Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE31344: smRNA sequencing of queen and virgin queen of two ants: Camponotus floridanus and Harpegnathos saltator GSE31346: Transcriptome sequencing of queen and virgin queen of two ants: Camponotus floridanus and Harpegnathos saltator GSE31576: Single base resolution methylome of two ants: Camponotus floridanus and Harpegnathos saltator Refer to individual Series
Project description:Honeybees are very important eusocial insects and are involved in the pollination of many plants. Queen bees and worker bees develop from the same fertilized eggs, and are thus genetically identical despite their substantial behavioural and physiological differences. The mechanism governing developmental differences between worker and queen bees has always attracted much interest. While there are several reports on mRNA expression related to caste differentiation, no systematic investigation of small RNAs has thus far been carried out. Results: Using deep sequencing we systematically profiled small RNA expression in 4th-6th day worker larvae and queen larvae (the critical stages at which the fates of workers and queens are determined), and found that 38 miRNAs were differentially expressed between worker and queen larvae. In addition, 639 mature miRNA candidates were identified in our work for the first time, of which, 526 were expressed only in workers (318) or queens (208). Conclusion: We present the first profile of honeybee small RNAs and explore the mechanism of caste differentiation between worker and queen bees. Caste-specific expression patterns and large discrepancies in small RNA profiles between worker and queen bees indicate that small RNAs may be related to the differential development of worker and queen bee larvae. Results presented here will make a valuable contribution to understanding the caste switch between worker and queen bees.
Project description:Female honeybees are specified as workers or queens based on diet during early development. Workers are essentially sterile with a reduced number of ovarioles and no spermatheca. In the presence of the queen (queen mandibular pheromone) and her brood, worker ovaries are kept in an inactive quiescent state. If the queen is removed, or lost, worker bees are able to sense this change in their environment and their ovaries undergo complete remodelling producing unfertilised haploid eggs that will produce male (drone bees). In this study we analyse gene expression in queen, worker, and laying worker ovaries using RNA-seq and explore differences in the chromatin landscape (focussing on H3K27me3).
Project description:We report analyses the individual-level brain gene expression profiles of Polistes dominula paper wasps following the loss of a queen, a perturbation that induces some individuals to undergo a significant phenotypic shift and become queens while others maintain an apparently unchanged worker phenotype. We use a machine learning approach to map individual transcriptomes on a continuum between worker and queen states and then match these scores to detailed phenotypic data. We find a strong response of caste-associated gene expression to queen loss, with individuals’ expression profiles becoming intermediate between queen and worker states.