Transcriptomics and neuroanatomy of the clonal raider ant implicate an expanded clade of odorant receptors in chemical communication
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- Sean K. McKenzie
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065;
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- Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065;
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- Vanessa Ruta
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
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- Daniel J. C. Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065;
説明
<jats:title>Significance</jats:title> <jats:p>Despite the importance of sociality in the evolutionary history of life, its molecular basis is still poorly understood. The role of novel genes vs. conserved genes is particularly hotly debated. Here we present evidence that a group of 180 odorant receptor genes in the clonal raider ant are expressed in neurons that have been shown to detect cuticular hydrocarbons, one of the most important classes of ant chemical signals. We show that these genes underwent a period of rapid gene duplication in the ancestors of ants and now comprise 0.5%–1.5% of all genes in ant genomes. This discovery provides a striking example of the importance of novel genes in social evolution.</jats:p>
収録刊行物
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- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113 (49), 14091-14096, 2016-11-22
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
