Molecular signatures of plastic phenotypes in two eusocial insect species with simple societies

Author(s):Show less -

Patalano, Solenn ^[1] ; Vlasova, Anna ^{[2, 3]} ; Wyatt, Chris ^{[2, 3, 4]} ; Ewels, Philip ^{[1, 5]} ; Camara, Francisco ^{[2, 3]} ; Ferreirab, Pedro G. ^{[3, 6, 7]} ; Asher, Claire L. ^{[8, 9]} ; Jurkowski, Tomasz P. ^[10] ; Segonds-Pichon, Anne ^[1] ; Bachman, Martin ^{[11, 12]} ; Gonzalez-Navarrete, Irene ^{[2, 3]} ; Minoche, Andre E. ^{[2, 3, 13]} ; Krueger, Felix ^[1] ; Lowy, Ernesto ^{[2, 3]} ; Marcet-Houben, Marina ^{[2, 3]} ; Rodriguez-Ales, Jose Luis ^{[2, 3]} ; Nascimento, Fabio S. ^[14] ; Balasubramanian, Shankar ^{[11, 12, 15]} ; Gabaldon, Toni ^{[2, 3, 16]} ; Tarver, James E. ^[17] ; Andrews, Simon ^[1] ; Himmelbauer, Heinz ^{[2, 3, 18]} ; Hughes, William O. H. ^{[19, 9]} ; Guigo, Roderic ^{[2, 3]} ; Reik, Wolf ^{[1, 20, 21]} ; Sumner, Seirian ^{[8, 4]}

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] Babraham Inst, Cambridge CB22 3AT - England

^[2] UPF, Barcelona 08003 - Spain

^[3] Barcelona Inst Sci & Technol, Ctr Genom Regulat CRG, Barcelona 08003 - Spain

^[4] Univ Bristol, Sch Biol Sci, Bristol B58 1TQ, Avon - England

^[5] Stockholm Univ, Dept Biochem & Biophys, Sci Life Lab, S-10691 Stockholm - Sweden

^[6] Univ Porto, Inst Invest & Inovacao Saude, P-4200135 Oporto - Portugal

^[7] Univ Porto, Inst Mol Pathol & Immunol, Univ Porto IPATIMUP, Inst Mol Pathol & Immunol, P-4200135 Oporto - Portugal

^[8] Zool Soc London, Inst Zool, London NW1 4RY - England

^[9] Univ Leeds, Sch Biol, Inst Integrat & Comparat Biol, Leeds LS2 9JT, W Yorkshire - England

^[10] Univ Stuttgart, Inst Biochem, D-70569 Stuttgart - Germany

^[11] Univ Cambridge, Dept Chem, Cambridge CB2 1EW - England

^[12] Univ Cambridge, Canc Res UK Cambridge Inst, Cambridge CB2 ORE - England

^[13] Max Planck Inst Mol Genet, D-14195 Berlin - Germany

^[14] Univ Sao Paulo, FFCLRP, Dept Biol, BR-14040901 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[15] Univ Cambridge, Sch Clin Med, Cambridge CB2 0SP - England

^[16] Inst Catalana Recerca & Estudis Avancats, Barcelona 08010 - Spain

^[17] Univ Bristol, Sch Earth Sci, Bristol B58 1TQ, Avon - England

^[18] Univ Bodenkultur, Dept Biotechnol, A-1190 Vienna - Austria

^[19] Univ Sussex, Sch Life Sci, Brighton BN1 9QG, E Sussex - England

^[20] Univ Cambridge, Ctr Trophoblast Res, Cambridge CB2 3EG - England

^[21] Wellcome Trust Sanger Inst, Hinxton CB10 1SA - England

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; v. 112, n. 45, p. 13970-13975, NOV 10 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 71

Abstract

Phenotypic plasticity is important in adaptation and shapes the evolution of organisms. However, we understand little about what aspects of the genome are important in facilitating plasticity. Eusocial insect societies produce plastic phenotypes from the same genome, as reproductives (queens) and nonreproductives (workers). The greatest plasticity is found in the simple eusocial insect societies in which individuals retain the ability to switch between reproductive and nonreproductive phenotypes as adults. We lack comprehensive data on the molecular basis of plastic phenotypes. Here, we sequenced genomes, microRNAs (miRNAs), and multiple transcriptomes and methylomes from individual brains in a wasp (Polistes canadensis) and an ant (Dinoponera quadriceps) that live in simple eusocial societies. In both species, we found few differences between phenotypes at the transcriptional level, with little functional specialization, and no evidence that phenotype-specific gene expression is driven by DNA methylation or miRNAs. Instead, phenotypic differentiation was defined more subtly by nonrandom transcriptional network organization, with roles in these networks for both conserved and taxon-restricted genes. The general lack of highly methylated regions or methylome patterning in both species may be an important mechanism for achieving plasticity among phenotypes during adulthood. These findings define previously unidentified hypotheses on the genomic processes that facilitate plasticity and suggest that the molecular hallmarks of social behavior are likely to differ with the level of social complexity. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/10027-5 - Behavioural mediation, chemical signalisation and physiological aspects regulating the social organization in hymenopterans
• Grantee: Fábio Santos do Nascimento
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants