Brain remodeling and deceleration of aging upon caste transition in the ant Harpegnathos saltator
Description: Identical genomes in social insects generate castes with distinct morphologies and behaviors. The Harpegnathos ants have a remarkable lifestyle, whereby the queen’s death triggers transition of a subset of workers to become her substitutes, called gamergates. This entails minor changes in morphology, yet a pronounced shift in behavior, and remarkably, a fivefold extension of lifespan. This process is reversible if the gamergate is placed in a colony with a real queen. The capability of such a dramatic transition in adult life provides a unique context to study neuronal plasticity and aging. Moreover, social insects challenge major aging theories as their calorie intake and fecundity positively correlate with lifespan, in contrast to most animals. I aim to provide an extensive mechanistic description of the worker-to-gamergate transition in H. saltator, and to characterize the mechanisms of the resultant aging deceleration. I will study the brain as it regulates caste transition and produces hormones implicated in aging, while also being affected by both processes. First, I will perform single-cell RNA-sequencing of the worker and nascent gamergate brains to describe changes in genes controlling synaptic wiring and cellular signaling. Next, I will test whether deceleration of aging in gamergates is accompanied by decreased rates of molecular damage, protein synthesis, transposon activity, and telomere shortening. Finally, I will combine both datasets to link transcriptional changes during the caste transition with aging-related molecular processes. Deciphering the paradoxical aging mechanism in social insects may uncover previously unknown strategies to prolong lifespan.
Funder: Human Frontier Science Program
Amount:
Funding type: award
Start date: 2020-10-01
Investigator: Bogdan SIERIEBRIENNIKOV
Institution: NYU Langone Health
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Funded outputs count: 0
Funder award ID: LT000010/2020-L
OpenAlex ID: G6837659652