Transcriptomic and Functional Analyses of Phenotypic Plasticity in a Higher Termite, Macrotermes barneyi Light

Sun, Pengdong; Li, Ganghua; Jian, Jianbo; Liu, Long; Chen, Junhui; Yu, Shuxin; Xu, Huan; Lei, Chaoliang; Zhou, Xuguo; Huang, Qiuying

doi:10.3389/fgene.2019.00964

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…A computerized EthoVision-XT tracking system (Noldus Information Technology, the Netherlands) was used for the evaluation of locomotion parameters in termites (Sun et al, 2019). A total of 30 replicates from three different colonies (each replicate included 6 termites) were used in this experiment.…”

Section: Locomotion In the Arena And Activity In Different Zones (Innmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silencing of the phosphofructokinase gene impairs glycolysis and causes abnormal locomotion in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder

Hassan

Huang

et al. 2020

Insect Molecular Biology

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Phosphofructokinase (PFK) is a rate‐limiting enzyme in glycolysis, but its linkage with locomotion in termites is not well understood, despite the demonstrated involvement of this gene in the locomotion of different animals. Here, we investigated the effect of the pfk gene on locomotion in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder through RNA interference and the use of an Ethovision XT tracking system. The knockdown of pfk resulted in significantly decreased expression of the pfk gene in different castes of termites. The pfk‐silenced workers displayed higher levels of glucose but lower levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and decreased activity of the PFK enzyme. Furthermore, abnormal locomotion (decreased distance travelled, velocity and acceleration but increased turn angle, angular velocity and meander) was observed in different castes of pfk‐silenced termites. We found caste‐specific locomotion among workers, soldiers and dealates. Additionally, soldiers and dealates showed higher velocity in the inner zone than in the wall zone, which is considered an effective behaviour to avoid predation. These findings reveal the close linkage between the pfk gene and locomotion in termites, which helps us to better understand the regulatory mechanism and caste specificity of social behaviours in social insects.

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Section: Locomotion In the Arena And Activity In Different Zones (Innmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silencing of the phosphofructokinase gene impairs glycolysis and causes abnormal locomotion in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder

Hassan

Huang

et al. 2020

Insect Molecular Biology

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“…It should be noted that some gene expressions, especially observed in the worker-presoldier molt, may be affected by the artificial hormone treatment. Further comparative transcriptome analysis should be performed between artificial conditions described in this paper and natural conditions, the latter of which has been reported in other species 17 , 61 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Comparison of gene expression profiles among caste differentiations in the termite Reticulitermes speratus

Saiki

Hayashi

Toga

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Termite castes express specialized phenotypes for their own tasks and are a good example of insect polyphenism. To understand the comprehensive gene expression profiles during caste differentiation, RNA-seq analysis based on the genome data was performed during the worker, presoldier, and nymphoid molts in Reticulitermes speratus. In this species, artificial induction methods for each molt have already been established, and the time scale has been clarified. Three different periods (before the gut purge (GP), during the GP, and after the molt) were discriminated in each molt, and two body parts (head and other body regions) were separately sampled. The results revealed that many differentially expressed genes (head: 2884, body: 2579) were identified in each molt. Based on the independent real-time quantitative PCR analysis, we confirmed the different expression patterns of seven out of eight genes in the presoldier molt. Based on the GO and KEGG enrichment analyses, the expressions of genes related to juvenile hormone titer changes (e.g., JH acid methyltransferase), nutrition status (e.g., Acyl-CoA Delta desaturase), and cell proliferation (e.g., insulin receptor), were shown to specifically fluctuate in each molt. These differences may have a crucial impact on caste differentiation. These data are important resources for future termite sociogenomics.

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“…In social insects, soldiers play a vital role in coping with the risk of external predation by sending out warning signals in a special way so that the other nestmates can avoid risks in a limited time through nestmate recognition during the process of foraging ( Tian and Zhou 2014 ; Lucas et al. 2018 ; Sun et al. 2019 ).…”

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confidence: 99%

IDH knockdown alters foraging behavior in the termite Odontotermes formosanus in different social contexts

Huang

Gao

et al. 2021

Current Zoology

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Foraging, as an energy-consuming behavior, is very important for colony survival in termites. How energy metabolism related to glucose decomposition and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production influences foraging behavior in termites is still unclear. Here, we analyzed the change in energy metabolism in the whole organism and brain after silencing the key metabolic gene isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and then investigated its impact on foraging behavior in the subterranean termite Odontotermes formosanus in different social contexts. The IDH gene exhibited higher expression in the abdomen and head of O. formosanus. The knockdown of IDH resulted in metabolic disorders in the whole organism. The dsIDH-injected workers showed significantly reduced walking activity but increased foraging success. Interestingly, IDH knockdown altered brain energy metabolism, resulting in a decline in ATP levels and an increase in IDH activity. Additionally, the social context affected brain energy metabolism and, thus, altered foraging behavior in O. formosanus. We found that the presence of predator ants increased the negative influence on the foraging behavior of dsIDH-injected workers, including a decrease in foraging success. However, an increase in the number of nestmate soldiers could provide social buffering to relieve the adverse effect of predator ants on worker foraging behavior. Our orthogonal experiments further verified that the role of the IDH gene as an inherent factor was dominant in manipulating termite foraging behavior compared with external social contexts, suggesting that energy metabolism, especially brain energy metabolism, plays a crucial role in regulating termite foraging behavior.

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Transcriptomic and Functional Analyses of Phenotypic Plasticity in a Higher Termite, Macrotermes barneyi Light

Cited by 14 publications

References 51 publications

Silencing of the phosphofructokinase gene impairs glycolysis and causes abnormal locomotion in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder

Silencing of the phosphofructokinase gene impairs glycolysis and causes abnormal locomotion in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder

Comparison of gene expression profiles among caste differentiations in the termite Reticulitermes speratus

IDH knockdown alters foraging behavior in the termite Odontotermes formosanus in different social contexts

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