Rescue of shortened lifespan as a function of social isolation in ants

拯救因社会隔离而缩短的蚂蚁寿命

• 批准号: 10617644
• 负责人: Michael Gilbert
• 金额: $ 4.77万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-05-01 至 2024-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10617644
• 关键词: 3D Print; Aging; Ants; Behavior; Behavior Control; Behavioral; Behavioral Assay; Binding; Biological Assay; Biological Models; Biology of Aging; Brain; COVID-19 pandemic; Circadian Rhythms; Communication; Complex; Data; Disease Progression; Elements; Environment; Epigenetic Process; Exhibits; Future; Genes; Genetic; Genome; Goals; Health; Human; Hydrocarbons; Individual; Insecta; Investigation; Knowledge; Lethargies; Life; Link; Long-Term Effects; Longevity; Mass Spectrum Analysis; Mental Depression; Modeling; Morphology; Organism; Output; Pathway interactions; Phenotype; Physiological; Positioning Attribute; Regulation; Research; Social Behavior; Social Distance; Social Environment; Social Functioning; Social isolation; Socialization; Societies; Stimulus; Structure; Study models; System; Training; brain size; cerebral atrophy; epigenetic regulation; exoskeleton; experience; experimental study; insight; lonely individuals; odorant-binding protein; overexpression; pandemic disease; pandemic impact; public health emergency; response; skills; social; social influence; social structure; transcriptome sequencing; transmission process

Project Summary/Abstract Eusocial insects like ants have emerged as excellent models for the study of epigenetic regulation and lifespan due to their unique behavioral and morphological plasticity in response to social stimuli. Individual workers in an ant colony have nearly identical genomes but exhibit striking differences in behavior and lifespan. The outstanding and still relatively unexplored question remains: “How does the social environment alter the epigenetic state of mature, full-developed organisms with respect to behavior and aging?” Research in this field has been limited by the lack of suitable eusocial model systems that exhibit (A) complex social structures, and (B) can be utilized to ask questions about social state. Our preliminary data show that socially isolated ants exhibit drastically reduced lifespan. However, pairing a socially isolated ant with a 3D-printed ant model, coated with all the cuticular hydrocarbons of the individual’s original colony, rescues the lifespan decrease induced by isolation. I also observe drastic morphological changes in overall brain size in addition to distinct brain structures, as a function of social setting. I have also developed a behavioral assay that shows increased lethargy during social isolation. I performed RNA-sequencing to identify Obp56e has reduced expression during isolation, but elevated expression in the rescue. Obp56e is an odorant binding gene critical in synthesizing cuticular hydrocarbons. I will reveal how an odorant binding gene regulates lifespan differences, leads to region-specific brain atrophy, and controls behavioral changes. I will use my findings to modulate the expression of odorant binding protein(s) in the brain of C. floridanus to regulate lifespan and understand behavioral changes as a function of social isolation. I hypothesize that Obp56e will be critical in modulating the longevity of socially isolated individuals. The goal of this proposal is to reveal how the social environment influences lifespan and behavior in the ant species Camponotus floridanus. In Aim 1, I will elucidate the effect of social environment on C. floridanus by generating a brain specific overexpression of Obp56e in isolated individuals in order to end their lifespan, using behavior as a secondary output. In Aim 2, I will determine the cuticular hydrocarbon(s) (CHCs) that regulate lifespan difference as a function of social setting in C. floridanus. To integrate the aims, I will perform RNA-sequencing on the brains of ants who received the compound that provides rescue and compare to the total CHC rescue. These studies are likely to be highly applicable to human health by the functional investigation of conserved candidate genetic targets for lifespan modulation. I am in a unique position to establish the fundamental groundwork of social influence on lifespan and behavior before long-term effects of social distancing become a public health emergency.

项目概要/摘要 像蚂蚁这样的社会性昆虫已成为研究表观遗传调控和寿命的优秀模型 由于它们对社会刺激做出反应的独特行为和形态可塑性。个体劳动者在 蚁群具有几乎相同的基因组，但在行为和寿命方面表现出显着差异。这 悬而未决且尚未探索的问题仍然存在：“社会环境如何改变 成熟、发育完全的生物体在行为和衰老方面的表观遗传状态？”该领域的研究 由于缺乏合适的社会模型系统而受到限制，该系统表现出（A）复杂的社会结构，并且 (B) 可用于询问有关社会状态的问题。我们的初步数据表明，社会孤立的蚂蚁 表现出寿命大大缩短。然而，将一只与社会隔离的蚂蚁与 3D 打印的蚂蚁模型配对，并涂上涂层 与个体原始群体的所有角质层碳氢化合物一起，挽救由 隔离。除了不同的大脑结构之外，我还观察到整个大脑大小的剧烈形态变化， 作为社会环境的函数。我还开发了一种行为分析，显示在 社交隔离。我进行了 RNA 测序以确定 Obp56e 在分离过程中表达减少，但是 救援中表达升高。 Obp56e 是一种气味结合基因，对于合成角质层至关重要 碳氢化合物。我将揭示气味结合基因如何调节寿命差异，导致区域特异性 脑萎缩，并控制行为变化。我将利用我的发现来调节气味剂的表达 C. floridanus 大脑中的结合蛋白可调节寿命并了解行为变化 社会隔离的功能。我假设 Obp56e 对于调节社交寿命至关重要 孤立的个人。该提案的目标是揭示社会环境如何影响寿命和 佛罗里达弓背蚁的行为。在目标1中，我将阐明社会环境对 C. floridanus 通过在孤立个体中产生大脑特异性的 Obp56e 过度表达来终止其 生命周期，使用行为作为次要输出。在目标 2 中，我将确定角质层碳氢化合物 (CHC) 调节 C. floridanus 的寿命差异作为社会环境的函数。为了整合目标，我将 对接受了提供救援的化合物的蚂蚁的大脑进行 RNA 测序并进行比较 全面的 CHC 救援。这些研究可能非常适用于人类健康 研究寿命调节的保守候选遗传靶标。我处于一个独特的位置来建立 在社会的长期影响之前，社会对寿命和行为的影响的根本基础 保持距离成为公共卫生紧急事件。