Transcriptomic changes during caste development through social interactions in the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis

Hajime Yaguchi*, Ryutaro Suzuki, Masatoshi Matsunami, Shuji Shigenobu, Kiyoto Maekawa

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

One of the most striking examples of phenotypic plasticity is the different phenotypes (i.e., castes) within a same nest of social insects. Castes usually derive from a single genotype initially by receiving social cues among individuals during development. Specific gene expression changes may be involved in caste differentiation, and thus, the regulatory mechanism of these changes should be clarified in order to understand social maintenance and evolution. The damp-wood termite Zootermopsis nevadensis is one of the most important model termite species, due to not only the availability of genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic information but also evidence that soldier- and worker-destined individuals can be identified in natural conditions. Given that the nutritional intakes via social interactions are crucial for caste differentiation in this species, there is a possibility that transcriptomic changes are influenced by the nutritional difference among these individuals. Here, whole body RNA-seq analysis of 3rd-instar larvae with biological replications and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were conducted. We found the drastic expression differences during caste developments between soldier- and worker-destined individuals. The results indicated that there are several key signaling pathways responsible for caste formations, which are involved in developments and social interactions. Particularly, the nutritional sensitive signaling was upregulated in soldier-destined individuals, while some metabolic pathways were identified in worker-destined individuals. These bioinformatic data obtained should be utilized to examine the molecular mechanisms of caste determination in social insects.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3446-3456
Number of pages11
JournalEcology and Evolution
Volume9
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2019/03

Keywords

  • Gene Ontology
  • Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes
  • RNA-seq
  • caste differentiation
  • social interaction

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Ecology
  • Nature and Landscape Conservation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Transcriptomic changes during caste development through social interactions in the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this