Epigenetic regulation of social and behavioral plasticity in ants

ABSTRACT
The goal of this proposal is to determine how epigenetic pathways regulate plasticity in social behaviors
using the model ant Harpegnathos saltator. Specifically, we will test the hypothesis that external social cues
are conveyed to chromatin by neuropeptides that regulate downstream transcription factors and associated
epigenetic pathways to enable stable changes in social behavior.
Epigenetic pathways are often disrupted in neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders. Harpegnathos
ants are an ideal model system to study brain epigenetics because workers and queens have the same genes
but display distinct social behaviors. Furthermore, adult Harpegnathos workers can become queens via a
remarkable phenotypic transition that involves plastic changes in reproduction, metabolism, and behavior.
We have discovered that the ant homolog of the human gonadotropin-releasing hormone, the neuropeptide
corazonin, is downregulated as Harpegnathos workers become queens and showed that it is necessary and
sufficient to stimulate hunting in workers. Our preliminary data show that vasopressin, a neuropeptide with
conserved social roles in mammals, is also preferentially expressed in worker brains, especially in those who
do not express high levels of corazonin. In Aim 1, we will determine whether these two neuropeptides act on
distinct or overlapping neuronal, molecular, and epigenetic pathways and whether they drive distinct social
behaviors.
Our previous work also revealed that Kr-h1, a transcription factor induced by corazonin, prevents unscheduled
activation of “socially inappropriate” genes in the brain, thereby maintaining proper social behavior in both
workers and gamergates. Preliminary studies identified another transcription factor, Fd3F, which is repressed
by corazonin and might promote social plasticity in opposition to Kr-h1. Fd3F shares homology with pioneer
transcription factors in other species, suggesting that an ability to reprogram chromatin states might underpin
its function in behavioral reprogramming. In Aim 2, we will identify the changes on transcription and chromatin
by which these transcription factors regulate brain and behavioral plasticity during adult caste transitions in
Harpegnathos.
The proposed experiments will leverage our previous experience with in vivo manipulation of gene expression
in ant brains followed by behavioral and functional genomics analyses. Given that the neuropeptides,
transcription factors, and epigenetic regulators investigated in this proposal are deeply conserved, our results
should have broad impact on our understanding of how these molecular processes regulate social behavior.

Grant Number: 5R01MH131861-04
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Roberto Bonasio