Gene expression patterns associated with caste and reproductive status in ants: worker-specific genes are more derived than queen-specific ones
Gene expression patterns associated with caste and reproductive status in ants: worker-specific genes are more derived than queen-specific ones
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DOI：
10.1111/mec.12490
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发表时间：
2014-01-01
影响因子：
4.9
通讯作者：
Foitzik, S.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Feldmeyer, B.;Elsner, D.;Foitzik, S.
基因表达的变异导致了表型的多样性，并在真社会性昆虫物种的等级分化中起着核心作用。在社会膜翅目昆虫中，具有相同遗传背景的雌蜂可以发育为蜂王或工蜂，它们的形态、行为和寿命都不同。此外，许多群居昆虫在行为上表现出不同的工蜂等级，如育婴者和觅食者。研究人员刚刚开始探索哪些基因是通过差异表达来实现这种显著的表型可塑性的。虽然蚁后通常是巢中唯一的繁殖个体，但在她离开后，年轻的育雏工蜂通常会发育卵巢并开始繁殖。在这里，我们利用蚂蚁Temnothorax longispinosus的这种能力，并沿着生殖梯度比较了皇后和三个工蚁种姓的基因表达模式。我们发现蚁后和工蜂种姓之间的表达差异最大（类似2500个基因），而不育的育婴者和觅食者之间的差异最小（类似300个基因）。可育工人的表情谱更像工人，但在一定程度上介于女王和不育工人种姓之间。与蜂后相比，工蜂种姓中大量差异表达的基因功能未知，这表明膜翅目工蜂在昆虫中的衍生地位。
Variation in gene expression leads to phenotypic diversity and plays a central role in caste differentiation of eusocial insect species. In social Hymenoptera, females with the same genetic background can develop into queens or workers, which are characterized by divergent morphologies, behaviours and lifespan. Moreover, many social insects exhibit behaviourally distinct worker castes, such as brood-tenders and foragers. Researchers have just started to explore which genes are differentially expressed to achieve this remarkable phenotypic plasticity. Although the queen is normally the only reproductive individual in the nest, following her removal, young brood-tending workers often develop ovaries and start to reproduce. Here, we make use of this ability in the ant Temnothorax longispinosus and compare gene expression patterns in the queens and three worker castes along a reproductive gradient. We found the largest expression differences between the queen and the worker castes (similar to 2500 genes) and the smallest differences between infertile brood-tenders and foragers (similar to 300 genes). The expression profile of fertile workers is more worker-like, but to a certain extent intermediate between the queen and the infertile worker castes. In contrast to the queen, a high number of differentially expressed genes in the worker castes are of unknown function, pointing to the derived status of hymenopteran workers within insects.