Nictation is a behaviour in which a nematode stands on its tail and waves its head in three dimensions. This activity promotes dispersal of dauer larvae by allowing them to attach to other organisms and travel on them to a new niche. In this review, we describe our understanding of nictation, including its diversity in nematode species, how it is induced by environmental factors, and neurogenetic factors that regulate nictation. We also highlight the known cellular and signalling factors that affect nictation, for example, IL2 neurons, insulin/IGF-1 signalling, TGF-β signalling, FLP neuropeptides and piRNAs. Elucidation of the mechanism of nictation will contribute to increased understanding of the conserved dispersal strategies in animals.
Keywords: Phoresy; dispersal strategy; genetics; neural circuit; nictation.