Dataset Information

Serotonin enhances solitariness in phase transition of the migratory locust.

ABSTRACT: The behavioral plasticity of locusts is a striking trait presented during the reversible phase transition between solitary and gregarious individuals. However, the results of serotonin as a neurotransmitter from the migratory locust Locusta migratoria in phase transition showed an alternative profile compared to the results from the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. In this study, we investigated the roles of serotonin in the brain during the phase change of the migratory locust. During the isolation of gregarious nymphs, the concentration of serotonin in the brain increased significantly, whereas serotonin receptors (i.e., 5-HT 1 , 5-HT 2 , and 5-HT 7 ) we identified here showed invariable expression patterns. Pharmacological intervention showed that serotonin injection in the brain of gregarious nymphs did not induced the behavioral change toward solitariness, but injection of this chemical in isolated gregarious nymphs accelerated the behavioral change from gregarious to solitary phase. During the crowding of solitary nymphs, the concentration of serotonin in the brain remained unchanged, whereas 5-HT 2 increased after 1 h of crowding and maintained stable expression level thereafter. Activation of serotonin-5-HT2 signaling with a pharmaceutical agonist inhibited the gregariousness of solitary nymphs in crowding treatment. These results indicate that the fluctuations of serotonin content and 5-HT 2 expression are results of locust phase change. Overall, this study demonstrates that serotonin enhances the solitariness of the gregarious locusts. Serotonin may regulate the withdrawal-like behavioral pattern displayed during locust phase change and this mechanism is conserved in different locust species.

SUBMITTER: Guo X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3791384 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Serotonin enhances solitariness in phase transition of the migratory locust.

Guo Xiaojiao X Ma Zongyuan Z Kang Le L

Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience 20131007

The behavioral plasticity of locusts is a striking trait presented during the reversible phase transition between solitary and gregarious individuals. However, the results of serotonin as a neurotransmitter from the migratory locust Locusta migratoria in phase transition showed an alternative profile compared to the results from the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. In this study, we investigated the roles of serotonin in the brain during the phase change of the migratory locust. During the i ...[more]

PMID: 24109441

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Project description:The migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, shows remarkable phenotypic plasticity at behavioral, physiological, and morphological levels in response to fluctuation in population density. Our previous studies demonstrated that dopamine (DA) and the genes in the dopamine metabolic pathway mediate phase change in Locusta. However, the functions of different dopamine receptors in modulating locust phase change have not been fully explored. In the present study, DA concentration in the brain increased during crowding and decreased during isolation. The expression level of dopamine receptor 1 (Dop1) increased from 1 to 4 h of crowding, but remained unchanged during isolation. Injection of Dop1 agonist SKF38393 into the brains of solitary locusts promoted gregarization, induced conspecific attraction-response and increased locomotion. RNAi knockdown of Dop1 and injection of antagonist SCH23390 in gregarious locusts induced solitary behavior, promoted the shift to repulsion-response and reduced locomotion. By contrast, the expression level of dopamine receptor 2 (Dop2) gradually increased during isolation, but remained stable during crowding. During the isolation of gregarious locusts, injection of Dop2 antagonist S(-)-sulpiride or RNAi knockdown of Dop2 inhibited solitarization, maintained conspecific attraction-response and increased locomotion; by comparison, the isolated controls displayed conspecific repulsion-response and weaker motility. Activation of Dop2 in solitary locusts through injection of agonist, R(-)-TNPA, did not affect their behavioral state. Thus, DA-Dop1 signaling in the brain of Locusta induced the gregariousness, whereas DA-Dop2 signaling mediated the solitariness. Our study demonstrated that Dop1 and Dop2 modulated locust phase change in two different directions. Further investigation of Locusta Dop1 and Dop2 functions in modulating phase change will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying phenotypic plasticity in locusts.

Project description:Locusts exhibit remarkable density-dependent phenotype (phase) changes from the solitary to the gregarious, making them one of the most destructive agricultural pests. This phenotype polyphenism arises from a single genome and diverse transcriptomes in different conditions. Here we report a de novo transcriptome for the migratory locust and a comprehensive, representative core gene set. We carried out assembly of 21.5 Gb Illumina reads, generated 72,977 transcripts with N50 2,275 bp and identified 11,490 locust protein-coding genes. Comparative genomics analysis with eight other sequenced insects was carried out to identify the genomic divergence between hemimetabolous and holometabolous insects for the first time and 18 genes relevant to development was found. We further utilized the quantitative feature of RNA-seq to measure and compare gene expression among libraries. We first discovered how divergence in gene expression between two phases progresses as locusts develop and identified 242 transcripts as candidates for phase marker genes. Together with the detailed analysis of deep sequencing data of the 4(th) instar, we discovered a phase-dependent divergence of biological investment in the molecular level. Solitary locusts have higher activity in biosynthetic pathways while gregarious locusts show higher activity in environmental interaction, in which genes and pathways associated with regulation of neurotransmitter activities, such as neurotransmitter receptors, synthetase, transporters, and GPCR signaling pathways, are strongly involved. Our study, as the largest de novo transcriptome to date, with optimization of sequencing and assembly strategy, can further facilitate the application of de novo transcriptome. The locust transcriptome enriches genetic resources for hemimetabolous insects and our understanding of the origin of insect metamorphosis. Most importantly, we identified genes and pathways that might be involved in locust development and phase change, and may thus benefit pest management.

Dataset Information

Serotonin enhances solitariness in phase transition of the migratory locust.

Publications

Serotonin enhances solitariness in phase transition of the migratory locust.

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