Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, 305-8566 Ibaraki, Japan;
Computational Bio Big Data Open Innovation Laboratory (CBBD-OIL), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, 305-8566 Ibaraki, Japan.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Mar 19;116(12):5597-5606. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1817788116. Epub 2019 Mar 6.
Oxytocin/vasopressin-like peptides are important regulators of physiology and social behavior in vertebrates. However, the function of inotocin, the homologous peptide in arthropods, remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the level of expression of inotocin and inotocin receptor are correlated with task allocation in the ant Both genes are up-regulated when workers age and switch tasks from nursing to foraging. in situ hybridization revealed that is specifically expressed in oenocytes, which are specialized cells synthesizing cuticular hydrocarbons which function as desiccation barriers in insects and for social recognition in ants. dsRNA injection targeting , together with pharmacological treatments using three identified antagonists blocking inotocin signaling, revealed that inotocin signaling regulates the expression of () and the synthesis of cuticular hydrocarbons, which play an important role in desiccation resistance once workers initiate foraging.
缩宫素/加压素样肽是脊椎动物生理和社会行为的重要调节剂。然而，在节肢动物中，同源肽——心钠素的功能在很大程度上仍是未知的。在这里，我们表明心钠素和心钠素受体的表达水平与蚂蚁中的任务分配有关。当工蚁衰老并从护理任务转换为觅食任务时，这两个基因的表达都会上调。原位杂交显示，在合成作为昆虫脱水屏障和蚂蚁社会识别的角质层烃的特化细胞——性腺细胞中特异性表达。针对 的 dsRNA 注射，以及使用三种已鉴定的阻断心钠素信号的拮抗剂进行的药理学处理，表明心钠素信号调节角质层烃的合成和 的表达，这在心钠素信号调节角质层烃的合成和 的表达中起着重要作用，一旦工蚁开始觅食，它们就可以抵抗脱水。
