Eusocial insects provide a great opportunity to study physiological, neural, and behavioral genetics and epigenetics, as varied castes share genetic similarities while displaying very strong phenotypic diversity. While these insects heavily rely on chemosensation to communicate, the genetic and epigenetic regulation of chemosensory development in these groups remains largely unknown.
The perception of pheromones is mediated by odorant receptor neurons (ORNs). Each insect odorant receptor (OR) complex appears to be a heterotetramer composed of obligate co-receptor called Orco and one type of ligand-binding tuning OR, which together form a ligand-gated ion channel. Normally there is only one orco gene in each insect genome. However, the number of Or genes varies among insect species, with a dramatic expansion to 300-500 Or genes in ants. We have investigated the role of Orco in the expression of expanded Or genes in ants and in the development of their large number of ORNs. Our studies provide new evidence to further our understanding of neural genetics and epigenetics in eusocial insects.
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