Individual differences in honey bee behavior enabled by plasticity in brain gene regulatory networks.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the regulatory architecture of phenotypic variation is a fundamental goal in biology, but connections between gene regulatory network (GRN) activity and individual differences in behavior are poorly understood. We characterized the molecular basis of behavioral plasticity in queenless honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies, where individuals engage in both reproductive and non-reproductive behaviors. Using high-throughput behavioral tracking, we discovered these colonies contain a continuum of phenotypes, with some individuals specialized for either egg-laying or foraging and 'generalists' that perform both. Brain gene expression and chromatin accessibility profiles were correlated with behavioral variation, with generalists intermediate in behavior and molecular profiles

SUBMITTER: Jones BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7755388 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature