Body stiffness is a mechanical property that facilitates contact-mediated mate recognition in Caenorhabditis elegans

Summary

Physical contact is prevalent in the animal kingdom to recognize suitable mates by decoding information about sex, species, and maturity. Although chemical cues for mate recognition have been extensively studied, the role of mechanical cues remains elusive. Here, we show that C. elegans males recognize conspecific and reproductive mates through short-range cues, and that the attractiveness of potential mates depends on the sex and developmental stages of the hypodermis. We find that a particular group of cuticular collagens is required for mate attractiveness. These collagens maintain body stiffness to sustain mate attractiveness but do not affect the surface properties that evoke the initial step of mate recognition, suggesting that males utilize multiple sensory mechanisms to recognize suitable mates. Manipulations of body stiffness via physical interventions, chemical treatments, and 3D-printed bionic worms indicate that body stiffness is a mechanical property for mate recognition and increases mating efficiency. Our study thus extends the repertoire of sensory cues of mate recognition in C. elegans and provides a paradigm to study the important roles of mechanosensory cues in social behaviors.