Most ants are born workers and stay that way for life. But Harpegnathos saltator can change into a queen when needed—with the flip of a genetic switch.
, a team of biologists and geneticists report that they’ve cracked it. Switching the expression of just a single protein, Kr-h1 , in the brains of ants is enough to initiate a cascade of changes and launch a worker toward queendom.
Kr-h1’s job is to respond to the commands of two hormones—a juvenile hormone found more in workers and an ecdysone hormone found in greater abundance in queens. Give a 10-day old ant more juvenile hormone, and Kr-h1 will shut down genes related to queenliness and promote worker genes. Give an ant ecdysone and Kr-h1 will do the opposite, promoting queen-like behaviors.
In these ants, Kr-h1 acts like a toggle between two states. But future work will need to determine just how these proteins and hormones influence specific behaviors, University of Fribourg neuroscientist Adria LeBoeuf, who studies social insects but did not participate in the work, told. “Somehow these hormones end up in the brain, [but] we don’t know how they get there,” or why only certain genes respond to them, she said.
Still, the fact that the same protein silences different genes in the brains of different ant castes and essentially controls that segregation is surprising, Roberto Bonasio, a molecular epigeneticist at the University of Pennsylvania and a co-author of the paper, said in a. “We thought that these jobs would be assigned to two or more different factors, each of them only present in one or the other brain.
The key message is that ants have all the wiring for multiple behavioral patterns that are only carried out depending on which genes are activated, Berger said in the same statement. “In other words, the parts of both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are already written into the genome; everyone can play either role, depending on which gene switches are turned on or off.”Popular Science
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
Column: When a medical team quit, this hospital sued to force them to keep workingRather than offer its workers better pay and working conditions, a Wisconsin hospital sued to keep them from leaving.
Les mer »
Many companies struggling to keep workers due to the 'Great Reshuffle'Reisdorf said the top three things people are looking for right now include a better salary, better benefits and the ability to work remotely.
Les mer »
State Senator, LAUSD, SDUSD Announce Legislation to Help Keep Schools OpenLeaders from Los Angeles Unified and San Diego Unified will join a state senator in making a major legislation announcement designed to help keep schools open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Les mer »
Rams-49ers tickets no longer restricted on Ticketmaster, freeing Faithful to swarm SoFiAfter the Faithful made an impact on Week 18’s needed win, the Rams’ attempt to keep 49ers fans out is no more.
Les mer »
This Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup Recipe is Filled with Fiber | Well+GoodChef Palak Patel shares her protein and fiber-filled sweet potato and lentil soup recipe, using leftover spinach and herbs. No waste created!
Les mer »