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The role of the glucose-sensing transcription factor carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein pathway in termite queen fertility.

ABSTRACT: Termites are among the few animals that themselves can digest the most abundant organic polymer, cellulose, into glucose. In mice and Drosophila, glucose can activate genes via the transcription factor carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP) to induce glucose utilization and de novo lipogenesis. Here, we identify a termite orthologue of ChREBP and its downstream lipogenic targets, including acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase. We show that all of these genes, including ChREBP, are upregulated in mature queens compared with kings, sterile workers and soldiers in eight different termite species. ChREBP is expressed in several tissues, including ovaries and fat bodies, and increases in expression in totipotent workers during their differentiation into neotenic mature queens. We further show that ChREBP is regulated by a carbohydrate diet in termite queens. Suppression of the lipogenic pathway by a pharmacological agent in queens elicits the same behavioural alterations in sterile workers as observed in queenless colonies, supporting that the ChREBP pathway partakes in the biosynthesis of semiochemicals that convey the signal of the presence of a fertile queen. Our results highlight ChREBP as a likely key factor for the regulation and signalling of queen fertility.

SUBMITTER: Sillam-Dusses D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4892437 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The role of the glucose-sensing transcription factor carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein pathway in termite queen fertility.

Sillam-Dussès David D Hanus Robert R Poulsen Michael M Roy Virginie V Favier Maryline M Vasseur-Cognet Mireille M

Open biology 20160518 5

Termites are among the few animals that themselves can digest the most abundant organic polymer, cellulose, into glucose. In mice and Drosophila, glucose can activate genes via the transcription factor carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP) to induce glucose utilization and de novo lipogenesis. Here, we identify a termite orthologue of ChREBP and its downstream lipogenic targets, including acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase. We show that all of these genes, includin ...[more]

PMID: 27249798

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Project description:It has been strongly argued that plant cells should have a means of sensing sugars at the cell surface, so that extracellular and intracellular sugars can be sensed separately and their metabolism coordinated (Lalonde et al., Plant Cell, 11, 707-26, 2000). There is good evidence for an intracellular hexokinase-dependent pathway of hexose sensing in plants, but very little evidence for a hexokinase-independent signalling pathway, such as that provided by SNF3 or RGT2 in yeast. Many papers on sugar sensing in plants cite work from two laboratories as evidence for hexokinase-independent hexose signalling in plants. The first is that in which cell-wall invertase and sucrose synthase genes were induced by treatment of a Chenopodium suspension culture with 30 mM 6-Deoxyglucose (6DOG) for 24 h (Roitsch et al., Plant Physiol 108, 285-294, 1995; Godt et al., J. Plant Physiol 146, 231-238, 1995). The second is that in which a patatin transgene in Arabidopsis was shown to be weakly induced by growth over several days on a mixture of 30 mM glucose plus 30 mM 3-O-methylglucose (3OMG), but strongly induced by growth on 30 mM Glc plus 90 mM 3OMG (Martin et al., Plant J, 11, 53-62, 1997). We are not aware of any examples of Arabidopsis genes which respond to 6DOG or 3OMG yet this is an area of wide significance. Identification of such a gene would help to establish if a hexokinase-independent signalling system operates in plants, and would provide a basis for establishment of a genetic screen for mutants, using the gene promoter linked to a reporter such as luciferase. The aim of this proposal is to discover any genes which are either activated or repressed by glucose AND by 3OMG and/or 6DOG, but not by mannitol (an osmotic control). The use of both 3OMG and 6DOG will help to identify non-specific effects of either. All substrates will first be analysed by HPLC to confirm that they are pure. Arabidopsis Col-0 seedlings will be grown in vitro for 7 days in the absence of sugars, then treated with 30 mM glucose or glucose analogue for 8 h (these conditions are based on concentrations and time courses of Roitsch et al.). RNA will then be isolated from multiple independent plates to minimise biological variation. Experimenter name = Dorthe Villadsen Experimenter phone = 0131 650 5318 Experimenter fax = 0131 650 5392 Experimenter address = Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology Experimenter address = University of Edinburgh Experimenter address = The King_s Buildings Experimenter address = Mayfield Road Experimenter address = Edinburgh Experimenter zip/postal_code = EH9 3JH Experimenter country = UK Keywords: growth_condition_design

Dataset Information

The role of the glucose-sensing transcription factor carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein pathway in termite queen fertility.

Publications

The role of the glucose-sensing transcription factor carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein pathway in termite queen fertility.

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