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Developmental Transcriptome for a Facultatively Eusocial Bee, Megalopta genalis.

Beryl M Jones1, William T Wcislo2, Gene E Robinson3

  • 1Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama 20521-9100 Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 bmjones2@illinois.edu.

G3 (Bethesda, Md.)
|August 16, 2015
PubMed
Summary

This study presents a developmental transcriptome for the facultative eusocial bee Megalopta genalis, offering insights into the evolution of social behavior. Gene expression analysis reveals distinct biological processes across life stages, crucial for understanding sociality and plasticity.

Keywords:
developmenteusocialityphenotypic plasticitysocial evolutiontranscriptomics

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genomics
  • Behavioral ecology

Background:

  • Transcriptomes are vital for understanding complex traits and evolutionary processes.
  • The facultatively eusocial bee Megalopta genalis offers a model for studying the evolution of eusociality.
  • Understanding gene expression across developmental stages is key to uncovering the molecular basis of social behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To generate a developmental transcriptome for Megalopta genalis.
  • To analyze gene expression profiles throughout the bee's life stages.
  • To identify molecular mechanisms underlying the evolution of eusociality and phenotypic plasticity.

Main Methods:

  • De novo transcriptome assembly using paired-end Illumina sequencing and the Trinity assembler.
  • RNA sequencing of males and females across all life stages.
  • Gene Ontology (GO) analysis to determine functional roles of stage-specific genes.

Main Results:

  • Identification of stage-specific genes involved in ion transport, cell-cell signaling, and metabolism.
  • Distinct biological processes are upregulated in each developmental stage.
  • Transitions between life stages show shifts in dominant functional processes, e.g., from transcriptional regulation in embryos to metabolism in larvae and lipid metabolism in adults.

Conclusions:

  • The Megalopta genalis transcriptome is a valuable resource for studying the evolution of eusociality.
  • Developmental gene expression patterns highlight key molecular shifts during life stage transitions.
  • This resource will aid future research into the molecular basis of social evolution and phenotypic plasticity.