Reinforcement of epigenetic memory by social interactions in ants

描述(由申请者提供)：来自Harpegnathos saltator蚂蚁物种的工作人员可以转化为产卵、寿命显著延长和特定行为的繁殖假女王(配偶门)。这一转变可以通过两条路径实现：社交和孤独。在社交路径中，来自女王去世的殖民地的工蚁通过触角决斗进行互动，直到几个“赢家”成为玩家门；在孤独的路上，一只与世隔绝的工蚁也可以产卵。社交玩家和孤独玩家在行为上有着显著的差异。重要的是，将社会性游戏门恢复到工人手中要比孤立的难得多，这表明社交互动允许建立比单独的游戏门更稳定的表观遗传标记。我们将使用这一独特的工具来研究社会互动如何影响表观遗传过程，以及表观遗传修饰的变化如何稳定行为模式。我们还建议使用强大的基因打靶方法，特别是CRISPR，来开发跳鼠的遗传工具，以调节这些表观遗传标记和潜在的行为。这些先导性研究将为进一步的功能分析奠定基础，从而促进我们对表观遗传行为基础的理解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Workers from the ant species Harpegnathos saltator can convert to reproductive pseudoqueens (gamergates) that lay eggs, have a dramatically expanded lifespan, and specific behaviors. This transition can be achieved by two paths: social and solitary. In the social path, workers from a colony where the queen has died interact through antennal dueling until several "winners" become gamergates; in the solitary path, an isolated worker can also lay eggs. Social and solitary gamergates have striking differences in behavior. Importantly, it is much more difficult to revert social gamergates to workers than solitary, suggesting that social interactions allow the establishment of more stable epigenetic marks than in solitary gamergates. We will use this unique tool to investigate how social interactions influence epigenetic processes and how changes in epigenetic modifications stabilize behavioral patterns. We also propose to develop genetic tools in H. saltator using powerful gene-targeting approaches, notably CRISPR, to modulate these epigenetic marks and potentially behavior. These pilot studies will lay a foundation for further functional analyses tha will advance our understanding of epigenetic underpinnings of behavior.