CAREER: Genomic Analysis of Pheromone-Mediated Behavior

化学通讯是一个复杂的过程，在这个过程中，化学信号被转化为独特的行为或生理反应。环境背景、生理状态或接受动物的基因型可以深刻地影响动物的反应，但这种调节的分子基础在很大程度上是未知的。本项目旨在研究调节蜜蜂对蜂王下颌信息素（QMP）反应的遗传和生理因素，QMP是蜜蜂行为和群体组织的主要信息素调节剂。QMP的不同寻常之处在于它能引起多种反应。这些研究将描述生理因素和遗传变异对三种反应的影响，还将确定引物和释放信息素反应是否耦合，以及特定的大脑基因表达模式是否与不同的反应相关。该项目将深入了解外部化学线索如何被大脑转化为行为或生理反应，并将解决调节这些过程的生理、基因型和进化因素。这些研究将作为综合教育、培训和外联活动的平台。特别是，行为分析将成为一个旨在让高中生参与动手科学研究的项目的基石，允许他们使用蜜蜂创建、设计和分析自己的实验。微阵列研究将用于昆虫神经基因组学和生态与进化中的分子技术这两门新课程，向学生展示非遗传模型系统跨学科分子研究的机会，并使他们熟悉前沿分子技术。最后，这些研究将有助于建立和支持一个积极的研究项目，吸引K-12学生、本科生、研究生和博士后研究人员，并将他们的工作与NCSU部门内部和部门之间以及国内和国际的一些合作项目相结合。

Chemical communication is a complex process in which a chemical signal is translated into a distinct behavioral or physiological response. The environmental context, physiological state, or genotype of the receiving animal can profoundly affect how the animal responds, but the molecular bases for this modulation are largely unknown. This project is designed to study the genetic and physiological factors that modulate how honey bees respond to queen mandibular pheromone (QMP), the main pheromonal regulator of bee behavior and colony organization. QMP is unusual in that it induces a variety of responses. These studies will characterize the effects of physiological factors and genetic variation on three responses, but also determine if primer and releaser pheromone responses are coupled, and if specific brain gene expression patterns are associated with different responses. This project will provide insight into how an external chemical cue is translated into a behavioral or physiological response by the brain, and will also address the physiological, genotypic and evolutionary factors that modulate these processes. The studies will serve as a platform for integrated education, training and outreach activities. In particular the behavioral assays will be the cornerstone of a program aimed at engaging high school students in hands-on scientific research, by allowing them to create, design, and analyze their own experiments using honey bees. The microarray studies will be used in two new courses, Insect Neurogenomics and Molecular Techniques in Ecology and Evolution, to both demonstrate to students the opportunities available in interdisciplinary molecular research on non-genetic model systems and to familiarize them with cutting edge molecular techniques. Lastly, these studies will help build and support an active research program that engages K-12 students, undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral researches, and integrates their work with a number of collaborative ventures both within and between departments at NCSU, and nationally and internationally.