Both age and social environment shape the phenotype of ant workers

Abstract

Position within the social group has consequences on individual lifespans in diverse taxa. This is especially obvious in eusocial insects, where workers differ in both the tasks they perform and their aging rates. However, in eusocial wasps, bees and ants, the performed task usually depends strongly on age. As such, untangling the effects of social role and age on worker physiology is a key step towards understanding the coevolution of sociality and aging. We performed an experimental protocol that allowed a separate analysis of these two factors using four groups of black garden ant (Lasius niger) workers: young foragers, old foragers, young nest workers, and old nest workers. We highlighted age-related differences in the proteome and metabolome of workers that were primarily related to worker subcaste and only secondarily to age. The relative abundance of proteins and metabolites suggests an improved xenobiotic detoxification, and a fuel metabolism based more on lipid use than carbohydrate use in young ants, regardless of their social role. Regardless of age, proteins related to the digestive function were more abundant in nest workers than in foragers. Old foragers were mostly characterized by weak abundances of molecules with an antibiotic activity or involved in chemical communication. Finally, our results suggest that even in tiny insects, extended lifespan may require to mitigate cancer risks. This is consistent with results found in eusocial rodents and thus opens up the discussion of shared mechanisms among distant taxa and the influence of sociality on life history traits such as longevity.

The 2023 Report on the Proteome from the HUPO Human Proteome Project

“…For example, the combination of metabolomics and discovery proteomics carried out on the black garden ant demonstrated that age and social environment both shape the molecular phenotype of animals. 38 Targeted proteomics, in which 3001 dynamic MRM transitions were monitored, revealed the precise molecular effects of Cd, Ag, and Zn metal exposures on the cecal proteome of Gammarus fossarum. 39 A new methodology has been proposed to identify the initiating molecular events when model cell lines are exposed to toxic substances, 40 starting with the demonstration of altered solubility of the integral proteome of HepG2 cells exposed to tetrachlorinated dioxins.…”

“…Various projects carried out by iMOP members illustrate this broad spectrum of research. For example, the combination of metabolomics and discovery proteomics carried out on the black garden ant demonstrated that age and social environment both shape the molecular phenotype of animals . Targeted proteomics, in which 3001 dynamic MRM transitions were monitored, revealed the precise molecular effects of Cd, Ag, and Zn metal exposures on the cecal proteome of Gammarus fossarum .…”