{
  "abstract": "Starvation profoundly impacts development, but how different tissues respond to starvation is unclear. We generated a cellular atlas of gene expression in fed and starved C. elegans L1 larvae. We identified 79 cell types in both conditions, and we detected [~]98% of protein-coding genes, 44% of which were differentially expressed. Starvation affected translation-related genes across the animal, and most \"housekeeping\" genes were downregulated. However, tissue-specific patterns of differential expression, transcription factor activity, and GO term enrichments are widespread, suggesting tissue-specific gene regulatory mechanisms and functional consequences. We inferred tissue-specific effects on transcription factor activity, identifying known and novel putative nutrient-dependent transcriptional regulators. Surprisingly, we found extensive transcription in starved primordial germ cells (PGCs), which are known to hyper-compact their chromatin and silence transcription during L1 starvation. We validated PGC transcription of aak-1/AMPK, and we showed that zygotic aak-1/AMPK is required for PGC chromatin hyper-compaction, supporting reproductive success upon recovery. This work provides a valuable resource characterizing nutritional control of transcription in an animal, and it reveals that transcription of aak-1/AMPK is necessary to silence transcription in quiescent PGCs.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Duke University"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "J. Chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Surya"
    },
    {
      "name": "R. Chitrakar"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. R. Valley"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. F. Perez"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "L. R. Baugh"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cz2za2gprrqk4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.09.04.749554",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.04.749554v1.full",
  "id": "cz2za2gprrqk4",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.04.749554v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "genomics"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1302|Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7212065107",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.04.749554v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-04",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cz2za2gprrqk4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:39Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.09.04.749554",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.04.749554v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:genomics",
      "subfield": "genetics-genomics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "An atlas of the C. elegans starvation response reveals that transcription is necessary to initiate transcriptional silencing in quiescent primordial germ cells",
  "title_text": "An atlas of the C. elegans starvation response reveals that transcription is necessary to initiate transcriptional silencing in quiescent primordial germ cells",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cz2za2gprrqk4",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}