RUI: Sociogenomics of circadian rhythms and task behavior in ants

社会基因组学的最新进展允许对调节社会行为发展的分子机制进行比较分析。 在真社会性昆虫如蚂蚁中，它们社会性的一个方面，劳动分工，受到了最多的关注。 一个关键的问题是，当没有一只蚂蚁处于控制之下时，蚁巢中的蚂蚁工人如何组织所有必要的行为或任务？答案在于一种机制，它与我们用来组织自己日常活动的机制非常相似--一种称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钟的遗传结构，并研究收获蚁（Pogonomyrmex occurentalis）特定任务昼夜节律的进化、发展和功能。五个主要的时钟基因的表达模式将在现场和实验室殖民地的收获蚁进行分析，以确定何时昼夜节律和时钟功能开发收获蚁，并探讨如何调节昼夜节律的基因与特定的任务。这些结果将揭示进化历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类群中是保守的，从蚂蚁到小鼠再到人类，这项工作将对我们对分子钟在动物行为与外部环境同步中的作用的一般理解产生影响。 此外，该项目将为代表性不足的学生提供跨学科研究机会，并向本科生介绍基因组和行为研究的前沿技术。最后，这个项目为公众宣传进化和行为研究提供了一个理想的平台，因为人们可以很容易地与昼夜节律的主题联系起来，例如，因为它与时差有关。

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.