Transcriptomics analysis of carbohydrates and amino acids metabolism in ant Mycocepurus goeldii

• Grant number: 14/15939-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2015
• End date: July 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio Bacci Junior
• Grantee: Dayane Pires da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Symbiotic relationships with microorganisms are described as a form of evolutionary innovation that allows some animals to access nutrients from plant biomass otherwise unavailable. The ants of the Attini tribe cultivate mutualistic fungi present in the nest chambers. In derived attines that harvest plant leaves, the fungus is fundamental for ants to feed on the hydrolysis products of plant polysaccharides, which are generated by fungal polysaccharidases. Apparently, the fungus also provides amino acids for the ants, which are deficient in biosynthetic enzymes of at least one of these compounds. In the basal attines, that do not harvest cut plant material, but a wide variety of distinct food, no information is available on ant and fungus metabolic integration. This project has as main objective to analyze genes of enzymes in the pathways of metabolism of amino acids and polysaccharides of the ant Mycocepurus goeldii, a basal attine. The analysis will be based on the construction and sequencing of the transcriptome of the ant, a study which has never been carried out with this ant species. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

SILVA, Dayane Pires da. Effect of symbiosis with fungi on genes of starch metabolism and of some amino acids on the ant Mycocepurus goeldii. 2016. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Biociências. Rio Claro Rio Claro.