Exogenous stressors (starvation, radiation and toxins) and endogenous stressors (replication stress and splicing collapse) lead to mitotic cell cycle arrest and meiotic cell apoptosis (1). DNA damage pathways mediate radiation-, toxin- and replication stress-induced germ cell behavioral changes. In addition, intestinal cells respond to IR and enhance meiotic germ cell apoptosis (2) and ER stress in C. elegans sensory neurons promotes germ cell apoptosis (2).