Studying the molecular mechanisms of social life using a novel ant model system

使用新型蚂蚁模型系统研究社会生活的分子机制

• 批准号: 8356612
• 负责人: Daniel Kronauer
• 金额: $ 254.25万
• 依托单位: ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-30 至 2017-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8356612
• 关键词: Animal Model; Ants; Architecture; Behavior; Behavioral; Biological Models; Candidate Disease Gene; Development; Foundations; Future; Gene Expression; Gene Expression Profile; Genetic; Genetic Models; Human; Individual; Insecta; Life; Light; Mind; Molecular; Molecular Genetics; Pathway interactions; Pheromone; Physiology; RNA; Regulation; Social Behavior; Social Environment; Social Interaction; Societies; Staging; Stereotyping; Stimulus; System; Tactile; Techniques; United States National Institutes of Health; Work; abstracting; fascinate; genetic manipulation; genome sequencing; novel; public health relevance; reproductive; research study; response; social; social organization

DESCRIPTION (Provided by the applicant) Abstract: Like humans, social insects are highly responsive to their social environment and therefore are great potential systems to study the effects of social interactions on individual behavior and physiology. Here I propose to develop and use a novel genetic model system, the ant Cerapachys biroi, to study the following main questions. 1. Which basic molecular components are required for individuals to function as a society? 2. How are these components derived from the genetic architecture of solitary ancestors? 3. How does evolutionary change at the individual level give rise to novel forms of social organization? Cerapachys biroi is perfectl suited as a model system because it uniquely combines fascinating social behavior with unparalleled experimental accessibility. Workers reproduce parthenogenetically, which means that the individual allelic background and the genetic composition of experimental colonies can be perfectly controlled and replicated. The species also has a peculiar form of social organization. While colonies of other social insects perform different tasks simultaneously, colonies of C. biroi undergo highly stereotyped behavioral and reproductive cycles. These colony-level cycles emerge from the workers' synchronized response to pheromone and tactile stimuli from the brood. The social environment is therefore precisely defined by the different brood developmental stages present in the colony. This form of social organization allows me to precisely control, replicate, and experimentally manipulate the social environment. As a foundation for future work, my lab is currently sequencing the genome and transcriptome of C. biroi and developing automated techniques to quantify individual and colony-level behavior. As a NIH New Innovator, I first plan to quantify cyclic behavior and associated changes in global gene expression using RNA-Seq experiments. This will identify candidate molecular pathways that are responsive to changes in the social environment. As a second step, my group will characterize the function and regulation of particular candidate genes and pathways by using a combination of targeted approaches (RT-qPCR, immunostaining, pharmacological and genetic manipulations, etc.). In comparison to solitary model organisms, this will shed light on how the molecular architecture of social species builds on that of their solitary ancestors, and which components have evolved entirely de novo. Finally, by comparing C. biroi to other social insects, we will study how the derived cyclic social organization emerges from evolutionary change at the individual level. Public Health Relevance: Similar to humans, social insects are highly responsive to the social environment and therefore are great systems to study the effects of social interactions on individual behavior and physiology. Using a novel ant model system, I will investigate the fundamental molecular and genetic mechanisms that underlie social life. This work will potentially also have important implications for our basic understanding of the human social mind.

描述（由申请人提供） 摘要：与人类一样，社会性昆虫对其社会环境具有高度的反应性，因此是研究社会互动对个体行为和生理影响的巨大潜在系统。在这里，我建议开发和使用一种新的遗传模型系统，蚂蚁Cerapachys biroi，研究以下主要问题。1.个体作为一个社会发挥作用需要哪些基本的分子组成部分？2.这些成分是如何从独居祖先的遗传结构中衍生出来的？3.个体层面的进化变化是如何产生新的社会组织形式的？Cerapachys biroi非常适合作为模型系统，因为它独特地结合了迷人的社会行为和无与伦比的实验可及性。工蜂以孤雌生殖方式繁殖，这意味着个体等位基因背景和实验群体的遗传组成可以完美地控制和复制。这个物种还有一种特殊的社会组织形式。 虽然其他群居昆虫的群落同时执行不同的任务，但C.比罗伊人的行为和生殖周期具有高度的定型观念。这些群体水平的周期出现从工人的同步反应信息素和触觉刺激的育雏。因此，社会环境是由殖民地中不同的育雏发育阶段精确定义的。这种社会组织形式使我能够精确地控制、复制和实验性地操纵社会环境。作为未来工作的基础，我的实验室目前正在对C. biroi和开发自动化技术来量化个人和群体水平的行为。作为NIH的新创新者，我首先计划使用RNA-Seq实验量化全球基因表达的周期行为和相关变化。这将确定对社会环境变化作出反应的候选分子途径。作为第二步，我的团队将通过使用靶向方法（RT-qPCR，免疫染色，药理学和遗传操作等）的组合来表征特定候选基因和途径的功能和调控。与独居模式生物相比，这将揭示社会物种的分子结构是如何建立在其独居祖先的分子结构上的，以及哪些成分是完全从头进化的。最后，通过比较C. biroi到其他社会性昆虫，我们将研究如何衍生的循环社会组织出现从进化变化在个体水平。 公共卫生相关性：与人类相似，社会性昆虫对社会环境高度敏感，因此是研究社会互动对个体行为和生理影响的重要系统。使用一个新的蚂蚁模型系统，我将研究社会生活的基本分子和遗传机制。这项工作也可能对我们对人类社会心理的基本理解产生重要影响。

项目成果

Social regulation of insulin signaling and the evolution of eusociality in ants.

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aar5723
• 发表时间: 2018-07-27
• 期刊: Science (New York, N.Y.)
• 作者: Chandra V;Fetter-Pruneda I;Oxley PR;Ritger AL;McKenzie SK;Libbrecht R;Kronauer DJC
• 通讯作者: Kronauer DJC

Robust DNA Methylation in the Clonal Raider Ant Brain.

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.12.040
• 发表时间: 2016-02-08
• 期刊: CURRENT BIOLOGY
• 影响因子: 9.2
• 作者: Libbrecht, Romain;Oxley, Peter Robert;Keller, Laurent;Kronauer, Daniel Jan Christoph
• 通讯作者: Kronauer, Daniel Jan Christoph

Ant larvae regulate worker foraging behavior and ovarian activity in a dose-dependent manner.

蚂蚁幼虫以剂量依赖的方式调节工人觅食行为和卵巢活性。

• DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-2046-2
• 发表时间: 2016-07
• 期刊: Behavioral ecology and sociobiology
• 影响因子: 2.3
• 作者: Ulrich Y;Burns D;Libbrecht R;Kronauer DJ
• 通讯作者: Kronauer DJ

Ant genomics sheds light on the molecular regulation of social organization.

• DOI: 10.1186/gb-2013-14-7-212
• 发表时间: 2013-07-29
• 期刊: Genome biology
• 影响因子: 12.3
• 作者: Libbrecht R;Oxley PR;Kronauer DJ;Keller L
• 通讯作者: Keller L