Project description:Eusocial insects have evolved the capacity to generate adults with distinct morphological, reproductive and behavioural phenotypes from the same genome. Recent studies suggest that RNA editing might enhance the diversity of gene products at the post-transcriptional level, particularly to induce functional changes in the nervous system. Using head samples from the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior, we compare RNA editomes across eusocial castes, identifying ca. 11,000 RNA editing sites in gynes, large workers and small workers. Those editing sites map to 800 genes functionally enriched for neurotransmission, circadian rhythm, temperature response, RNA splicing and carboxylic acid biosynthesis. Most A. echinatior editing sites are species specific, but 8M-bM-^@M-^S23% are conserved across ant subfamilies and likely to have been important for the evolution of eusociality in ants. The level of editing varies for the same site between castes, suggesting that RNA editing might be a general mechanism that shapes caste behaviour in ants. Analysis of genome-wide RNA editing in three different female castes of the the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior.
Project description:Eusocial insects have evolved the capacity to generate adults with distinct morphological, reproductive and behavioural phenotypes from the same genome. Recent studies suggest that RNA editing might enhance the diversity of gene products at the post-transcriptional level, particularly to induce functional changes in the nervous system. Using head samples from the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior, we compare RNA editomes across eusocial castes, identifying ca. 11,000 RNA editing sites in gynes, large workers and small workers. Those editing sites map to 800 genes functionally enriched for neurotransmission, circadian rhythm, temperature response, RNA splicing and carboxylic acid biosynthesis. Most A. echinatior editing sites are species specific, but 8–23% are conserved across ant subfamilies and likely to have been important for the evolution of eusociality in ants. The level of editing varies for the same site between castes, suggesting that RNA editing might be a general mechanism that shapes caste behaviour in ants.
Project description:The leaf-cutter ant Acromyrmex echinatior secretes a protein layer that covers their exoskeleton and physically interacts with biotic and abiotic factors, including their symbiotic bacteria Pseudonocardia. In this study, in order to characterize both the global proteome and the externally-secreted cuticular protein layer of A. echinatior, we utilize a novel, dual-layered proteomic approach. Using diaPASEF, we quantified 4,428 proteins across four early adult stages, uncovering distinct age-dependent protein clusters enriched in muscle development, lipid metabolism, and immune-related responses. We then developed a novel acid-based extraction method to isolate the externally-secreted protein layer, identifying 323 secreted proteins via ddaPASEF acquisition, many of which were temporally upregulated and associated with various functions such as environmental stress response, microbial defense, and cuticle structural maturation. Notably, tropomyosin-family proteins were both highly enriched in the external-secretome and exhibited significant changes across the early adult timepoints, potentially linking these ion-binding molecules to the metal-enrichment processes that takes place during this crucial stage.
