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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Testing Protozoacidal Activity of Ligand-lytic Peptides Against Termite Gut Protozoa in vitro (Protozoa Culture) and in vivo (Microinjection into Termite Hindgut)

Testing Protozoacidal Activity of Ligand-lytic Peptides Against Termite Gut Protozoa in vitro (Protozoa Culture) and in vivo (Microinjection into Termite Hindgut)

Published on: December 29, 2010

Adaptive evolution in subterranean termite antifungal peptides.

M S Bulmer¹, F Lay, C Hamilton

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD21252, USA. mbulmer@towson.edu

Insect Molecular Biology

|June 22, 2010

Summary

We analyzed immune proteins in subterranean termites, finding evidence of positive selection in termicin, an antifungal peptide, and neutral evolution in GNBP2, a pattern recognition receptor.

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Area of Science:

Entomology
Molecular Biology
Evolutionary Genetics

Background:

Subterranean termites possess innate immune systems crucial for survival.
Immune proteins like termicin and GNBP2 play vital roles in termite defense.
Understanding the evolution of these proteins provides insights into host-pathogen interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify and analyze the mRNA sequences of two key immune proteins, termicin and GNBP2, in Reticulitermes flavipes and Reticulitermes virginicus.
To investigate the population genetic patterns of these immune proteins.
To infer the evolutionary pressures shaping the termicin and GNBP2 genes.

Main Methods:

mRNA sequencing of termicin and GNBP2 from Reticulitermes flavipes and Reticulitermes virginicus.
Population genetic analysis, including nucleotide intraspecific polymorphism and interspecific divergence.
Application of evolutionary models to interpret genetic variation patterns.

Main Results:

Termicin sequences showed reduced polymorphism, indicative of a selective sweep.
Positive selection of beneficial amino acid changes appears to have driven the evolution of termicin.
GNBP2 exhibited polymorphism and divergence patterns consistent with the neutral theory of molecular evolution.

Conclusions:

The antifungal peptide termicin has undergone adaptive evolution driven by positive selection.
The pattern recognition receptor GNBP2 appears to evolve under neutral processes.
These findings highlight divergent evolutionary trajectories for different immune components in termites.