic injury than hermaphrodites and that their locomotory speed exhibits reduced sensitivity to acute changes in oxygen. Using cell-specific sex reversal, we investigated whether neuronal biological sex influences oxygen-dependent locomotory behavior. These data suggest that the overexpression of sex determination pathway components can modify hypoxic behavioral responses independently of underlying biological sex.