Unexpected diversity of egg yolk proteins play a key role in ant sociality and castes

This week in Molecular Biology and Evolution

2014-06-04

(Press-News.org) The social insects, including bees, wasps, ants and termites have developed a highly advanced society where division of labor amongst workers to serve the queen's reproduction has long fascinated biologists who have wanted to uncover the molecular pathways driving the complex behavior of insect societies.

In the advanced online edition of Molecular Biology and Evolution, Claire Morandin et al. performed molecular evolutionary analyses on the egg yolk forming protein, Vitellogenin (Vg), and its many forms, amongst seven Formica ant species. Vitellogenin is known to play a role in the fate and regulation of insect social castes, with previous studies showing Vg expression most prevalent in queens and much lower in the workers.

The University of Helsinki research team discovered three new copies of Vg, called homologues, and examined these in both non-reproductive workers and queens. They demonstrated that the three new homologues of Vg were the result of ancient gene duplications, and that each of these copies plays a different role in ant societies. In contrast to earlier studies, Vitellogenin was not found to be upregulated in the queens, and the caste bias of the three Vitellogenin-like genes was highly variable among species. However, they did find one Vg homologue, a shortened version of the conventional Vg gene, called Vg-like-C, which was consistently primarily expressed in workers in the seven studied ant species.

"The combination of gene expression, protein modeling and evolutionary analysis of multiple copies of Vitellogenin – a key player in insect reproduction and behavior - suggests that patterns underlying caste differences are not easily generalized across social insects," said Morandin.

The study shows that the expression and role in social regulation of Vg and Vg-like genes are not consistent across species, providing important new insights into the complexity of insect social behavior and gene variation amongst even closely related species.

INFORMATION: END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Discovering a hidden source of solar surges

2014-06-04

Cutting-edge observations with the 1.6-meter telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) in California have taken research into the structure and activity of the Sun to new levels of understanding. Operated by New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), the telescope at Big Bear is the most powerful ground-based instrument dedicated to studying the Sun. A group of astronomers led by Dr. Santiago Vargas Domínguez has analyzed the highest- resolution solar observations ever made. A summary of their work at BBSO was presented on June 2 at the 224th meeting of the American ...

New device isolates most aggressive cancer cells

2014-06-04

ITHACA, N.Y. – Not all cancer cells are created equal – some stay put in the primary tumor, while others move and invade elsewhere. A major goal for cancer research is predicting which cells will metastasize, and why. A Cornell cancer research team is taking a new approach to screening for these dangerous cells, using a microfluidic device they invented that isolates only the most aggressive, metastatic cells. "The approach we've taken is a reverse approach from what is conventionally done," said Cynthia Reinhart-King, associate professor of biomedical engineering and ...

Many breast cancer patients don't get treatment for heart problems

2014-06-03

Only a third of older breast cancer patients saw a cardiologist within 90 days of developing heart problems, in a study presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research 2014 Scientific Sessions. Breast cancer patients with heart problems who saw a cardiologist were more likely to receive standard therapy for their heart failure than those who did not see a heart specialist, the study found. "The majority of older women who develop heart problems after their breast cancer therapy aren't treated by a cardiologist, and they had lower ...

Community program helps lower blood pressure among minorities

2014-06-03

Minorities at a higher risk of developing hypertension used a community-based program to significantly lower their blood pressure, researchers said at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research 2014 Scientific Sessions. Minorities at a higher risk of developing hypertension used a community-based program to significantly lower their blood pressure, researchers said at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research 2014 Scientific Sessions. Researchers assessed the use of the American Heart Association's Check. Change. ...

Implanted heart device linked to increased survival

2014-06-03

DURHAM, N.C. -- Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are associated with improved survival among heart failure patients whose left ventricles only pump 30 to 35 percent of blood out of the heart with each contraction, according to a study from the Duke Clinical Research Institute. The findings, published in the June 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, support existing recommendations to implant ICDs in patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) – a measurement of how much blood is squeezed out of the heart – of 35 percent ...

High risk of recurrence of 2 life-threatening adverse drug reactions

2014-06-03

Individuals who are hospitalized for the skin conditions of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis appear to have a high risk of recurrence, according to a study in the June 4 issue of JAMA. Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are life-threatening conditions that develop primarily as responses to drugs, and result in extensive epidermal detachment (upper layers of the skin detach from the lower layers). Recurrence has been reported in isolated cases, and the overall risk of recurrence has been unknown, according to background ...

Outcomes for older adults with pneumonia who receive treatment including azithromycin

2014-06-03

In a study that included nearly 65,000 older patients hospitalized with pneumonia, treatment that included azithromycin compared with other antibiotics was associated with a significantly lower risk of death and a slightly increased risk of heart attack, according to a study in the June 4 issue of JAMA. Pneumonia and influenza together are the eighth leading cause of death and the leading causes of infectious death in the United States. Although clinical practice guidelines recommend combination therapy with macrolides (a class of antibiotics), including azithromycin, ...

Preventive placement of ICDs for less severe heart failure may improve survival

2014-06-03

An examination of the benefit of preventive placement of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in patients with a less severe level of heart failure, a group not well represented in clinical trials, finds significantly better survival at three years than that of similar patients with no ICD, according to a study in the June 4 issue of JAMA. Although clinical trials have established the ICD as the best currently available therapy to prevent sudden cardiac death in patients with heart failure, some uncertainties remain regarding preventive use of ICDs in patients ...

Study: New test predicts if breast cancer will spread

2014-06-03

June 3, 2014 – BRONX, NY – The study was led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI)─designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center of Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and was published online today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). "Tests assessing metastatic risk can help doctors identify which patients should receive aggressive therapy and which patients should be spared," said Thomas Rohan, M.D., Ph.D., the lead and corresponding author of the study and professor ...

Deeper than ancestry.com, 'EvoCor' identifies gene relationships

2014-06-03

A frontier lies deep within our cells. Our bodies are as vast as oceans and space, composed of a dizzying number of different types of cells. Exploration reaches far, yet the genes that make each cell and tissue unique have remained largely obscure. That's changing with the help of a team led by Gregorio Valdez, an assistant professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. Valdez and his team designed a search engine – called EvoCor – that identifies genes that are functionally linked. The name, a portmanteau of "evolution" and "correlation," points to ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Innovative risk score accurately calculates which kidney transplant candidates are also at risk for heart attack or stroke, new study finds

Amid record year for dengue infections, new study finds climate change responsible for 19% of today’s rising dengue burden

New study finds air pollution increases inflammation primarily in patients with heart disease

AI finds undiagnosed liver disease in early stages

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announce new research fellowship in malaria genomics in honor of professor Dominic Kwiatkowski