Project description:In the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, a colony queen number is determined by the founding queen's genotypes at the 13 Mb supergene with the non-recombining variants SB and Sb. Single-queen colonies are always headed by SB/SB queens while multiple-queens colonies are always headed by SB/Sb queens. The two variants of the supergene, SB and Sb are completely linked to the two alleles (B and b) of the gene Gp-9. SB/SB and SB/Sb queens differ in many physiological traits including their maturation rate and odor. To explain why SB/SB and SB/Sb queens have different odors, and why SB/SB virgins mature faster and accumulate more fat, we measured expression of ~6000 genes in virgin queens 1 and 11 days after eclosion and in reproductive queens. Keywords: fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, Supergene, queen, Gp-9, social form, maturation, fat storage, queen odor, cuticular hydrocarbon, worker discrimination, monogyne, polygyne, transposon, chemical signaling
Project description:Queen discrimination behavior in the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta maintains its two types of societies: colonies with one (monogyne) or many (polygyne) queens, yet the underlying genetic mechanism is poorly understood. This behavior is controlled by two supergene alleles, SB and Sb, with ~600 genes. Polygyne workers, having either the SB/SB or SB/Sb genotype, accept additional SB/Sb queens into their colonies but kill SB/SB queens. While monogyne workers, all SB/SB, reject all additional queens regardless of genotype. Because the SB and Sb alleles do not recombine, it is difficult to determine which genes within the supergene mediate this differential worker behavior. We hypothesized that the alternate worker genotypes sense queens differently because of different patterns of gene expression in their main sensory organ, the antennae. To identify such differentially expressed genes, we sequenced RNA from four biological replicates of pooled antennae from three groups of workers: monogyne SB/SB, polygyne SB/SB, and polygyne SB/Sb. We identified 81 differentially expressed protein coding genes with 14 encoding potential odor metabolism and perception proteins. We focused on the two differentially expressed odorant perception genes: an odorant binding protein SiOBP12 and an odorant receptor SiOR463. We found that the SiOR463 was lost in the Sb-genome. In contrast, the SiOBP12 has an Sb-specific duplication SiOBP12b’, which was expressed in the SB/Sb worker antennae, while both paralogs SiOBP12 and SiOBP12b’ were expressed in the body. This result indicates that SiOBP12b’ has gained an antennal promoter or enhancer and suggests neofunctionalization, perhaps for queen discrimination behavior.
Project description:Queen discrimination behavior in the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta maintains its two types of societies: colonies with one (monogyne) or many (polygyne) queens, yet the underlying genetic mechanism is poorly understood. This behavior is controlled by two supergene alleles, SB and Sb, with ~600 genes. Polygyne workers, having either the SB/SB or SB/Sb genotype, accept additional SB/Sb queens into their colonies but kill SB/SB queens. While monogyne workers, all SB/SB, reject all additional queens regardless of genotype. Because the SB and Sb alleles do not recombine, it is difficult to determine which genes within the supergene mediate this differential worker behavior. We hypothesized that the alternate worker genotypes sense queens differently because of different patterns of gene expression in their main sensory organ, the antennae. To identify such differentially expressed genes, we sequenced RNA from four biological replicates of pooled antennae from three groups of workers: monogyne SB/SB, polygyne SB/SB, and polygyne SB/Sb. We identified 81 differentially expressed protein coding genes with 14 encoding potential odor metabolism and perception proteins. We focused on the two differentially expressed odorant perception genes: an odorant binding protein SiOBP12 and an odorant receptor SiOR463. We found that the SiOR463 was lost in the Sb-genome. In contrast, the SiOBP12 has an Sb-specific duplication SiOBP12b’, which was expressed in the SB/Sb worker antennae, while both paralogs SiOBP12 and SiOBP12b’ were expressed in the body. This result indicates that SiOBP12b’ has gained an antennal promoter or enhancer and suggests neofunctionalization, perhaps for queen discrimination behavior.
Project description:Queen discrimination behavior in the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta maintains its two types of societies: colonies with one (monogyne) or many (polygyne) queens, yet the underlying genetic mechanism is poorly understood. This behavior is controlled by two supergene alleles, SB and Sb, with ~600 genes. Polygyne workers, having either the SB/SB or SB/Sb genotype, accept additional SB/Sb queens into their colonies but kill SB/SB queens. While monogyne workers, all SB/SB, reject all additional queens regardless of genotype. Because the SB and Sb alleles do not recombine, it is difficult to determine which genes within the supergene mediate this differential worker behavior. We hypothesized that the alternate worker genotypes sense queens differently because of different patterns of gene expression in their main sensory organ, the antennae. To identify such differentially expressed genes, we sequenced RNA from four biological replicates of pooled antennae from three groups of workers: monogyne SB/SB, polygyne SB/SB, and polygyne SB/Sb. We identified 81 differentially expressed protein coding genes with 14 encoding potential odor metabolism and perception proteins. We focused on the two differentially expressed odorant perception genes: an odorant binding protein SiOBP12 and an odorant receptor SiOR463. We found that the SiOR463 was lost in the Sb-genome. In contrast, the SiOBP12 has an Sb-specific duplication SiOBP12b’, which was expressed in the SB/Sb worker antennae, while both paralogs SiOBP12 and SiOBP12b’ were expressed in the body. This result indicates that SiOBP12b’ has gained an antennal promoter or enhancer and suggests neofunctionalization, perhaps for queen discrimination behavior.
Project description:Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by expansion of the trinucleotide repeat region within the ATXN3/MJD gene. Mutation of ATXN3 causes formation of neurotoxic ataxin-3 protein aggregates, neurodegeneration and motor deficits. Here we investigated the therapeutic potential and mechanistic activity of sodium butyrate (SB), the sodium salt of butyric acid, a metabolite naturally produced by gut microbiota, on cultured SH-SY5Y cells and transgenic zebrafish expressing human ataxin-3 containing 84 glutamine (Q) residues to model MJD. MJD SH-SY5Y cells were found to contain ataxin-3 oligomeric species and protein aggregates. Treatment with SB increased activity of the autophagy protein quality control pathway in the MJD cells, decreased presence of ataxin-3 aggregates and presence of ataxin-3 oligomers in an autophagy-dependent manner. Treatment with SB was also beneficial in vivo, improving swimming performance, increasing autophagy activity and decreasing presence of insoluble ataxin-3 protein species in the transgenic MJD zebrafish. Co-treating the MJD zebrafish with SB and chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor, prevented the beneficial effects of SB on the zebrafish swimming, suggesting that the improved swimming performance was autophagy-dependent. To identify mechanism of the induction of autophagy by SB, we performed proteomic analysis of protein lysates from the SB treated and untreated MJD SH-SY5Y cells. We found that SB treatment had increased activity of Protein Kinase A and AMPK signaling. Immunoblot analysis confirmed that SB treatment had increased levels of acetylated FOXO1 protein. Further, co-treatment with an inhibitor of FOXO1 transcriptional activity (AS1842856) prevented the increase in autophagosome formation (LC3II/I) usually produced by SB treatment. Together our findings indicate that treatment with SB can increase activity of the autophagy pathway through a FOXO1-dependent process and that this has beneficial effects in vitro and in vivo. We propose that treatment with sodium butyrate warrants further investigation for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases underpinned by proteinopathy mechanisms, including MJD.
Project description:In the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, a colony queen number is determined by the founding queen's genotypes at the 13 Mb supergene with the non-recombining variants SB and Sb. Single-queen colonies are always headed by SB/SB queens while multiple-queens colonies are always headed by SB/Sb queens. The two variants of the supergene, SB and Sb are completely linked to the two alleles (B and b) of the gene Gp-9. SB/SB and SB/Sb queens differ in many physiological traits including their maturation rate and odor. To explain why SB/SB and SB/Sb queens have different odors, and why SB/SB virgins mature faster and accumulate more fat, we measured expression of ~6000 genes in virgin queens 1 and 11 days after eclosion and in reproductive queens. Keywords: fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, Supergene, queen, Gp-9, social form, maturation, fat storage, queen odor, cuticular hydrocarbon, worker discrimination, monogyne, polygyne, transposon, chemical signaling Six-condition experiment: 1-day-old SB/SB virgins, 1-day-old SB/Sb virgins, 11-day-old SB/SB virgins, 11-day-old SB/Sb virgins, SB/SB reproductive queens, SB/Sb reproductive queens. Biological replicates: 8 for 1-day-old SB/SB virgins and 1-day-old SB/Sb virgins that were collected in 2008; 8 for 1-day-old SB/SB virgins, 1-day-old SB/Sb virgins that were collected in 2009; 7 for 11-day-old SB/SB virgins and 11-day-old SB/Sb virgins that were collected in 2008; 8 for 11-day-old SB/SB virgins and 11-day-old SB/Sb virgins that were collected in 2009; 8 for SB/SB and SB/Sb reproductive queens (only collected in 2009). Samples were labeled with Cy3 and were compared to the same common reference RNA labeled with Cy5. Samples from 2008 were hybridized on the microarrays batch I and samples from 2009 were hybridized on the microarrays batch J.
Project description:Pteris cretica L var. nervosa is one of the dominent fern species at antimony mining area where arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can be found as a symbiosis. The effect of AMF on fern exposed to long-term excessive Sb was pooly understood. The project applied this fern co-cultivting with or withour AMF under different concentration of Sb in soil for charicterising Sb phytomediation ability of it along with the effect by AMF symbiosis.
Project description:Distinct miRNA expression patterns may reflect anomalies related to fetal malformations such as spinal bifida (SB) or congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), which could shed light on novel pathomechanism determination and subsequent diagnostic significance evaluation. The aim of this study was to determine the miRNA maternal expression profile in plasma and amniotic fluid samples of women carrying fetuses with SB and CDH.
Project description:Promoting rumen development is closely related to the health and efficient growth of ruminants. We investigated the effect of sodium butyrate (SB) on rumen epithelium (RE), and whether the YAP1/TAZ-dependent alteration was involved in the RE developmental process induced by sodium butyrate. In the SB-treated cells, theYAP1/TAZ-dependent changes were not observed. SB increased the expression of genes involved in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolism, while YAP1/TAZ did not. Thus, SB mediated RE development was not associated with YAP1/TAZ.