Division of labor in honey bees is associated with transcriptional regulatory plasticity in the brain [RESEARCH ARTICLE]

Adam R. Hamilton, Ian M. Traniello, Allyson M. Ray, Arminius S. Caldwell, Samuel A. Wickline, and Gene E. Robinson Studies in evolutionary and developmental biology show that relationships between transcription factors (TFs) and their target genes can be altered to result in novel regulatory relationships that generate phenotypic plasticity. We hypothesized that context-dependent shifts in the nervous system associated with behavior may also be linked to changes in TF-target relationships over physiological timescales. We tested this hypothesis using honey bee (Apis mellifera) division of labor as a model system by performing bioinformatic analyses of previously published brain transcriptomic profiles together with new RNAi and behavioral experiments. The bioinformatic analyses identified five TFs that exhibited strong signatures of regulatory plasticity as a function of division of labor. RNAi targeting one of these TFs (broad complex) and a related TF that did not exhibit plasticity (fushi-tarazu transcription factor 1) was administered in conjunction with automated analyses of foraging behavior in the field, laboratory assays of aggression and brood care behavior, and endocrine treatments. Results showed that changes in regulatory relationships of these TFs were associated with behavioral state, social context and endocrine state. These findings provide the first empirical evidence that TF-target relationships in the brain are altered in conjunction with behavior and socia...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - Category: Biology Authors: Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research