article published yes Chee Kiang Ewe author Hanna Achache author Hanna Schön author C8E17EDC-D7AA-11E9-B7B7-45ECE5697425 Leonid Kontorovich author Guy Teichman author Shir Weiss author Anna Mogilevskaya author Myriam Valenski author Sarit Anava author Rutwik Bardapurkar author Hila Gingold author Rachel Posner author Olga Antonova author Mario De Bono author 4E3FF80E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0001-8347-0443 Yonatan B. Tzur author Oded Rechavi author MaDe department Thermal pollution, whether local or driven by global warming, threatens biodiversity in part through its detrimental effects on reproduction. Non-coding small RNAs (sRNAs) are crucial for maintaining germline developmental robustness under heat stress. Remarkably, we uncovered that neuronal sRNAs regulate germ cells’ thermotolerance, affecting both spermatogenic and oogenic germlines in a cell-non-autonomous manner. Furthermore, we demonstrate that, in RNAi mutants, an oxygen-sensing neural circuit, modulated by neuropeptide signaling, antagonizes germline maintenance, likely reflecting the nematode’s innate association of reduced oxygen levels with food availability and reproductive permissive environments. Finally, we provide evidence that laboratory-domesticated alleles of oxygen-response genes encoding neuropeptide receptor NPR-1 and hexacoordinated globin GLB-5 compromise germline thermotolerance. Hence, our findings raise the possibility that sensory perception, independent of direct environmental change, modulates germline integrity, highlighting a novel mechanism by which neural circuits integrate environmental information to safeguard reproductive fitness in fluctuating environments. https://research-explorer.ista.ac.at/download/22267/22598/2026_CurrentBiology_KiangEwe.pdf application/pdfno Elsevier2026 eng 0960-9822 1879-0445 4240901410.1016/j.cub.2026.06.016 36143566-3579.e5 C. K. Ewe <i>et al.</i>, “Neuronal RNAi and oxygen-sensing circuit shape germline resilience to heat stress,” <i>Current Biology</i>, vol. 36, no. 14. Elsevier, p. 3566–3579.e5, 2026. C.K. Ewe, H. Achache, H. Schön, L. Kontorovich, G. Teichman, S. Weiss, A. Mogilevskaya, M. Valenski, S. Anava, R. Bardapurkar, H. Gingold, R. Posner, O. Antonova, M. de Bono, Y.B. Tzur, O. Rechavi, Current Biology 36 (2026) 3566–3579.e5. Ewe, C. K., Achache, H., Schön, H., Kontorovich, L., Teichman, G., Weiss, S., … Rechavi, O. (2026). Neuronal RNAi and oxygen-sensing circuit shape germline resilience to heat stress. <i>Current Biology</i>. Elsevier. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.06.016">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.06.016</a> Ewe, Chee Kiang, et al. “Neuronal RNAi and Oxygen-Sensing Circuit Shape Germline Resilience to Heat Stress.” <i>Current Biology</i>, vol. 36, no. 14, Elsevier, 2026, p. 3566–3579.e5, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.06.016">10.1016/j.cub.2026.06.016</a>. Ewe CK, Achache H, Schön H, et al. Neuronal RNAi and oxygen-sensing circuit shape germline resilience to heat stress. <i>Current Biology</i>. 2026;36(14):3566-3579.e5. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.06.016">10.1016/j.cub.2026.06.016</a> Ewe CK, Achache H, Schön H, Kontorovich L, Teichman G, Weiss S, Mogilevskaya A, Valenski M, Anava S, Bardapurkar R, Gingold H, Posner R, Antonova O, de Bono M, Tzur YB, Rechavi O. 2026. Neuronal RNAi and oxygen-sensing circuit shape germline resilience to heat stress. Current Biology. 36(14), 3566–3579.e5. Ewe, Chee Kiang, Hanna Achache, Hanna Schön, Leonid Kontorovich, Guy Teichman, Shir Weiss, Anna Mogilevskaya, et al. “Neuronal RNAi and Oxygen-Sensing Circuit Shape Germline Resilience to Heat Stress.” <i>Current Biology</i>. Elsevier, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.06.016">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.06.016</a>. 222672026-07-12T22:02:18Z2026-07-28T07:32:06Z