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Collins, David H., Wirén, Anders, Labédan, Marjorie, Smith, Michael, Prince, David C., Mohorianu, Irina, Dalmay, Tamas 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1492-5429 and Bourke, Andrew F. G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5891-8816
(2021)
Gene expression during larval caste determination and differentiation in intermediately eusocial bumblebees, and a comparative analysis with advanced eusocial honeybees.
Molecular Ecology, 30 (3).
pp. 718-735.
ISSN 0962-1083
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Abstract
The queen-worker caste system of eusocial insects represents a prime example of developmental polyphenism (environmentally-induced phenotypic polymorphism) and is intrinsic to the evolution of advanced eusociality. However, the comparative molecular basis of larval caste determination and subsequent differentiation in the eusocial Hymenoptera remains poorly known. To address this issue within bees, we profiled caste-associated gene expression in female larvae of the intermediately eusocial bumblebee Bombus terrestris. In B. terrestris, female larvae experience a queen-dependent period during which their caste fate as adults is determined followed by a nutrition-sensitive period also potentially affecting caste fate but for which the evidence is weaker. We used mRNA-seq and qRT-PCR validation to isolate genes differentially expressed between each caste pathway in larvae at developmental stages before and after each of these periods. We show that differences in gene expression between caste pathways are small in totipotent larvae, then peak after the queen-dependent period. Relatively few novel (i.e. taxonomically-restricted) genes were differentially expressed between castes, though novel genes were significantly enriched in late-instar larvae in the worker pathway. We compared sets of caste-associated genes in B. terrestris with those reported from the advanced eusocial honeybee, Apis mellifera, and found significant but relatively low levels of overlap of gene lists between the two species. These results suggest both the existence of low numbers of shared toolkit genes and substantial divergence in caste-associated genes between Bombus and the advanced eusocial Apis since their last common eusocial ancestor.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Funding Information: This work was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC grant reference number BB/M001482/1) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC research grant reference numbers NE/L006758/1 and NE/R000875/1). |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | bombus terrestris,caste determination,caste-associated gene expression,eusociality,larval development,mrna-seq,ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics,genetics ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences |
| UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Plant Sciences Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Organisms and the Environment Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Dec 2020 00:46 |
| Last Modified: | 14 May 2023 00:42 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/77935 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/mec.15752 |
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