Dataset Information

LC-MSMS analysis of ageing vs labour division in ants

ABSTRACT: In social insects, workers perform distinct tasks according to the caste they belong to, and workers from different castes differ in their age (nest workers are usually younger than foragers are). The caste shift thus seems inseparable from age, preventing from deciphering the role of labour division and age in regulating individual physiology and ageing rates. We set up an experimental protocol separating age and caste effects by defining four groups of black garden ant (Lasius niger) workers: young foragers (Y.F), old foragers (O.F), young nest workers (Y.NW) and old nest workers (O.NW). Proteomics highlighted differences between individuals according to their age, whereas metabolomics revealed caste-related differences. Our study highlighted that age and caste influence specifically different aspects of the physiology of ant workers.

INSTRUMENT(S): Q Exactive Plus

ORGANISM(S): Lasius Niger

TISSUE(S): Whole Body

SUBMITTER: Fabrice BERTILE

LAB HEAD: Sarah Cianférani

PROVIDER: PXD026565 | Pride | 2023-03-11

REPOSITORIES: Pride

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Publications

Both age and social environment shape the phenotype of ant workers.

Quque Martin M Brun Charlotte C Villette Claire C Sueur Cédric C Criscuolo François F Heintz Dimitri D Bertile Fabrice F

Scientific reports 20230105 1

Position within the social group has consequences on individual lifespans in diverse taxa. This is especially obvious in eusocial insects, where workers differ in both the tasks they perform and their aging rates. However, in eusocial wasps, bees and ants, the performed task usually depends strongly on age. As such, untangling the effects of social role and age on worker physiology is a key step towards understanding the coevolution of sociality and aging. We performed an experimental protocol t ...[more]

PMID: 36604491

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Project description:Olfaction and chemical communication are fundamental for coordination in insect societies, especially in species forming large colonies. Reproductive and task partitioning suggest that colony members belonging to different castes or subcastes or performing different tasks during their life (polyethism) may produce different semiochemicals and be differently sensitive to the variety of pheromones and/or environmental odours. The main peripheral olfactory organs are the antennal chemosensilla, where the early olfactory processes take place. At this stage, members of two different families of soluble chemosensory proteins (Odorant Binding Proteins -OBPs-, Chemosensory Proteins -CSPs-) show a remarkable affinity for different odorants and act as carriers while a further family, the Niemann Pick type C2 proteins (NPC2) may have a similar function, although this has not been fully demonstrated. Sensillar lymph also contains Odorant degrading enzymes (ODEs) which are involved in inactivation through degradation of the chemical signals, once the message is conveyed. Despite their importance in chemical communication, poor is known about how proteins involved in peripheral olfaction and, more generally antennal proteins, differ in honeybees of different caste, task and age. Here we investigate for the first time, using a shotgun proteomic approach, the antennal profile of honeybee of different castes (queens and workers) and of workers performing different tasks (nursers, guards and foragers) by controlling for the potential confounding effect of age. Regarding olfactory proteins, major differences were observed between queens and workers, some of which were found to be more abundant in queens (OBP3, OBP18, NPC2-1) and others to be more abundant in workers (OBP15, OBP21, CSP1, CSP3); while between workers performing different tasks, OBP14 was more abundant in nurses with respect to guards and foragers, and two ODEs were more abundant in guards with respect to workers of 2nd week. Apart from proteins involved in olfaction, we have found that the antennal proteomes are mainly characterized by castes and tasks, while age has a limited effect on antennal protein profile.

Dataset Information

LC-MSMS analysis of ageing vs labour division in ants

Publications

Both age and social environment shape the phenotype of ant workers.

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