Genetische und neuronale Grundlage des duftvermittelten Sozialverhaltens bei Blattschneiderameisen

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In our tandem project, we first established various molecular techniques to study olfaction in leafcutting ants in an integrative approach. We used the total antennal RNA for a transcriptome analysis and subsequently performed a Microarray analysis to investigate differential gene expression in different castes and sub-castes of the leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri. Our aim was to identify pheromone receptor coding genes, based on differences in expression levels, which are expected to be related to previously described neuroanatomical phenotypes of the antennal lobes. In addition, we did a GO analysis and currently we run qPCRs to confirm our findings of the Microarray study. We found a total of three OR-coding gene candidates, one in workers, which is probably related to the worker macroglomerulus {MG}, and two in males, which are probably related to two of the three male MGs. Functional analysis of the candidate genes is pending and will be performed in the remaining second half of the current funding period.For the upcoming funding period, our application aims to continue the started project and extend it to a detailed functional analysis of the male pheromone communication system. We will identify the first sex-pheromone receptor gene in Hymenoptera. Furthermore, we will investigate the connectivity within the antennal lobe of small and large leaf-cutting ant workers and we will analyze the functional consequences of alternative connectivity in order to unravel the mechanisms of brain miniaturization within the olfactory pathway. Finally, we will develop a virus delivery system that allows us to silence gene expression of olfaction related genes in ants. This will be an important contribution for loss-of-function tests within the olfactory system.