Title: | The gut microbiome defines social group membership in honey bee colonies |
Author(s): | Vernier CL; Chin IM; Adu-Oppong B; Krupp JJ; Levine J; Dantas G; Ben-Shahar Y; |
Address: | "Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA. Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA. Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA. benshahary@wustl.edu" |
ISSN/ISBN: | 2375-2548 (Electronic) 2375-2548 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "In the honey bee, genetically related colony members innately develop colony-specific cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, which serve as pheromonal nestmate recognition cues. Yet, despite high intracolony relatedness, the innate development of colony-specific chemical signatures by individual colony members is largely determined by the colony environment, rather than solely relying on genetic variants shared by nestmates. Therefore, it is puzzling how a nongenic factor could drive the innate development of a quantitative trait that is shared by members of the same colony. Here, we provide one solution to this conundrum by showing that nestmate recognition cues in honey bees are defined, at least in part, by shared characteristics of the gut microbiome across individual colony members. These results illustrate the importance of host-microbiome interactions as a source of variation in animal behavioral traits" |
Keywords: | "Animals Bees *Gastrointestinal Microbiome Group Processes Hydrocarbons *Microbiota Recognition, Psychology;" |
Notes: | "MedlineVernier, Cassondra L Chin, Iris M Adu-Oppong, Boahemaa Krupp, Joshua J Levine, Joel Dantas, Gautam Ben-Shahar, Yehuda eng R01 AT009741/AT/NCCIH NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2020/10/16 Sci Adv. 2020 Oct 14; 6(42):eabd3431. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abd3431. Print 2020 Oct" |