Oral transfer of chemical cues, growth proteins and hormones in social insects

• DOI: 10.7554/elife.20375
• Publication Date: 2016-11-29T00:01:43Z
• Authors: Adria C LeBoeuf; Patrice Waridel; Colin S Brent; Andre N Gonçalves; Laure Menin; Daniel Ortiz; Oksana Riba-Grognuz; Akiko Koto; Zamira G Soares; Eyal Privman; Eric A Miska; Richard Benton; Laurent Keller
• Keywords: Camponotus fellah; QH301-705.5; Science; Mass Spectrometry; collective behavior; genomics; Animals; Biology (General); Social Behavior; social evolution; Camponotus floridanus; Behavior, Animal; Ants; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Q; evolutionary biology; R; Correction; Genetics and Genomics; Hormones; Body Fluids; Juvenile Hormones; Solenopsis invicta; Medicine; Insect Proteins; Apis mellifera

Social insects frequently engage in oral fluid exchange – trophallaxis between adults, and adults larvae. Although is widely considered a food-sharing mechanism, we hypothesized that endogenous components of this might underlie novel means chemical communication colony members. Through protein small-molecule mass spectrometry RNA sequencing, found trophallactic the ant Camponotus floridanus contains set specific digestion- non-digestion related proteins, as well hydrocarbons, microRNAs, key developmental regulator, juvenile hormone. When C. workers’ food was supplemented with hormone, larvae they reared via were twice likely to complete metamorphosis became larger workers. Comparison proteins across social insect species revealed many are regulators growth, development behavioral maturation. These results suggest plays previously unsuspected roles enables communal control phenotypes.