Candidate genes involved in cuticular hydrocarbon differentiation between cryptic, parabiotic ant species.

ABSTRACT: Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are highly diverse and have multiple functions, including communication and waterproofing. CHC profiles form species-specific, complex blends of up to 150 compounds. Especially in ants, even closely related species can have largely different profiles, raising the question how CHC differences are mirrored in the regulation of biosynthetic pathways. The neotropical ants Crematogaster levior and Camponotus femoratus both consist of two cryptic species each that are morphologically similar, but express strongly different CHC profiles. This is ideal to study the molecular basis of CHC differences. We thus investigated gene expression differences in fat-body transcriptomes of these ants. Despite common garden conditions, we found several thousand differential

SUBMITTER: Sprenger PP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8104948 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature