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Comparative transcriptomics of social insect queen pheromones.

Luke Holman1, Heikki Helanterä2, Kalevi Trontti3

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Queen pheromones trigger similar gene expression changes in ants and bees, revealing conserved genetic mechanisms for reproductive division of labor in eusocial insects. This suggests ancient, shared molecular pathways underpin social structure.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Chemical Ecology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Queen pheromones are crucial chemical signals regulating social behavior and reproductive division of labor in eusocial insects.
  • Remarkably, ants, wasps, and bees, despite ancient divergence (>150 MYA), utilize identical or similar compounds as queen pheromones, suggesting convergent evolution of sociality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the transcriptomic effects of queen pheromone exposure in worker ants and bees.
  • To determine if these transcriptomic responses are conserved across distantly related eusocial insect species.

Main Methods:

  • Transcriptomic analysis (RNA sequencing) of worker ants (Lasius) and bees (Apis, Bombus) following experimental queen pheromone exposure.
  • Comparative analysis of gene expression and splicing patterns across species to identify conserved responses.

Main Results:

  • Queen pheromone exposure significantly altered gene transcription and splicing in worker insects.
  • A substantial number of genes exhibited conserved responses across both ant and bee species.
  • Pheromone-sensitive genes were enriched for functions including lipid metabolism, olfaction, cuticle production, oogenesis, and histone modification.
  • These genes were often evolutionarily ancient, positively selected, caste-specific, and peripherally located in gene networks.

Conclusions:

  • Queen pheromones elicit conserved transcriptomic changes in distantly related eusocial insects, indicating shared genetic underpinnings for reproductive division of labor.
  • These findings highlight the evolutionary conservation of molecular pathways involved in maintaining complex social structures.