The role of the dsx gene in specifying cooperative behaviors in a eusocial organism, the honeybee

脊椎动物和无脊椎动物向群居的进化导致了从独居生活到群体生活的变化，在某些物种中，这涉及到不同种姓的形成、生殖女王和放弃生殖的工蚁。在更高级的群居昆虫群体中，如蜜蜂，复杂的群居行为仅限于工蚁，不适用于蜂王。工蚁特有的行为以丰富的行为任务为特征，这些任务服务于一个共同的目标：维持和繁殖群体。在以前发表的工作中，已经研究了行为任务投入的偏好，这些偏好受到成年工作者的基因、基因表达、经验和年龄的影响。然而，我们对成年工作者中枢神经系统(CNS)在发育过程中先天工作者特有行为的潜能是如何指定的，我们的理解充其量也是最基本的。我们已经确定了一个发育基因，它可以指定工蚁特定行为的各个方面，这与育儿相关。其他的一般行为没有被编程。行为障碍与大脑结构的畸形和一小部分神经细胞的特定表达有关。这项建议的目的是了解工人特定行为背后的细胞和解剖学成分。我们将使用表达该基因的细胞作为模型系统。总体目标是描述在一个社会中合作行为的分子和细胞基础。

The evolution to eusociality in vertebrates and invertebrates has led to changes from solitary living to group living, which in some species involves the formation of distinct castes, a reproductive queen and the workers that forego reproduction. In more advanced eusocial insect colonies, such as honeybees, the sophisticated social within-group behaviors are limited to workers and do not apply to queens. The worker-specific behaviors are characterized by a rich repertoire of behavioral tasks, which serve a common goal: the maintenance and reproduction of the colony. In previously published work, the preferences of behavioral task engagements, which are influenced by the genotype, gene expression, experience and age of adult workers, have been studied. However, our understanding of how the potential of innate worker-specific behaviors is specified in the adult worker central nerve system (CNS) during development is rudimentary at best. We have identified a developmental gene that can specify aspects of worker-specific behaviors, which is related to brood rearing. Other general behaviors were not programmed. Behavioral malfunctions are associated with malformations of brain structures and with specific expression in a small subset of neuronal cells. The aim of this proposal is to understand the cellular and anatomical components underlying worker-specific behaviors. We will use the cells expressing this gene as a model system. The overall goal is to characterize the molecular and cellular underpinnings of cooperative behaviors in a eusocial society.