Functional characterization of odorant receptors in the ponerine ant, Harpegnathos saltator.

ABSTRACT: Animals use a variety of sensory modalities-including visual, acoustic, and chemical-to sense their environment and interact with both conspecifics and other species. Such communication is especially critical in eusocial insects such as honey bees and ants, where cooperation is critical for survival and reproductive success. Various classes of chemoreceptors have been hypothesized to play essential roles in the origin and evolution of eusociality in ants, through their functional roles in pheromone detection that characterizes reproductive status and colony membership. To better understand the molecular mechanisms by which chemoreceptors regulate social behaviors, we investigated the roles of a critical class of chemoreceptors, the odorant receptors (ORs), from the ponerine ant Harpegna

SUBMITTER: Slone JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5559025 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature