Partial loss of the vitellogenins confers a fitness disadvantage but does not impact brood size in C. elegans

Abstract

Organismal homeostasis relies on balancing cellular metabolic decisions with environmental conditions, especially during reproduction. Using Caenorhabditis elegans, we tested whether vitellogenesis, or the deposition of lipid-rich yolk into oocytes, is required for reproductive output and metabolic balance by creating a strain lacking five of the six vitellogenin genes ( vit-1/3/4/5/6 ). This mutant produced embryos with reduced lipid content compared to wild-type, but the total brood size remained unaffected, unlike the rme-2 mutant, which lacks the yolk receptor. However, progeny survival during L1 starvation was impaired in vit-1/3/4/5/6 animals. This strain offers a new model for studying how vitellogenesis impacts reproductive and organismal fitness.