RUI: Sociogenomics of circadian rhythms and task behavior in ants

社会基因组学的最新进展使得对调节社会行为发展的分子机制进行比较分析成为可能。在蚂蚁等社会性昆虫中，其社会性的一个方面--劳动分工--受到了最多的关注。一个关键的问题是，在没有一只蚂蚁控制的情况下，蚂蚁在巢中的工蚁如何组织它们所有必要的行为或任务？答案在于一种与我们用来组织日常活动的机制非常相似的机制--一种名为生物钟的内部分子节奏发生器。该项目的目标是描述蚂蚁昼夜节律的遗传结构，并研究收割机蚂蚁Pogonomyrmex ocsidentalis特定任务昼夜节律的进化、发展和功能。五个主要时钟基因的表达模式将在田间和实验室的收割机蚂蚁群体中进行分析，以确定收割机蚂蚁的昼夜节律和时钟功能何时发展，并探索调节昼夜节律的基因如何与特定任务相关。这一结果将阐明进化史和环境因素如何影响调节节律行为的分子机制。由于生物钟在不同的分类群中是保守的，从蚂蚁到老鼠再到人类，这项工作将影响我们对分子钟在动物行为与外部环境同步中所扮演的角色的一般理解。此外，该项目将为代表性不足的学生提供跨学科的研究机会，并向本科生介绍基因组和行为研究的尖端技术。最后，该项目为公众宣传提供了一个交流进化和行为研究的理想平台，因为人们可以很容易地与昼夜节律的主题联系在一起，例如，它与时差有关。

Recent advances in sociogenomics allow for comparative analyses of molecular mechanisms regulating the development of social behavior. In eusocial insects such as ants, one aspect of their sociality, the division of labor, has received the most attention. A key question is how do ant workers in a nest organize all of their necessary behaviors or tasks when no single ant is in control? The answer lies in a mechanism that is very similar to the one we use to organize our own daily activities - an internal molecular rhythm generator called the circadian clock. The goal of this project is to characterize the genetic structure of the ant circadian clock and study the evolution, development, and function of task-specific circadian rhythms in harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. The expression patterns of the five principle clock genes will be analyzed in field and laboratory colonies of harvester ants in order to determine when circadian rhythms and clock function develop in harvester ants and to explore how genes that regulate circadian rhythms are associated with specific tasks. The results will shed light on how evolutionary history and environmental factors influence a molecular mechanism that regulates rhythmic behavior. Because the circadian clock is conserved across diverse taxa, ranging from ants to mice to humans, the work will have an impact on our general understanding of the role of molecular clocks in the synchronization of animal behavior with the external environment. In addition, the project will provide interdisciplinary research opportunities for underrepresented students and introduce undergraduates to cutting-edge techniques in genomic and behavioral research. Finally, this project provides an ideal platform for public outreach efforts to communicate evolutionary and behavioral research because people can easily relate to the topic of circadian rhythms, for example, as it relates to jetlag.