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Vasquez OE, Allen AM, So AKC, Nguyen QH, Krause HM, Levine JD, Sokolowski MB. Characterizing the Protein Isoforms of foraging ( for), the PKGI Ortholog in Drosophila melanogaster. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10219. [PMID: 37373366 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The foraging (for) gene of Drosophila melanogaster encodes a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), which is a major effector of the cGMP signaling pathway involved in the regulation of behaviour and metabolic traits. Despite being well studied at the transcript level, little is known about the for gene at the protein level. Here, we provide a detailed characterization of the for gene protein (FOR) products and present new tools for their study, including five isoform-specific antibodies and a transgenic strain that carries an HA-labelled for allele (forBAC::HA). Our results showed that multiple FOR isoforms were expressed in the larval and adult stages of D. melanogaster and that the majority of whole-body FOR expression arises from three (P1, P1α, and P3) of eight putative protein isoforms. We found that FOR expression differed between the larval and adult stages and between the dissected larval organs we analyzed, which included the central nervous system (CNS), fat body, carcass, and intestine. Moreover, we showed that the FOR expression differed between two allelic variants of the for gene, namely, fors (sitter) and forR (rover), that are known to differ in many food-related traits. Together, our in vivo identification of FOR isoforms and the existence of temporal, spatial, and genetic differences in their expression lay the groundwork for determining their functional significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar E Vasquez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Aaron M Allen
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3SR, UK
| | - Anthony K-C So
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Quynh H Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Henry M Krause
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Joel D Levine
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
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2
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Allen AM, B Sokolowski M. Expression of the foraging gene in adult Drosophila melanogaster. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:192-212. [PMID: 34382904 PMCID: PMC8846931 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1941946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The foraging gene in Drosophila melanogaster, which encodes a cGMP-dependent protein kinase, is a highly conserved, complex gene with multiple pleiotropic behavioral and physiological functions in both the larval and adult fly. Adult foraging expression is less well characterized than in the larva. We characterized foraging expression in the brain, gastric system, and reproductive systems using a T2A-Gal4 gene-trap allele. In the brain, foraging expression appears to be restricted to multiple sub-types of glia. This glial-specific cellular localization of foraging was supported by single-cell transcriptomic atlases of the adult brain. foraging is extensively expressed in most cell types in the gastric and reproductive systems. We then mapped multiple cis-regulatory elements responsible for parts of the observed expression patterns by a nested cloned promoter-Gal4 analysis. The mapped cis-regulatory elements were consistently modular when comparing the larval and adult expression patterns. These new data using the T2A-Gal4 gene-trap and cloned foraging promoter fusion GAL4's are discussed with respect to previous work using an anti-FOR antibody, which we show here to be non-specific. Future studies of foraging's function will consider roles for glial subtypes and peripheral tissues (gastric and reproductive systems) in foraging's pleiotropic behavioral and physiological effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M Allen
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, Canada
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3
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Vesterberg A, Rizkalla R, Fitzpatrick MJ. Environmental influences on for-mediated oviposition decisions in Drosophila melanogaster. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:262-273. [PMID: 34259125 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1950713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Deciding whether or not to lay an egg on a given substrate is an important task undertaken by females of many arthropods. It involves perceiving the environment (e.g. quality of the substrate, temperature, and humidity), formulating a decision, and then conducting the appropriate behaviours to oviposit. This oviposition site selection (OSS) provides a useful system for studying simple decision-making. OSS in fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, is influenced by both genetic and environmental variation. Naturally occurring allelic variation in the foraging gene (for) is known to affect OSS. Given a choice of high- and low-nutrient oviposition substrates, groups of rovers (forR) are known to lay significantly more of their eggs on low-nutrient sites than sitters (fors) and sitter mutants (fors2). Here we ask three questions: (1) Is the role of for in OSS affected by the availability of alternate oviposition sites? (2) Is the role of for in OSS sensitive to the density of ovipositing females? and (3) Does the gustatory sensation of yeast play a role in for-mediated variation in OSS? We find a role of choice and female density in rover/sitter differences in OSS, as well as a role of for in response to glycerol, an indicator of yeast. The role of for in OSS decision-making is complex and multi-faceted and should prove fertile ground for further research into the factors affecting decision-making behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Vesterberg
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Canada.,Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rudy Rizkalla
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mark J Fitzpatrick
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Canada.,Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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4
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Abstract
The social ants, bees, wasps, and termites include some of the most ecologically-successful groups of animal species. Their dominance in most terrestrial environments is attributed to their social lifestyle, which enable their colonies to exploit environmental resources with remarkable efficiency. One key attribute of social insect colonies is the division of labour that emerges among the sterile workers, which represent the majority of colony members. Studies of the mechanisms that drive division of labour systems across diverse social species have provided fundamental insights into the developmental, physiological, molecular, and genomic processes that regulate sociality, and the possible genetic routes that may have led to its evolution from a solitary ancestor. Here we specifically discuss the conserved role of the foraging gene, which encodes a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). Originally identified as a behaviourally polymorphic gene that drives alternative foraging strategies in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, changes in foraging expression and kinase activity were later shown to play a key role in the division of labour in diverse social insect species as well. In particular, foraging appears to regulate worker transitions between behavioural tasks and specific behavioural traits associated with morphological castes. Although the specific neuroethological role of foraging in the insect brain remains mostly unknown, studies in genetically tractable insect species indicate that PKG signalling plays a conserved role in the neuronal plasticity of sensory, cognitive and motor functions, which underlie behaviours relevant to division of labour, including appetitive learning, aggression, stress response, phototaxis, and the response to pheromones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Lucas
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte (UMR7261), CNRS - University of Tours, Tours, France
| | - Yehuda Ben-Shahar
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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5
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Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster displays social behaviors including courtship, mating, aggression, and group foraging. Recent studies employed social network analyses (SNAs) to show that D. melanogaster strains differ in their group behavior, suggesting that genes influence social network phenotypes. Aside from genes associated with sensory function, few studies address the genetic underpinnings of these networks. The foraging gene (for) is a well-established example of a pleiotropic gene that regulates multiple behavioral phenotypes and their plasticity. In D. melanogaster, there are two naturally occurring alleles of for called rover and sitter that differ in their larval and adult food-search behavior as well as other behavioral phenotypes. Here, we hypothesize that for affects behavioral elements required to form social networks and the social networks themselves. These effects are evident when we manipulate gene dosage. We found that flies of the rover and sitter strains exhibit differences in duration, frequency, and reciprocity of pairwise interactions, and they form social networks with differences in assortativity and global efficiency. Consistent with other adult phenotypes influenced by for, rover-sitter heterozygotes show intermediate patterns of dominance in many of these characteristics. Multiple generations of backcrossing a rover allele into a sitter strain showed that many but not all of these rover-sitter differences may be attributed to allelic variation at for. Our findings reveal the significant role that for plays in affecting social network properties and their behavioral elements in Drosophila melanogaster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawar Alwash
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Aaron M Allen
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Centre for Neural Circuits and Behavior, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), MaRS Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Joel D Levine
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), MaRS Centre, Toronto, Canada
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6
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Lei Y, Zhou Y, Lü L, He Y. Rhythms in Foraging Behavior and Expression Patterns of the Foraging Gene in Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in relation to Photoperiod. J Econ Entomol 2019; 112:2923-2930. [PMID: 31237954 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toz175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The foraging gene (for) is associated with foraging and other associated behaviors in social insect species. Photoperiod is known to entrain the rhythmic biological functions of ants; however, how photoperiod might influence the intensity and duration of foraging, and the expression of for, remains unexplored. This study determined the correlation between rhythm in foraging behavior and expression of the foraging gene (Sifor) mRNA in red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. Foragers were exposed to three photoperiod conditions (12:12 [L:D], 24:0 [L:D], and 0:24 [L:D]) in the laboratory and foraging activities were recorded using a video-computer recording system. Sifor expression in the foragers was tested using real-time reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. Results revealed that foraging activity rhythm and Sifor expression profile were unimodal under all three photoperiod conditions. Levels of foraging activity were associated with photoperiodic modification, a stable phase difference between the onset of activity and the onset of gene expression was discovered. Light-dark transients stimulated foraging activity in 12:12 (L:D). There were significant daily oscillations (amplitude of 0.21 ± 0.08 for 12:12 [L:D], 0.12 ± 0.02 for 24:0 [L:D], and 0.09 ± 0.01 for 0:24 [L:D]) in the expression of Sifor. A positive relationship (r = 0.5903, P < 0.01) was found between the expression level of Sifor and foraging activity, which indicated that Sifor is linked to some extent to foraging behavior. Our results demonstrated that foragers could adjust the rhythms in foraging behavior according to light-dark cycle and suggested that Sifor may play an important role in the response of S. invicta to photoperiod.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyuan Lei
- Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Yangyang Zhou
- College of Agriculture, South China Agriculture University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Lihua Lü
- Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Yurong He
- College of Agriculture, South China Agriculture University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
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Struk AA, Mugon J, Huston A, Scholer AA, Stadler G, Higgins ET, Sokolowski MB, Danckert J. Self-regulation and the foraging gene ( PRKG1) in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:4434-9. [PMID: 30782798 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1809924116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Foraging is a goal-directed behavior that balances the need to explore the environment for resources with the need to exploit those resources. In Drosophila melanogaster, distinct phenotypes have been observed in relation to the foraging gene (for), labeled the rover and sitter. Adult rovers explore their environs more extensively than do adult sitters. We explored whether this distinction would be conserved in humans. We made use of a distinction from regulatory mode theory between those who "get on with it," so-called locomotors, and those who prefer to ensure they "do the right thing," so-called assessors. In this logic, rovers and locomotors share similarities in goal pursuit, as do sitters and assessors. We showed that genetic variation in PRKG1, the human ortholog of for, is associated with preferential adoption of a specific regulatory mode. Next, participants performed a foraging task to see whether genetic differences associated with distinct regulatory modes would be associated with distinct goal pursuit patterns. Assessors tended to hug the boundary of the foraging environment, much like behaviors seen in Drosophila adult sitters. In a patchy foraging environment, assessors adopted more cautious search strategies maximizing exploitation. These results show that distinct patterns of goal pursuit are associated with particular genotypes of PRKG1, the human ortholog of for.
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Allen AM, Anreiter I, Vesterberg A, Douglas SJ, Sokolowski MB. Pleiotropy of the Drosophila melanogaster foraging gene on larval feeding-related traits. J Neurogenet 2018; 32:256-266. [PMID: 30303018 PMCID: PMC6309726 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2018.1500572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about the molecular underpinning of behavioral pleiotropy. The Drosophila melanogaster foraging gene is highly pleiotropic, affecting many independent larval and adult phenotypes. Included in foraging's multiple phenotypes are larval foraging path length, triglyceride levels, and food intake. foraging has a complex structure with four promoters and 21 transcripts that encode nine protein isoforms of a cGMP dependent protein kinase (PKG). We examined if foraging's complex molecular structure underlies the behavioral pleiotropy associated with this gene. Using a promotor analysis strategy, we cloned DNA fragments upstream of each of foraging's transcription start sites and generated four separate forpr-Gal4s. Supporting our hypothesis of modular function, they had discrete, restricted expression patterns throughout the larva. In the CNS, forpr1-Gal4 and forpr4-Gal4 were expressed in neurons while forpr2-Gal4 and forpr3-Gal4 were expressed in glia cells. In the gastric system, forpr1-Gal4 and forpr3-Gal4 were expressed in enteroendocrine cells of the midgut while forpr2-Gal4 was expressed in the stem cells of the midgut. forpr3-Gal4 was expressed in the midgut enterocytes, and midgut and hindgut visceral muscle. forpr4-Gal4's gastric system expression was restricted to the hindgut. We also found promoter specific expression in the larval fat body, salivary glands, and body muscle. The modularity of foraging's molecular structure was also apparent in the phenotypic rescues. We rescued larval path length, triglyceride levels (bordered on significance), and food intake of for0 null larvae using different forpr-Gal4s to drive UAS-forcDNA. In a foraging null genetic background, forpr1-Gal4 was the only promoter driven Gal4 to rescue larval path length, forpr3-Gal4 altered triglyceride levels, and forpr4-Gal4 rescued food intake. Our results refine the spatial expression responsible for foraging's associated phenotypes, as well as the sub-regions of the locus responsible for their expression. foraging's pleiotropy arises at least in part from the individual contributions of its four promoters.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. M. Allen
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3G5
- Current address: Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, OX1 3SR
| | - I. Anreiter
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), MaRS Centre, West Tower, 661 University Ave., Suite 505, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1M1
| | - A. Vesterberg
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
| | - S. J. Douglas
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3G5
| | - M. B. Sokolowski
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3G5
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), MaRS Centre, West Tower, 661 University Ave., Suite 505, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1M1
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9
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Ingram KK, Gordon DM, Friedman DA, Greene M, Kahler J, Peteru S. Context-dependent expression of the foraging gene in field colonies of ants: the interacting roles of age, environment and task. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.0841. [PMID: 27581876 PMCID: PMC5013789 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Task allocation among social insect workers is an ideal framework for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying behavioural plasticity because workers of similar genotype adopt different behavioural phenotypes. Elegant laboratory studies have pioneered this effort, but field studies involving the genetic regulation of task allocation are rare. Here, we investigate the expression of the foraging gene in harvester ant workers from five age- and task-related groups in a natural population, and we experimentally test how exposure to light affects foraging expression in brood workers and foragers. Results from our field study show that the regulation of the foraging gene in harvester ants occurs at two time scales: levels of foraging mRNA are associated with ontogenetic changes over weeks in worker age, location and task, and there are significant daily oscillations in foraging expression in foragers. The temporal dissection of foraging expression reveals that gene expression changes in foragers occur across a scale of hours and the level of expression is predicted by activity rhythms: foragers have high levels of foraging mRNA during daylight hours when they are most active outside the nests. In the experimental study, we find complex interactions in foraging expression between task behaviour and light exposure. Oscillations occur in foragers following experimental exposure to 13 L : 11 D (LD) conditions, but not in brood workers under similar conditions. No significant differences were seen in foraging expression over time in either task in 24 h dark (DD) conditions. Interestingly, the expression of foraging in both undisturbed field and experimentally treated foragers is also significantly correlated with the expression of the circadian clock gene, cycle. Our results provide evidence that the regulation of this gene is context-dependent and associated with both ontogenetic and daily behavioural plasticity in field colonies of harvester ants. Our results underscore the importance of assaying temporal patterns in behavioural gene expression and suggest that gene regulation is an integral mechanism associated with behavioural plasticity in harvester ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista K Ingram
- Department of Biology, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346, USA
| | - Deborah M Gordon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Gilbert Biological Science Building, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Daniel A Friedman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Gilbert Biological Science Building, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael Greene
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado, Campus Box 171, PO Box 176634, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
| | - John Kahler
- Department of Biology, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346, USA
| | - Swetha Peteru
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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10
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Allen AM, Anreiter I, Neville MC, Sokolowski MB. Feeding-Related Traits Are Affected by Dosage of the foraging Gene in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 2017; 205:761-73. [PMID: 28007892 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.116.197939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Nutrient acquisition and energy storage are critical parts of achieving metabolic homeostasis. The foraging gene in Drosophila melanogaster has previously been implicated in multiple feeding-related and metabolic traits. Before foraging's functions can be further dissected, we need a precise genetic null mutant to definitively map its amorphic phenotypes. We used homologous recombination to precisely delete foraging, generating the for0 null allele, and used recombineering to reintegrate a full copy of the gene, generating the {forBAC} rescue allele. We show that a total loss of foraging expression in larvae results in reduced larval path length and food intake behavior, while conversely showing an increase in triglyceride levels. Furthermore, varying foraging gene dosage demonstrates a linear dose-response on these phenotypes in relation to foraging gene expression levels. These experiments have unequivocally proven a causal, dose-dependent relationship between the foraging gene and its pleiotropic influence on these feeding-related traits. Our analysis of foraging's transcription start sites, termination sites, and splicing patterns using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and full-length cDNA sequencing, revealed four independent promoters, pr1-4, that produce 21 transcripts with nine distinct open reading frames (ORFs). The use of alternative promoters and alternative splicing at the foraging locus creates diversity and flexibility in the regulation of gene expression, and ultimately function. Future studies will exploit these genetic tools to precisely dissect the isoform- and tissue-specific requirements of foraging's functions and shed light on the genetic control of feeding-related traits involved in energy homeostasis.
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Philippe AS, Jeanson R, Pasquaretta C, Rebaudo F, Sueur C, Mery F. Genetic variation in aggregation behaviour and interacting phenotypes in Drosophila. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20152967. [PMID: 27009219 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregation behaviour is the tendency for animals to group together, which may have important consequences on individual fitness. We used a combination of experimental and simulation approaches to study how genetic variation and social environment interact to influence aggregation dynamics in Drosophila To do this, we used two different natural lines of Drosophila that arise from a polymorphism in the foraging gene (rovers and sitters). We placed groups of flies in a heated arena. Flies could freely move towards one of two small, cooler refuge areas. In groups of the same strain, sitters had a greater tendency to aggregate. The observed behavioural variation was based on only two parameters: the probability of entering a refuge and the likelihood of choosing a refuge based on the number of individuals present. We then directly addressed how different strains interact by mixing rovers and sitters within a group. Aggregation behaviour of each line was strongly affected by the presence of the other strain, without changing the decision rules used by each. Individuals obeying local rules shaped complex group dynamics via a constant feedback loop between the individual and the group. This study could help to identify the circumstances under which particular group compositions may improve individual fitness through underlying aggregation mechanisms under specific environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Sophie Philippe
- Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Comportement and Ecologie, CNRS, IRD, Université. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Raphael Jeanson
- Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
| | - Cristian Pasquaretta
- Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Strasbourg, France Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Francois Rebaudo
- Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Comportement and Ecologie, CNRS, IRD, Université. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France Instituto de Ecología, Centro de Análisis Espacial, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Cedric Sueur
- Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Strasbourg, France Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Frederic Mery
- Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Comportement and Ecologie, CNRS, IRD, Université. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
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12
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Heavner ME, Gueguen G, Rajwani R, Pagan PE, Small C, Govind S. Partial venom gland transcriptome of a Drosophila parasitoid wasp, Leptopilina heterotoma, reveals novel and shared bioactive profiles with stinging Hymenoptera. Gene 2013; 526:195-204. [PMID: 23688557 PMCID: PMC3905606 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2013.04.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Revised: 04/25/2013] [Accepted: 04/29/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Analysis of natural host-parasite relationships reveals the evolutionary forces that shape the delicate and unique specificity characteristic of such interactions. The accessory long gland-reservoir complex of the wasp Leptopilina heterotoma (Figitidae) produces venom with virus-like particles. Upon delivery, venom components delay host larval development and completely block host immune responses. The host range of this Drosophila endoparasitoid notably includes the highly-studied model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. Categorization of 827 unigenes, using similarity as an indicator of putative homology, reveals that approximately 25% are novel or classified as hypothetical proteins. Most of the remaining unigenes are related to processes involved in signaling, cell cycle, and cell physiology including detoxification, protein biogenesis, and hormone production. Analysis of L. heterotoma's predicted venom gland proteins demonstrates conservation among endo- and ectoparasitoids within the Apocrita (e.g., this wasp and the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis) and stinging aculeates (e.g., the honey bee and ants). Enzyme and KEGG pathway profiling predicts that kinases, esterases, and hydrolases may contribute to venom activity in this unique wasp. To our knowledge, this investigation is among the first functional genomic studies for a natural parasitic wasp of Drosophila. Our findings will help explain how L. heterotoma shuts down its hosts' immunity and shed light on the molecular basis of a natural arms race between these insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Heavner
- Biology Department, The City College, City University of New York, 138th Street and Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031, USA
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