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Tait C, Chicco AJ, Naug D. Brain energy metabolism as an underlying basis of slow and fast cognitive phenotypes in honeybees. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247835. [PMID: 39092671 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
In the context of slow-fast behavioral variation, fast individuals are hypothesized to be those who prioritize speed over accuracy while slow individuals are those which do the opposite. Since energy metabolism is a critical component of neural and cognitive functioning, this predicts such differences in cognitive style to be reflected at the level of the brain. We tested this idea in honeybees by first classifying individuals into slow and fast cognitive phenotypes based on a learning assay and then measuring their brain respiration with high-resolution respirometry. Our results broadly show that inter-individual differences in cognition are reflected in differences in brain mass and accompanying energy use at the level of the brain and the whole animal. Larger brains had lower mass-specific energy usage and bees with larger brains had a higher metabolic rate. These differences in brain respiration and brain mass were, in turn, associated with cognitive differences, such that bees with larger brains were fast cognitive phenotypes whereas those with smaller brains were slow cognitive phenotypes. We discuss these results in the context of the role of energy in brain functioning and slow-fast decision making and speed accuracy trade-off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Tait
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Adam J Chicco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Dhruba Naug
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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2
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Morfin N, Harpur BA, De la Mora A, Guzman-Novoa E. Breeding honey bees ( Apis mellifera L.) for low and high Varroa destructor population growth: Gene expression of bees performing grooming behavior. FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 3:951447. [PMID: 38469529 PMCID: PMC10926520 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2023.951447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Social organisms, including honey bees (Apis mellifera L.), have defense mechanisms to control the multiplication and transmission of parasites and pathogens within their colonies. Self-grooming, a mechanism of behavioral immunity, seems to contribute to restrain the population growth of the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor in honey bee colonies. Because V. destructor is the most damaging parasite of honey bees, breeding them for resistance against the mite is a high priority of the beekeeping industry. Methods A bidirectional breeding program to select honey bee colonies with low and high V. destructor population growth (LVG and HVG, respectively) was conducted. Having high and low lines of bees allowed the study of genetic mechanisms underlying self-grooming behavior between the extreme genotypes. Worker bees were classified into two categories: 'light groomers' and 'intense groomers'. The brains of bees from the different categories (LVG-intense, LVG-light, HVG-intense, and HVG-light) were used for gene expression and viral quantification analyses. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with the LVG and HVG lines were identified. Results Four odorant-binding proteins and a gustatory receptor were identified as differentially expressed genes. A functional enrichment analysis showed 19 enriched pathways from a list of 219 down-regulated DEGs in HVG bees, including the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) term of oxidative phosphorylation. Additionally, bees from the LVG line showed lower levels of Apis rhabdovirus 1 and 2, Varroa destructor virus -1 (VDV-1/DWV-B), and Deformed wing virus-A (DWV-A) compared to bees of the HVG line. The difference in expression of odorant-binding protein genes and a gustatory receptor between bee lines suggests a possible link between them and the perception of irritants to trigger rapid self-grooming instances that require the activation of energy metabolic pathways. Discussion These results provide new insights on the molecular mechanisms involved in honey bee grooming behavior. Differences in viral levels in the brains of LVG and HVG bees showed the importance of investigating the pathogenicity and potential impacts of neurotropic viruses on behavioral immunity. The results of this study advance the understanding of a trait used for selective breeding, self-grooming, and the potential of using genomic assisted selection to improve breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Morfin
- British Columbia Technology Transfer Program, British Columbia Honey Producers Association, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Brock A. Harpur
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Alvaro De la Mora
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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3
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Xu 徐焕 H, Huang 黄求应 Q, Gao 高勇勇 Y, Wu 吴佳 J, Hassan A, Liu 刘昱彤 Y. IDH knockdown alters foraging behavior in the termite Odontotermes formosanus in different social contexts. Curr Zool 2021; 67:609-620. [PMID: 34805537 PMCID: PMC8599053 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Foraging, as an energy-consuming behavior, is very important for colony survival in termites. How energy metabolism related to glucose decomposition and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production influences foraging behavior in termites is still unclear. Here, we analyzed the change in energy metabolism in the whole organism and brain after silencing the key metabolic gene isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and then investigated its impact on foraging behavior in the subterranean termite Odontotermes formosanus in different social contexts. The IDH gene exhibited higher expression in the abdomen and head of O. formosanus. The knockdown of IDH resulted in metabolic disorders in the whole organism. The dsIDH-injected workers showed significantly reduced walking activity but increased foraging success. Interestingly, IDH knockdown altered brain energy metabolism, resulting in a decline in ATP levels and an increase in IDH activity. Additionally, the social context affected brain energy metabolism and, thus, altered foraging behavior in O. formosanus. We found that the presence of predator ants increased the negative influence on the foraging behavior of dsIDH-injected workers, including a decrease in foraging success. However, an increase in the number of nestmate soldiers could provide social buffering to relieve the adverse effect of predator ants on worker foraging behavior. Our orthogonal experiments further verified that the role of the IDH gene as an inherent factor was dominant in manipulating termite foraging behavior compared with external social contexts, suggesting that energy metabolism, especially brain energy metabolism, plays a crucial role in regulating termite foraging behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Xu 徐焕
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Qiuying Huang 黄求应
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Yongyong Gao 高勇勇
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Jia Wu 吴佳
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Ali Hassan
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Yutong Liu 刘昱彤
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
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4
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Scavuzzo CJ, Newman LA, Gold PE, Korol DL. Time-dependent changes in hippocampal and striatal glycogen long after maze training in male rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 185:107537. [PMID: 34634434 PMCID: PMC8672440 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Long-lasting biological changes reflecting past experience have been studied in and typically attributed to neurons in the brain. Astrocytes, which are also present in large number in the brain, have recently been found to contribute critically to learning and memory processing. In the brain, glycogen is primarily found in astrocytes and is metabolized to lactate, which can be released from astrocytes. Here we report that astrocytes themselves have intrinsic neurochemical plasticity that alters the availability and provision of metabolic substrates long after an experience. Rats were trained to find food on one of two versions of a 4-arm maze: a hippocampus-sensitive place task and a striatum-sensitive response task. Remarkably, hippocampal glycogen content increased while striatal levels decreased during the 30 days after rats were trained to find food in the place version, but not the response version, of the maze tasks. A long-term consequence of the durable changes in glycogen stores was seen in task-by-site differences in extracellular lactate responses activated by testing on a working memory task administered 30 days after initial training, the time when differences in glycogen content were most robust. These results suggest that astrocytic plasticity initiated by a single experience may augment future availability of energy reserves, perhaps priming brain areas to process learning of subsequent experiences more effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire J Scavuzzo
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada.
| | - Lori A Newman
- Psychological Science Department, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Avenue, Box 713, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
| | - Paul E Gold
- Biology Department, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
| | - Donna L Korol
- Biology Department, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA.
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5
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Coto ZN, Traniello JFA. Brain Size, Metabolism, and Social Evolution. Front Physiol 2021; 12:612865. [PMID: 33708134 PMCID: PMC7940180 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.612865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zach N Coto
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - James F A Traniello
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
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Harpur BA, Kadri SM, Orsi RO, Whitfield CW, Zayed A. Defense Response in Brazilian Honey Bees (Apis mellifera scutellata × spp.) Is Underpinned by Complex Patterns of Admixture. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 12:1367-1377. [PMID: 32597950 PMCID: PMC7487160 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In 1957, an invasive and highly defensive honey bee began to spread across Brazil. In the previous year, Brazilian researchers hoped to produce a subtropical-adapted honey bee by crossing local commercial honey bees (of European origin) with a South African honey bee subspecies (Apis mellifera scutellata; an A-lineage honey bee subspecies). The resulting cross-African hybrid honey bees (AHBs)-escaped from their enclosure and spread through the Americas. Today, AHB is the most common honey bee from Northern Argentina to the Southern United States. AHBs are much more likely to sting nest intruders than managed European-derived honey bee colonies. Previous studies have explored how genetic variation contributes to differences in defense response between European-derived honey bee and AHB. Although this work demonstrated very strong genetic effects on defense response, they have yet to pinpoint which genes influence variation in defense response within AHBs, specifically. We quantified defense response for 116 colonies in Brazil and performed pooled sequencing on the most phenotypically divergent samples. We identified 65 loci containing 322 genes that were significantly associated with defense response. Loci were strongly associated with metabolic function, consistent with previous functional genomic analyses of this phenotype. Additionally, defense-associated loci had nonrandom and unexpected patterns of admixture. Defense response was not simply the product of more A-lineage honey bee ancestry as previously assumed, but rather an interaction between A-lineage and European alleles. Our results suggest that a combination of A-lineage and European alleles play roles in defensive behavior in AHBs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Samir M Kadri
- Departamento de Produção Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia de Botucatu, Univervidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo O Orsi
- Departamento de Produção Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia de Botucatu, Univervidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Amro Zayed
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, York University, Toronto, Canada
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7
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Rittschof CC, Rubin BER, Palmer JH. The transcriptomic signature of low aggression in honey bees resembles a response to infection. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:1029. [PMID: 31888487 PMCID: PMC6937707 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6417-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Behavior reflects an organism's health status. Many organisms display a generalized suite of behaviors that indicate infection or predict infection susceptibility. We apply this concept to honey bee aggression, a behavior that has been associated with positive health outcomes in previous studies. We sequenced the transcriptomes of the brain, fat body, and midgut of adult sibling worker bees who developed as pre-adults in relatively high versus low aggression colonies. Previous studies showed that this pre-adult experience impacts both aggressive behavior and resilience to pesticides. We performed enrichment analyses on differentially expressed genes to determine whether variation in aggression resembles the molecular response to infection. We further assessed whether the transcriptomic signature of aggression in the brain is similar to the neuromolecular response to acute predator threat, exposure to a high-aggression environment as an adult, or adult behavioral maturation. RESULTS Across all three tissues assessed, genes that are differentially expressed as a function of aggression significantly overlap with genes whose expression is modulated by a variety of pathogens and parasitic feeding. In the fat body, and to some degree the midgut, our data specifically support the hypothesis that low aggression resembles a diseased or parasitized state. However, we find little evidence of active infection in individuals from the low aggression group. We also find little evidence that the brain molecular signature of aggression is enriched for genes modulated by social cues that induce aggression in adults. However, we do find evidence that genes associated with adult behavioral maturation are enriched in our brain samples. CONCLUSIONS Results support the hypothesis that low aggression resembles a molecular state of infection. This pattern is most robust in the peripheral fat body, an immune responsive tissue in the honey bee. We find no evidence of acute infection in bees from the low aggression group, suggesting the physiological state characterizing low aggression may instead predispose bees to negative health outcomes when they are exposed to additional stressors. The similarity of molecular signatures associated with the seemingly disparate traits of aggression and disease suggests that these characteristics may, in fact, be intimately tied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare C Rittschof
- University of Kentucky, S-225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA.
| | - Benjamin E R Rubin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Joseph H Palmer
- Kentucky State University, 400 E. Main St., Frankfort, KY, 40601, USA
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8
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Yan J, Monaco H, Xavier JB. The Ultimate Guide to Bacterial Swarming: An Experimental Model to Study the Evolution of Cooperative Behavior. Annu Rev Microbiol 2019; 73:293-312. [PMID: 31180806 PMCID: PMC7428860 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-020518-120033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Cooperation has fascinated biologists since Darwin. How did cooperative behaviors evolve despite the fitness cost to the cooperator? Bacteria have cooperative behaviors that make excellent models to take on this age-old problem from both proximate (molecular) and ultimate (evolutionary) angles. We delve into Pseudomonas aeruginosa swarming, a phenomenon where billions of bacteria move cooperatively across distances of centimeters in a matter of a few hours. Experiments with swarming have unveiled a strategy called metabolic prudence that stabilizes cooperation, have showed the importance of spatial structure, and have revealed a regulatory network that integrates environmental stimuli and direct cooperative behavior, similar to a machine learning algorithm. The study of swarming elucidates more than proximate mechanisms: It exposes ultimate mechanisms valid to all scales, from cells in cancerous tumors to animals in large communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyuan Yan
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA;
| | - Hilary Monaco
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA;
| | - Joao B Xavier
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA;
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9
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Ma R, Rangel J, Grozinger CM. Honey bee (Apis mellifera) larval pheromones may regulate gene expression related to foraging task specialization. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:592. [PMID: 31324147 PMCID: PMC6642498 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5923-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Foraging behavior in honey bees (Apis mellifera) is a complex phenotype that is regulated by physiological state and social signals. How these factors are integrated at the molecular level to modulate foraging behavior has not been well characterized. The transition of worker bees from nursing to foraging behaviors is mediated by large-scale changes in brain gene expression, which are influenced by pheromones produced by the queen and larvae. Larval pheromones can also stimulate foragers to leave the colony to collect pollen. However, the mechanisms underpinning this rapid behavioral plasticity in foragers that specialize in collecting pollen over nectar, and how larval pheromones impact these different behavioral states, remains to be determined. Here, we investigated the patterns of gene expression related to rapid behavioral plasticity and task allocation among honey bee foragers exposed to two larval pheromones, brood pheromone (BP) and (E)-beta-ocimene (EBO). We hypothesized that both pheromones would alter expression of genes in the brain related to foraging and would differentially impact brain gene expression depending on foraging specialization. Results Combining data reduction, clustering, and network analysis methods, we found that foraging preference (nectar vs. pollen) and pheromone exposure are each associated with specific brain gene expression profiles. Furthermore, pheromone exposure has a strong transcriptional effect on genes that are preferentially expressed in nectar foragers. Representation factor analysis between our study and previous landmark honey bee transcriptome studies revealed significant overlaps for both pheromone communication and foraging task specialization. Conclusions Our results suggest that, as social signals, pheromones alter expression patterns of foraging-related genes in the bee’s brain to increase pollen foraging at both long and short time scales. These results provide new insights into how social signals and task specialization are potentially integrated at the molecular level, and highlights the possible role that brain gene expression may play in honey bee behavioral plasticity across time scales. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5923-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Ma
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Center for Chemical Ecology, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Juliana Rangel
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Christina M Grozinger
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Center for Chemical Ecology, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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Rittschof CC, Vekaria HJ, Palmer JH, Sullivan PG. Biogenic amines and activity levels alter the neural energetic response to aggressive social cues in the honey bee Apis mellifera. J Neurosci Res 2019; 97:991-1003. [PMID: 31090236 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial activity is highly dynamic in the healthy brain, and it can reflect both the signaling potential and the signaling history of neural circuits. Recent studies spanning invertebrates to mammals have highlighted a role for neural mitochondrial dynamics in learning and memory processes as well as behavior. In the current study, we investigate the interplay between biogenic amine signaling and neural energetics in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. In this species, aggressive behaviors are regulated by neural energetic state and biogenic amine titers, but it is unclear how these mechanisms are linked to impact behavioral expression. We show that brain mitochondrial number is highest in aggression-relevant brain regions and in individual bees that are most responsive to aggressive cues, emphasizing the importance of energetics in modulating this phenotype. We also show that the neural energetic response to alarm pheromone, an aggression inducing social cue, is activity dependent, modulated by the "fight or flight" insect neurotransmitter octopamine. Two other neuroactive compounds known to cause variation in aggression, dopamine, and serotonin, also modulate neural energetic state in aggression-relevant regions of the brain. However, the effects of these compounds on respiration at baseline and following alarm pheromone exposure are distinct, suggesting unique mechanisms underlying variation in mitochondrial respiration in these circuits. These results motivate new explanations for the ways in which biogenic amines alter sensory perception in the context of aggression. Considering neural energetics improves predictions about the regulation of complex and context-dependent behavioral phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare C Rittschof
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Hemendra J Vekaria
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Joseph H Palmer
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Patrick G Sullivan
- Department of Neuroscience, Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
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Pratavieira M, Menegasso ARDS, Esteves FG, Sato KU, Malaspina O, Palma MS. MALDI Imaging Analysis of Neuropeptides in Africanized Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Brain: Effect of Aggressiveness. J Proteome Res 2018; 17:2358-2369. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.8b00098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Pratavieira
- Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Anally Ribeiro da Silva Menegasso
- Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Franciele Grego Esteves
- Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Kenny Umino Sato
- Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Osmar Malaspina
- Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Mario Sergio Palma
- Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biology, Center of the Study of Social Insects, University of São Paulo State (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil
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Rittschof CC, Hughes KA. Advancing behavioural genomics by considering timescale. Nat Commun 2018; 9:489. [PMID: 29434301 PMCID: PMC5809431 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-02971-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal behavioural traits often covary with gene expression, pointing towards a genomic constraint on organismal responses to environmental cues. This pattern highlights a gap in our understanding of the time course of environmentally responsive gene expression, and moreover, how these dynamics are regulated. Advances in behavioural genomics explore how gene expression dynamics are correlated with behavioural traits that range from stable to highly labile. We consider the idea that certain genomic regulatory mechanisms may predict the timescale of an environmental effect on behaviour. This temporally minded approach could inform both organismal and evolutionary questions ranging from the remediation of early life social trauma to understanding the evolution of trait plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare C Rittschof
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA.
| | - Kimberly A Hughes
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
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Rittschof CC, Vekaria HJ, Palmer JH, Sullivan PG. Brain mitochondrial bioenergetics change with rapid and prolonged shifts in aggression in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb.176917. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.176917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal function demands high-level energy production, and as such, a decline in mitochondrial respiration characterizes brain injury and disease. A growing number of studies, however, link brain mitochondrial function to behavioral modulation in non-diseased contexts. In the honey bee, we show for the first time that an acute social interaction, which invokes an aggressive response, may also cause a rapid decline in brain mitochondrial bioenergetics. The degree and speed of this decline has only been previously observed in the context of brain injury. Furthermore, in the honey bee, age-related increases in aggressive tendency are associated with increased baseline brain mitochondrial respiration, as well as increased plasticity in response to metabolic fuel type in vitro. Similarly, diet restriction and ketone body feeding, which commonly enhance mammalian brain mitochondrial function in vivo, cause increased aggression. Thus, even in normal behavioral contexts, brain mitochondria show a surprising degree of variation in function over both rapid and prolonged timescales, with age predicting both baseline function and plasticity in function. These results suggest that mitochondrial function is integral to modulating aggression-related neuronal signaling. We hypothesize that variation in function reflects mitochondrial calcium buffering activity, and that shifts in mitochondrial function signal to the neuronal soma to regulate gene expression and neural energetic state. Modulating brain energetic state is emerging as a critical component of the regulation of behavior in non-diseased contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare C. Rittschof
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S-225 Ag. Science Center North, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Hemendra J. Vekaria
- Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center and the Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, 741 South Limestone Street, 475 BBSRB, Lexington, KY 40536-0509, USA
| | - Joseph H. Palmer
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S-225 Ag. Science Center North, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Patrick G. Sullivan
- Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center and the Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, 741 South Limestone Street, 475 BBSRB, Lexington, KY 40536-0509, USA
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14
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Velando A, Costa MM, Kim SY. Sex-specific phenotypes and metabolism-related gene expression in juvenile sticklebacks. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Velando
- Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Campus As Lagoas, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - María M Costa
- Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Campus As Lagoas, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Sin-Yeon Kim
- Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Campus As Lagoas, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
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Rittschof CC, Schirmeier S. Insect models of central nervous system energy metabolism and its links to behavior. Glia 2017; 66:1160-1175. [DOI: 10.1002/glia.23235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Revised: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clare C. Rittschof
- Department of Entomology; College of Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, University of Kentucky; Lexington Kentucky
| | - Stefanie Schirmeier
- Institut für Neuro-und Verhaltensbiologie, University of Münster; Münster Germany
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Fischer EK, O'Connell LA. Modification of feeding circuits in the evolution of social behavior. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:92-102. [PMID: 28057832 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.143859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive trade-offs between foraging and social behavior intuitively explain many aspects of individual decision-making. Given the intimate connection between social behavior and feeding/foraging at the behavioral level, we propose that social behaviors are linked to foraging on a mechanistic level, and that modifications of feeding circuits are crucial in the evolution of complex social behaviors. In this Review, we first highlight the overlap between mechanisms underlying foraging and parental care and then expand this argument to consider the manipulation of feeding-related pathways in the evolution of other complex social behaviors. We include examples from diverse taxa to highlight that the independent evolution of complex social behaviors is a variation on the theme of feeding circuit modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva K Fischer
- Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Lauren A O'Connell
- Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Nouvian M, Reinhard J, Giurfa M. The defensive response of the honeybee Apis mellifera. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 219:3505-3517. [PMID: 27852760 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.143016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are insects living in colonies with a complex social organization. Their nest contains food stores in the form of honey and pollen, as well as the brood, the queen and the bees themselves. These resources have to be defended against a wide range of predators and parasites, a task that is performed by specialized workers, called guard bees. Guards tune their response to both the nature of the threat and the environmental conditions, in order to achieve an efficient trade-off between defence and loss of foraging workforce. By releasing alarm pheromones, they are able to recruit other bees to help them handle large predators. These chemicals trigger both rapid and longer-term changes in the behaviour of nearby bees, thus priming them for defence. Here, we review our current understanding on how this sequence of events is performed and regulated depending on a variety of factors that are both extrinsic and intrinsic to the colony. We present our current knowledge on the neural bases of honeybee aggression and highlight research avenues for future studies in this area. We present a brief overview of the techniques used to study honeybee aggression, and discuss how these could be used to gain further insights into the mechanisms of this behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Nouvian
- Queensland Brain Institute, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia .,Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse cedex 9, 31062, France
| | - Judith Reinhard
- Queensland Brain Institute, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse cedex 9, 31062, France
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Bukhari SA, Saul MC, Seward CH, Zhang H, Bensky M, James N, Zhao SD, Chandrasekaran S, Stubbs L, Bell AM. Temporal dynamics of neurogenomic plasticity in response to social interactions in male threespined sticklebacks. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006840. [PMID: 28704398 PMCID: PMC5509087 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals exhibit dramatic immediate behavioral plasticity in response to social interactions, and brief social interactions can shape the future social landscape. However, the molecular mechanisms contributing to behavioral plasticity are unclear. Here, we show that the genome dynamically responds to social interactions with multiple waves of transcription associated with distinct molecular functions in the brain of male threespined sticklebacks, a species famous for its behavioral repertoire and evolution. Some biological functions (e.g., hormone activity) peaked soon after a brief territorial challenge and then declined, while others (e.g., immune response) peaked hours afterwards. We identify transcription factors that are predicted to coordinate waves of transcription associated with different components of behavioral plasticity. Next, using H3K27Ac as a marker of chromatin accessibility, we show that a brief territorial intrusion was sufficient to cause rapid and dramatic changes in the epigenome. Finally, we integrate the time course brain gene expression data with a transcriptional regulatory network, and link gene expression to changes in chromatin accessibility. This study reveals rapid and dramatic epigenomic plasticity in response to a brief, highly consequential social interaction. Social interactions provoke changes in the brain and behavior but their underlying molecular mechanisms remain obscure. Male sticklebacks are small fish whose fitness depends on their ability to defend a territory. Here, by measuring the time course of gene expression in response to a territorial challenge in two brain regions, we show that a single brief territorial intrusion provoked waves of gene expression that persisted for hours afterwards, with waves of transcription associated with distinct biological processes. Moreover, a single territorial challenge caused dramatic changes to the epigenome. Changes in chromatin accessibility corresponded to changes in gene expression, and to the activity of transcription factors operating within gene regulatory networks. This study reveals rapid and dramatic epigenomic plasticity in response to a brief, highly consequential social interaction. These results suggest that meaningful social interactions (even brief ones) can provoke waves of transcription and changes to the epigenome which lead to changes in neural functioning, and those changes are a mechanism by which animals update their assessment of their social world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syed Abbas Bukhari
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
- Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Michael C. Saul
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Christopher H. Seward
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Huimin Zhang
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Miles Bensky
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Noelle James
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Sihai Dave Zhao
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
- Department of Statistics, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL United States of America
| | - Sriram Chandrasekaran
- Harvard Society of Fellows, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Lisa Stubbs
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Alison M. Bell
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Rose J, Cullen DA, Simpson SJ, Stevenson PA. Born to win or bred to lose: aggressive and submissive behavioural profiles in crickets. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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The Tangled Evolutionary Legacies of Range Expansion and Hybridization. Trends Ecol Evol 2016; 31:677-688. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Revised: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 06/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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