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PMID: 24845553 Published · epublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Molecular traces of alternative social organization in a termite genome.

Nature communications ·Vol. 5 ·2014-05-20 ·Pages 3636

Terrapon N, Li C, Robertson HM, Ji L, Meng X, Booth W, Chen Z, Childers CP, Glastad KM, Gokhale K, Gowin J, Gronenberg W, Hermansen RA, Hu H, Hunt BG, Huylmans AK, Khalil SM, Mitchell RD, Munoz-Torres MC, Mustard JA, Pan H, Reese JT, Scharf ME, Sun F, Vogel H, Xiao J, Yang W, Yang Z, Yang Z, Zhou J, Zhu J, Brent CS, Elsik CG, Goodisman MA, Liberles DA, Roe RM, Vargo EL, Vilcinskas A, Wang J, Bornberg-Bauer E, Korb J, Zhang G, Liebig J

Abstract

Although eusociality evolved independently within several orders of insects, research into the molecular underpinnings of the transition towards social complexity has been confined primarily to Hymenoptera (for example, ants and bees). Here we sequence the genome and stage-specific transcriptomes of the dampwood termite Zootermopsis nevadensis (Blattodea) and compare them with similar data for eusocial Hymenoptera, to better identify commonalities and differences in achieving this significant transition. We show an expansion of genes related to male fertility, with upregulated gene expression in male reproductive individuals reflecting the profound differences in mating biology relative to the Hymenoptera. For several chemoreceptor families, we show divergent numbers of genes, which may correspond to the more claustral lifestyle of these termites. We also show similarities in the number and expression of genes related to caste determination mechanisms. Finally, patterns of DNA methylation and alternative splicing support a hypothesized epigenetic regulation of caste differentiation.

MeSH Terms
Alternative Splicing Animals DNA Methylation Epigenesis, Genetic Fertility/genetics Gene Expression Profiling Gene Expression Regulation Genome Insect Proteins/genetics,metabolism Isoptera/genetics Male Reproduction/genetics Social Behavior
Chemicals
Insect Proteins
Authors & Affiliations
43 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Terrapon Nicolas
1] Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster D48149, Germany [2] [3].
Li Cai
1] China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen 1350, Denmark [3].
Robertson Hugh M
Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
Ji Lu
China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Meng Xuehong
China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Booth Warren
1] Department of Entomology and W. M Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA [2].
Chen Zhensheng
China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Childers Christopher P
Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA.
Glastad Karl M
School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
Gokhale Kaustubh
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.
Gowin Johannes
1] Behavioural Biology, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück D49076, Germany [2].
Gronenberg Wulfila
Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
Hermansen Russell A
Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA.
Hu Haofu
China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Hunt Brendan G
1] School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA [2].
Huylmans Ann Kathrin
1] Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster D48149, Germany [2].
Khalil Sayed M S
1] Department of Entomology and W. M Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA [2] Department of Microbial Molecular Biology, Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute, Giza 12619, Egypt.
Mitchell Robert D
Department of Entomology and W. M Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.
Munoz-Torres Monica C
Genomics Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Mustard Julie A
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.
Pan Hailin
China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Reese Justin T
Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA.
Scharf Michael E
Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA.
Sun Fengming
China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Vogel Heiko
Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena D-07745, Germany.
Xiao Jin
China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Yang Wei
China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Yang Zhikai
China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Yang Zuoquan
China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Zhou Jiajian
China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Zhu Jiwei
Department of Entomology and W. M Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.
Brent Colin S
Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Maricopa, Arizona 85138, USA.
Elsik Christine G
1] Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA [2] Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA.
Goodisman Michael A D
School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
Liberles David A
Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA.
Roe R Michael
Department of Entomology and W. M Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.
Vargo Edward L
Department of Entomology and W. M Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.
Vilcinskas Andreas
Institut für Phytopathologie und Angewandte Zoologie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen D35390, Germany.
Wang Jun
1] China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-1165, Denmark [3] Princess Al Jawhara Center of Excellence in the Research of Hereditary Disorders, King Abdulaziz University, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia [4] Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai long, Taipa, Macau 999078, China [5] Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Bornberg-Bauer Erich
Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster D48149, Germany.
Korb Judith
1] Behavioural Biology, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück D49076, Germany [2].
Zhang Guojie
1] China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Liebig Jürgen
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.
Article Info
Journal
Nature communications
Abbr.
Nat Commun
ISSN
2041-1723
Published
2014-05-20
Epub
2014-00-20
Pages
3636
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
101528555
Subset
IM
Databases
SRA
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