Genes Underlying Reproductive Division of Labor in Termites, with Comparisons to Social Hymenoptera

Korb, Judith

doi:10.3389/fevo.2016.00045

Cited by 27 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 92 publications

(119 reference statements)

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“…Reproductive caste differentiation is also regulated in a sex-specific manner (reviewed in Oguchi et al 39 ). “Queen genes” with high expression levels in female reproductives have been identified in some species (reviewed in Korb 40 ), and in male reproductives upregulated genes likely associated with male fertility have been identified in species with available genome sequences 15 , 19 , 24 . Termite dsx could regulate this sexually dimorphic gene expression by upregulating or downregulating the expression of its target genes in a male-specific manner, resulting in reproductive and non-reproductive division of labour.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary transition of doublesex regulation from sex-specific splicing to male-specific transcription in termites

Miyazaki

Fujiwara

Kai

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The sex determination gene doublesex (dsx) encodes a transcription factor with two domains, oligomerization domain 1 (OD1) and OD2, and is present throughout insects. Sex-specific Dsx splicing isoforms regulate the transcription of target genes and trigger sex differentiation in all Holometabola examined to date. However, in some hemimetabolous insects, dsx is not spliced sexually and its sequence is less conserved. Here, to elucidate evolutionary changes in dsx in domain organisation and regulation in termites, we searched genome and/or transcriptome databases for the dsx OD1 and OD2 in seven termite species and their sister group (Cryptocercus woodroaches). Molecular phylogenetic and synteny analyses identified OD1 sequences of termites and C. punctulatus that clustered with dsx of Holometabola and regarded them as dsx orthologues. The Cryptocercus dsx orthologue containing OD2 was spliced sexually, as previously shown in other insects. However, OD2 was not found in all termite dsx orthologues. These orthologues were encoded by a single exon in three termites for which genome information is available; they were not alternatively spliced but transcribed in a male-specific manner in two examined species. Evolution of dsx regulation from sex-specific splicing to male-specific transcription may have occurred at an early stage of social evolution in termites.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary transition of doublesex regulation from sex-specific splicing to male-specific transcription in termites

Miyazaki

Fujiwara

Kai

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…On the other hand, because we investigated only CAT and Prx in R . speratus in this present study, further studies are needed to evaluate other antioxidants such as SOD and vitellogenin, which is a precursor of yolk protein that is thought to be important for social evolution in all social insects [45]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Efficient Antioxidant System in a Long-Lived Termite Queen

et al. 2017

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The trade-off between reproduction and longevity is known in wide variety of animals. Social insect queens are rare organisms that can achieve a long lifespan without sacrificing fecundity. The extended longevity of social insect queens, which contradicts the trade-off, has attracted much attention because it implies the existence of an extraordinary anti-aging mechanism. Here, we show that queens of the termite Reticulitermes speratus incur significantly lower oxidative damage to DNA, protein and lipid and have higher activity of antioxidant enzymes than non-reproductive individuals (workers and soldiers). The levels of 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (oxidative damage marker of DNA) were lower in queens than in workers after UV irradiation. Queens also showed lower levels of protein carbonyls and malondialdehyde (oxidative damage markers of protein and lipid, respectively). The antioxidant enzymes of insects are generally composed of catalase (CAT) and peroxiredoxin (Prx). Queens showed more than two times higher CAT activity and more than seven times higher expression levels of the CAT gene RsCAT1 than workers. The CAT activity of termite queens was also markedly higher in comparison with other solitary insects and the queens of eusocial Hymenoptera. In addition, queens showed higher expression levels of the Prx gene RsPRX6. These results suggested that this efficient antioxidant system can partly explain why termite queens achieve long life. This study provides important insights into the evolutionary linkage of reproductive division of labor and the development of queens’ oxidative stress resistance in social insects.

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“…These included several heat-shock genes, a catalase, a peroxiredoxin and, strikingly, the vitellogenin Neofem3. The latter is supposed to be involved in vitellogenesis in C. secundus [29,56]. The upregulation of Neofem3 in workers under constant conditions may imply that convergently to the honeybee, A. mellifera [57], vitellogenin might also function as antioxidant in the termite C. secundus.…”

Section: (B) Oxidative Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of environmental stress on ageing in a termite species with low social complexity

Rau

Korb

2021

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Social insects seem to have overcome the almost universal trade-off between fecundity and longevity as queens can be highly fecund and at the same time reach lifespans of decades. By contrast, their non-reproducing workers are often short-lived. One hypothesis to explain the long lifespan of queens is that they are better protected against stress than their workers. However, evidence is controversial and experimental studies are scarce. We aimed at manipulating environmental stress and ageing by exposing colonies of the less-socially complex termite Cryptotermes secundus to temperature regimes that differed in variance. In contrast with expectation, constant temperatures imposed more stress than variable temperatures. Survival of queens and workers as well as queens' fecundity were partly reduced under constant conditions and both castes showed signs of ageing in the transcriptome signature under constant conditions. There was a clear oxidative stress defence signal under constant conditions that was, surprisingly, stronger for workers than queens. We discuss how our results relate to social complexity. We argue that workers that are totipotent to become reproductives, like in C. secundus , should invest more in ‘anti-ageing' mechanisms than sterile workers because the former can still reproduce and have not reached maturity yet. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?’

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Genes Underlying Reproductive Division of Labor in Termites, with Comparisons to Social Hymenoptera

Cited by 27 publications

References 92 publications

Evolutionary transition of doublesex regulation from sex-specific splicing to male-specific transcription in termites

Evolutionary transition of doublesex regulation from sex-specific splicing to male-specific transcription in termites

An Efficient Antioxidant System in a Long-Lived Termite Queen

The effect of environmental stress on ageing in a termite species with low social complexity

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