Long ant life span is maintained by a unique heat shock factor.

ABSTRACT: Eusocial insect reproductive females show strikingly longer life spans than nonreproductive female workers despite high genetic similarity. In the ant Harpegnathos saltator (Hsal), workers can transition to reproductive "gamergates," acquiring a fivefold prolonged life span by mechanisms that are poorly understood. We found that gamergates have elevated expression of heat shock response (HSR) genes in the absence of heat stress and enhanced survival with heat stress. This HSR gene elevation is driven in part by gamergate-specific up-regulation of the gene encoding a truncated form of a heat shock factor most similar to mammalian HSF2 (hsalHSF2). In workers, hsalHSF2 was bound to DNA only upon heat stress. In gamergates, hsalHSF2 bound to DNA even in the absence of heat stress

SUBMITTER: Glastad KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10270196 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature