Communications Biology · 6 authors, 4 centres
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Transcriptomic analysis of nurse and forager antennae and brains in Temnothorax longispinosus ants found that half of all odorant receptor genes are differentially expressed between task groups in antennae, suggesting task-specific sensory filters underlie division of labor.
This preclinical study analyzed brain and antenna transcriptomes of nurses and foragers in the ant Temnothorax longispinosus to test whether task-specific sensory filtering contributes to division of labor. The authors found nearly seven times as many differentially expressed genes in antennae as in the brain, with half of all odorant receptor (OR) genes differentially expressed between task groups in the antennae. Nurses upregulated genes from the 9-exon OR subfamily, which is implicated in social communication and detection of cuticular hydrocarbons, while foragers upregulated a greater number of OR subfamilies (19 vs. 3), potentially reflecting adaptation to a more chemically diverse external environment. Multiple genes in biogenic pathways were also differentially expressed, potentially fine-tuning odorant filter sensitivity. A key limitation is that age was not directly measured, though previous work on this species indicates behavioral specialization is more strongly associated with gene expression than age. These findings support the hypothesis that dynamic, task-specific sensory filters in peripheral organs contribute to behavioral specialization in social insect workers.
