Queen pheromones modulate DNA methyltransferase activity in bee and ant workers

Area of Science:

• Epigenetics
• Social Insect Biology
• Behavioral Ecology

Background:

• DNA methylation is a key epigenetic mechanism regulating gene expression.
• Polyphenism, the ability of a single genotype to produce multiple distinct phenotypes, is common in social insects.
• Previous research focused on DNA methylation differences between queens and workers, but its role in other flexible phenotypes is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of DNA methylation in mediating pheromone-dependent changes in worker behavior and physiology in social insects.
• To determine if queen pheromones affect DNA methyltransferase gene expression in different social insect species.

Main Methods:

• Studied the expression of two DNA methyltransferase genes in response to queen pheromone exposure.
• Utilized Apis mellifera (honeybees), Lasius ants, and Bombus terrestris (bumblebees) as model organisms.

Main Results:

• Exposure to queen pheromone significantly affected the expression of DNA methyltransferase genes in honeybees and Lasius ants.
• No significant effect of queen pheromone on these genes was observed in Bombus terrestris.
• These findings indicate that queen pheromones can influence the worker methylome in certain social insect species.

Conclusions:

• Queen pheromones represent a novel proximate mechanism influencing worker epigenetics and behavior.
• DNA methylation plays a role in mediating flexible phenotypes in social insects beyond caste differences.
• The differential response across species highlights the diverse evolutionary paths of sociality and epigenetic regulation.