GAF-dependent chromatin plasticity determines promoter usage to mediate locust gregarious behavior.

ABSTRACT: Locusts, as devastating pests, can reversibly transform between solitary individuals and gregarious swarms with markedly different behaviors. Epigenetic regulation orchestrated by changes in chromatin openness modulates behavioral plasticity by controlling gene expression. However, the gene regulation mechanisms by which chromatin openness controls behavioral changes remain largely unknown. Here, we explored the regulatory function of chromatin openness in modulating behavioral plasticity, in which the remodeler GAF regulated brain-specific promoter usage in locusts. The increased chromatin openness in gregarious locusts initiated transcription of the brain-specific promoter of henna, a critical gene in dopamine synthesis and gregarious behavior mediation. Furthermore, GAF-dependent chroma

SUBMITTER: Li X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12084303 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature