Collaborative Research: Epigenetic Gene Regulation in the Social Bee Apis Mellifera

智力优势：生物体中的每个细胞都携带相同的一组基因。然而，不同的细胞执行不同的功能，因为每个细胞中只有一部分基因被激活。细胞激活特定基因的一种方法是通过化学修饰特定的DNA片段。这个项目研究了DNA甲基化如何影响蜜蜂的发育。蜜蜂是一种众所周知的群居昆虫，具有重要的生态和经济意义，是研究DNA甲基化的重要物种。此外，蜜蜂种姓的分化代表了发育可塑性最壮观的例子之一：蜂王和工蜂通过DNA甲基化介导的差异基因激活，从相同的基因产生。因此，确定DNA甲基化如何影响蜜蜂的发育将有助于将特定的分子机制与不同发育形式的产生联系起来，并为影响社会行为的因素提供见解。更广泛的影响：本项目将对社会产生若干更广泛的影响。例如，本科生和研究生将接受综合多学科研究方面的培训。研究成果也将在大学课堂和实验室中实施。此外，研究成果将通过大众媒体和科学会议传播，从而提高科学素养。最后，由于蜜蜂是为农作物授粉的关键物种，这些研究将有助于改善美国的农业成果。

Intellectual Merit: Every cell in an organism carries the same sets of genes. However different cells perform different functions because only subsets of genes are activated in each cell. One way that cells activate specific sets of genes is by chemically modifying particular pieces of DNA. This project investigates how one such modification, DNA methylation, affects development in the honeybee. Honeybees are well-known social insects and represent important species for studying DNA methylation because of their ecological and economic importance. In addition, the differentiation of honeybee castes represents one of the most spectacular examples of developmental plasticity: queens and workers arise from the same genes through differential gene activation mediated by DNA methylation. Consequently, determining how DNA methylation affects development in honeybees would help link specific molecular mechanisms to the production of different developmental forms and provide insight into the factors affecting social behavior.Broader Impacts: This project will result in several broader impacts to society. For example, undergraduate and graduate students will be trained in integrative multidisciplinary research. Research findings will also be implemented in university classes and laboratories. Moreover, research findings will be disseminated through popular press and scientific meetings thereby increasing scientific literacy. Finally, because honeybees are critical species for pollinating crops, these studies will contribute to improving agricultural outcomes in the United States.