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Starkey J, Tamborindeguy C. Family before work: task reversion in workers of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta in the presence of brood. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2379. [PMID: 36765120 PMCID: PMC9918486 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29246-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Among social insects, task allocation within its group members remains as one of the paramount pillars of social functionality. Division of labor in many eusocial insects is maintained by behavioral flexibility that can shift according to the needs of the colony they reside in. Workers typically, over time as they age, shift from intranidal nurses to extranidal foragers. If the needs of the colony change, either from the needs of the adults or the brood therein, workers shift their behavior in order to compensate for the need of a particular task to be done. This shift, either accelerating towards a behavior associated with an older worker, or regressing back into the nest, is not clearly understood in social insects outside of honeybees. In this study, evaluated how brood type affected the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, worker task reversion and acceleration. Through observation of worker behaviors performed over multiple time-points per day, we discovered that worker task reversion and acceleration does occur within this ant species. Furthermore, the type of brood influenced the rate at which this occurred, with larvae having the strongest effect of all types. Finally, there was a propensity for workers to maintain their new behavior throughout the experiment. This study shows that the needs of brood within a social insect colony can influence the behavior workers perform, reversing the age polyethism that is common among social insect species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse Starkey
- Department of Entomology, 412 Heep Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Cecilia Tamborindeguy
- Department of Entomology, 412 Heep Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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Yoon S, Kim MA, Lee JS, Sohn YC. Functional analysis of LFRFamide signaling in Pacific abalone, Haliotis discus hannai. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267039. [PMID: 35511902 PMCID: PMC9071130 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The invertebrate LFRFamide (LFRFa) and short neuropeptide F (sNPF), consisting of 6 to 10 amino acids, are orthologs for bilaterian NPF/Y, which consist of 36 to 40 amino acids. Recently, a molluscan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) for NPF was characterized in Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai). To address the functional evolutionary route of the invertebrate LFRFa and NPF signaling system, in this study, we identified cDNAs encoding LFRFa precursors and the sNPF receptor (Hdh-sNPFR) in Pacific abalone. Four LFRFa mature peptides with 6 or 7 amino acids were predicted: GSLFRFa, GGLFRFa, GTLFRFa, and GSTLFRFa. Hdh-sNPFR was identified as a classical rhodopsin-like GPCR and classified into a molluscan sNPFR group. In HEK293 cells, Hdh-sNPFR was mainly localized in the cell membranes and internalized in the cytoplasm following treatment with LFRFa peptides. Reporter assays demonstrated that LFRFa peptides inhibit forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation in Hdh-sNPFR-expressing HEK293 cells. LFRFa precursor and Hdh-sNPFR transcripts were more strongly expressed in the cerebral and pleural-pedal ganglia of Pacific abalone than in the peripheral tissues such as the ovary, gills, intestine, and hepatopancreas. The levels of LFRFa transcripts in the ovary, intestine, and hepatopancreas were significantly higher in mature female abalone than in immature females. Injection of LFRFa induced the egg release and spawning behavior of mature abalone, but suppressed food intake. These results suggest that LFRFa peptides are endogenous ligands for Hdh-sNPFR involved in food intake and reproduction through a Gαi-protein dependent signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungwoo Yoon
- Department of Marine Bioscience, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi Ae Kim
- Department of Marine Bioscience, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
- East Coast Life Sciences Institute, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, Gangwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Sick Lee
- Department of Aqualife Medicine, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Jeonnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Chang Sohn
- Department of Marine Bioscience, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail:
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Calkins TL, Tamborindeguy C, Pietrantonio PV. GPCR annotation, G proteins, and transcriptomics of fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) queen and worker brain: An improved view of signaling in an invasive superorganism. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 278:89-103. [PMID: 30576645 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their signaling modalities is crucial to advancing insect endocrinology, specifically in highly successful invasive social insects, such as the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. In the first published draft genome of S. invicta, emphasis was placed on the annotation of olfactory receptors, and only the number of predicted GPCR genes was reported. Without an organized and curated resource for GPCRs, it will be difficult to test hypotheses on the endocrine role of neuropeptide hormones, or the function of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. Therefore, we mined the S. invicta genome for GPCRs and found 324 predicted transcripts encoded by 125 predicted loci and improved the annotation of 55 of these loci. Among them are sixteen GPCRs that are currently annotated as "uncharacterized proteins". Further, the phylogenetic analysis of class A neuropeptide receptors presented here and the comparative listing of GPCRs in the hymenopterans S. invicta, Apis mellifera (both eusocial), Nasonia vitripennis (solitary), and the solitary model dipteran Drosophila melanogaster will facilitate comparative endocrinological studies related to social insect evolution and diversity. We compiled the 24 G protein transcripts predicted (15 α, 7 β, and 2 γ) from 12 G protein genes (5 α, 5 β, and 2 γ). Reproductive division of labor is extreme in this ant species, therefore, we compared GPCR and G protein gene expression among worker, mated queen and alate virgin queen ant brain transcriptomes. Transcripts for ten GPCRs and two G proteins were differentially expressed between queen and worker brains. The differentially expressed GPCRs are candidate receptors to explore hypotheses on division of labor in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis L Calkins
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2475, USA
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Pietrantonio PV, Xiong C, Nachman RJ, Shen Y. G protein-coupled receptors in arthropod vectors: omics and pharmacological approaches to elucidate ligand-receptor interactions and novel organismal functions. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 29:12-20. [PMID: 30551818 PMCID: PMC6296246 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Regulation of many physiological processes in animals, certainly those controlled by neuropeptide hormones, involves G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Our work focusing on endocrine regulation of diuresis and water balance in mosquitoes and ticks started in 1997 with the kinin receptor, at the dawn of the omics era. After the genomic revolution, we began work on the endocrinology of reproduction in the red imported fire ant. We will use the template of this comparative work to summarize key points about GPCRs and signaling, and emphasize the most recent developments in the pharmacology of arthropod neuropeptide GPCRs. We will discuss omics' contributions to the advancement of this field, and its influence on peptidomimetic design while emphasizing work on blood feeding arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia V Pietrantonio
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University (TAMU), College Station, TX 77843-2475, United States.
| | - Caixing Xiong
- Department of Entomology, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2475, United States
| | - Ronald James Nachman
- Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS, College Station, TX 77845, United States
| | - Yang Shen
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-3128, United States
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Christ P, Hill SR, Schachtner J, Hauser F, Ignell R. Functional characterization of mosquito short neuropeptide F receptors. Peptides 2018; 103:31-39. [PMID: 29550617 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2018.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Mosquito blood feeding transiently inhibits sugar- and host seeking through neuropeptide signaling. Short neuropeptide F (sNPF) is one of the neuromodulators involved in this regulation. Here, we identified the genes for the sNPF precursor and the sNPF receptor in the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus. Comparative analyses are made with the genes of the sNPF precursor and receptor from two other important vectors, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles coluzzii. We functionally characterized the receptors in all three species using endogenous neuropeptides, and quantified their transcript expression following a blood meal and a sugar meal. Our analysis reveals several Cx. quinquefasciatus-specific duplications of the sNPF-3 isoform on the sNPF precursor, which are not reflected in the precursors of the other two species. In contrast, the structure of the sNPF receptors is highly conserved within mosquitoes, and a putative ligand binding region is proposed and discussed. Reflecting the high structural conservation, the sNPF receptor sensitivity to endogenous sNPF isoforms is conserved across mosquito species. Using quantitative real time PCR, we demonstrate that transcript abundance of the sNPF receptor and precursor is regulated following feeding, only in Cx. quinquefasciatus. We discuss our findings in relation to previous work on sNPF signaling and its role in feeding regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Christ
- Unit of Chemical Ecology, Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 102, Sundsvägen 14, 23053, Alnarp, Sweden.
| | - Sharon R Hill
- Unit of Chemical Ecology, Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 102, Sundsvägen 14, 23053, Alnarp, Sweden.
| | - Joachim Schachtner
- Neurobiology/Ethology, Department of Biology, Philipps University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Frank Hauser
- Center for Functional and Comparative Insect Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Rickard Ignell
- Unit of Chemical Ecology, Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 102, Sundsvägen 14, 23053, Alnarp, Sweden.
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Calkins TL, Chen ME, Arora AK, Hawkings C, Tamborindeguy C, Pietrantonio PV. Brain gene expression analyses in virgin and mated queens of fire ants reveal mating-independent and socially regulated changes. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:4312-4327. [PMID: 29721300 PMCID: PMC5916306 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Revised: 02/03/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcriptomes of dissected brains from virgin alate and dealate mated queens from polygyne fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) were analyzed and compared. Thirteen genes were upregulated in mated queen brain, and nine were downregulated. While many of the regulated genes were either uncharacterized or noncoding RNAs, those annotated genes included two hexamerin proteins, astakine neuropeptide, serine proteases, and serine protease inhibitors. We found that for select differentially expressed genes in the brain, changes in gene expression were most likely driven by the changes in physiological state (i.e., age, nutritional status, or dominance rank) or in social environment (released from influence of primer pheromone). This was concluded because virgins that dealated after being separated from mated queens showed similar patterns of gene expression in the brain as those of mated queens for hexamerin 1, astakine, and XR_850909. Abaecin (XR_850725), however, appears upregulated only after mating. Therefore, our findings contribute to distinguish how specific gene networks, especially those influenced by queen primer pheromone, are regulated in queen ants. Additionally, to identify brain signaling pathways, we mined the fire ant genome and compiled a list of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The expression level of GPCRs and other genes in the "genetic toolkit" in the brains of virgin alates and mated dealate queens is reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis L Calkins
- Department of Entomology Texas A&M University College Station TX USA
| | - Mei-Er Chen
- Department of Entomology Texas A&M University College Station TX USA.,Department of Entomology National Chung Hsing University Taichung City Taiwan
| | - Arinder K Arora
- Department of Entomology Texas A&M University College Station TX USA.,Department of Entomology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
| | - Chloe Hawkings
- Department of Entomology Texas A&M University College Station TX USA
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Bao C, Yang Y, Huang H, Ye H. Inhibitory Role of the Mud Crab Short Neuropeptide F in Vitellogenesis and Oocyte Maturation via Autocrine/Paracrine Signaling. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018; 9:390. [PMID: 30057569 PMCID: PMC6053504 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides, in addition to their classical role in the nervous system, act on intraovarian factors to regulate reproductive functions in vertebrates. However, this function of neuropeptides has not been characterized in crustaceans. Short neuropeptide F (sNPF), a highly conserved invertebrate neuropeptide, has been reported to be involved in feeding, metabolism, and in differentiation processes including reproduction. Although sNPF and its receptor (sNPFR) have been detected in the ovary in different species, ovarian colocalization of sNPF/sNPFR has not been investigated. In this study, we identified Scylla paramamosain (mud crab) sNPF (Sp-sNPF) as an endogenous ligand for the S. paramamosain orphan G protein-coupled receptor NPY2R in mammalian cell line HEK293T. We designated this receptor as Sp-sNPFR. RNA in situ hybridization in pre-vitellogenic ovary and reverse transcription-PCR on isolated denuded oocytes and follicle layers showed that Sp-sNPF was exclusively localized to the follicle cells, whereas Sp-sNPFR was detected in both follicle cells and oocytes. We also found that Sp-sNPF partly suppressed spontaneous maturation of denuded oocytes and caused intracellular cAMP accumulation and Ca2+ mobilization. Moreover, injection of synthetic Sp-sNPF peptides inhibited the expression of vitellogenin and vitellogenin receptor genes in vivo. These combined results suggest for the first time that Sp-sNPF may have inhibitory functions in vitellogenesis and oocyte maturation possibly via the autocrine/paracrine pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenchang Bao
- College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yanan Yang
- College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Huiyang Huang
- College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Haihui Ye
- College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Marine Biological Resources, Xiamen, China
- *Correspondence: Haihui Ye
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Yang Y, Nachman RJ, Pietrantonio PV. Molecular and pharmacological characterization of the Chelicerata pyrokinin receptor from the southern cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 60:13-23. [PMID: 25747529 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2015.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2014] [Revised: 02/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We identified the first pyrokinin receptor (Rhimi-PKR) in Chelicerata and analyzed structure-activity relationships of cognate ligand neuropeptides and their analogs. Based on comparative and phylogenetic analyses, this receptor, which we cloned from larvae of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae), is the ortholog of the insect pyrokinin (PK)/pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN)/diapause hormone (DH) neuropeptide family receptor. Rhimi-PKR functional analyses using calcium bioluminescence were performed with a developed stable recombinant CHO-K1 cell line. Rhimi-PKR was activated by four endogenous PKs from the Lyme disease vector, the tick Ixodes scapularis (EC50s range: 85.4 nM-546 nM), and weakly by another tick PRX-amide peptide, periviscerokinin (PVK) (EC50 = 24.5 μM). PK analogs with substitutions of leucine, isoleucine or valine at the C-terminus for three tick PK peptides, Ixosc-PK1, Ixosc-PK2, and Ixosc-PK3, retained their potency on Rhimi-PKR. Therefore, Rhimi-PKR is less selective and substantially more tolerant than insect PK receptors of C-terminal substitutions of leucine to isoleucine or valine, a key structural feature that serves to distinguish insect PK from PVK/CAP2b receptors. In females, ovary and synganglion had the highest Rhimi-PKR relative transcript abundance followed by the rectal sac, salivary glands, Malpighian tubules, and midgut. This is the first pharmacological analysis of a PK/PBAN/DH-like receptor from the Chelicerata, which will now permit the discovery of the endocrinological roles of this neuropeptide family in vectors of vertebrate pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Yang
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2475, USA
| | - Ronald J Nachman
- Insect Control and Cotton Disease Research Unit, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, College Station, TX 77845, USA
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