| Title: | To b or not to b: a pheromone-binding protein regulates colony social organization in fire ants |
| Address: | "Center for Studies in Physics and Biology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021-6399, USA. krieger@rockefeller.edu" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 0265-9247 (Print) 0265-9247 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "A major distinction in the social organization of ant societies is the number of reproductive queens that reside in a single colony. The fire ant Solenopsis invicta exists in two distinct social forms, one with colonies headed by a single reproductive queen and the other containing several to hundreds of egg-laying queens. This variation in social organization has been shown to be associated with genotypes at the gene Gp-9. Specifically, single-queen colonies have only the B allelic variant of this gene, whereas multiple-queen colonies always have the b variant as well. Subsequent studies revealed that Gp-9 shares the highest sequence similarity with genes encoding pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs). In other insects, PBPs serve as central molecular components in the process of chemical recognition of conspecifics. Fire ant workers regulate the number of egg-laying queens in a colony by accepting queens that produce appropriate chemical signals and destroying those that do not. The likely role of GP-9 in chemoreception suggests that the essential distinction in colony queen number between the single and multiple-queen form originates from differences in workers' abilities to recognize queens. Other, closely related fire ant species seem to regulate colony social organization in a similar fashion" |
| Keywords: | "Alleles Animals Ants Carrier Proteins/chemistry Female Genes, Insect Genetics, Population Genotype Insect Proteins/chemistry Male Models, Biological Pheromones/*chemistry Phylogeny Protein Binding Sexual Behavior, Animal;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineKrieger, Michael J B eng Review 2004/12/22 Bioessays. 2005 Jan; 27(1):91-9. doi: 10.1002/bies.20129" |
