北京大学刘颖小组的最新研究探明了光感应通过血清素信号传导增强无眼生物的耐热性和竞争适应度。相关论文发表在2026年3月1日出版的《细胞研究》杂志上。

课题组研究人员表明秀丽隐杆线虫尽管没有眼睛，利用光觉作为一个预期的线索，以提高在热应激下的生存。暴露在低强度光下，通过光感受器LITE-1激活热休克反应，触发血清素信号，通过肠道和细胞中的血清素受体SER-5促进耐热性。除了急性应激保护外，光感知还通过延迟不利条件下的产卵来调节生殖行为，并诱导代际热耐受性，从而提高后代在高温下的存活率。光觉还能提高种群竞争力，在动态环境中提供竞争优势。这些发现揭示了光觉在非光合动物中一个以前未被认识到的作用，并确立了它是热适应和适应性的关键机制。

据介绍，生物体利用环境线索来预测和适应不断变化的条件。

附：英文原文

Title: Light sensing enhances thermotolerance and competitive fitness via serotonergic signaling in an eyeless organism

Author: Zhou, Liankui, Liu, Ying

Issue&Volume: 2026-03-01

Abstract: Organisms leverage environmental cues to anticipate and adapt to changing conditions. Here, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans, despite being eyeless, utilizes photoperception as an anticipatory cue to enhance survival under thermal stress. Exposure to low-intensity light activates a heat-shock response via the photoreceptor LITE-1, triggering serotonin signaling that promotes thermotolerance through the serotonin receptor SER-5 in the intestine and muscle. Beyond acute stress protection, light perception modulates reproductive behavior by delaying egg laying under unfavorable conditions and induces intergenerational thermotolerance, enhancing progeny survival at elevated temperatures. Photoperception also improves population competitiveness, providing a competitive advantage in dynamic environments. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized role for photoperception in a non-photosynthetic animal and establish it as a key mechanism for thermal adaptation and fitness.

DOI: 10.1038/s41422-026-01223-x

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41422-026-01223-x