Beyond immunity: The role of innate immune signaling pathways in the defensive behavior of highly eusocial bees

• Grant number: 23/13713-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Klaus Hartmann Hartfelder
• Grantee: Leonardo Campana
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/13296-9 - Molecular basis of behavioral plasticity and reproductive strategies in life histories evolution of Neotropical stingless bees, AP.TEM

Abstract

The signaling pathways of innate immunity, classically associated with the immune response, have been increasingly recognized for their implications in nervous system functions, both in vertebrates and invertebrates. In humans, complex behaviors such as stress response and aggression are frequently associated with the expression and activity of immune system genes. However, how these genes regulate the behavioral aspects they are associated with is poorly explored. Therefore, this project aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms linking innate immune signaling pathways and complex behaviors, using highly eusocial bees as model organisms. The project unfolds in two interconnected parts. The first will employ a transcriptomic approach to identify co-regulated genes of immune pathways in different behavioral groups of bees (nurse, forage, and guard workers) to infer the molecular mechanisms of action of these pathways. The second part of the project will focus on the Toll signaling pathway, which presents evidence of connections with behaviors, and we will examine its activity in the brains of aggressive and docile bees, both in and out of their social context, using immunofluorescence assays. To functionally validate the influence of the Toll pathway on behavior, pharmacological manipulations will be performed followed by analyses of aggressive behavior. Revealing the role of innate immune pathways in the central nervous system of a highly social invertebrate, the results obtained from this project will have broad implications for basic research in animal behavior and potentially for research in human health.