Gutenberg Open Science: Age- and caste-independent piRNAs in the germline and miRNA profiles linked to caste and fecundity in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-9763

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DC Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Seistrup, Ann-Sophie	-
dc.contributor.author	Choppin, Marina	-
dc.contributor.author	Govind, Shamitha	-
dc.contributor.author	Feldmeyer, Barbara	-
dc.contributor.author	Kever, Marion	-
dc.contributor.author	Karaulanov, Emil	-
dc.contributor.author	Séguret, Alice	-
dc.contributor.author	Karunanithi, Sivarajan	-
dc.contributor.author	Almeida, Miguel V.	-
dc.contributor.author	Ketting, René F.	-
dc.contributor.author	Foitzik, Susanne	-
dc.date.accessioned	2023-12-06T11:01:07Z	-
dc.date.available	2023-12-06T11:01:07Z	-
dc.date.issued	2023	-
dc.identifier.uri	https://openscience.ub.uni-mainz.de/handle/20.500.12030/9781	-
dc.description.abstract	Social insects are models for studies of phenotypic plasticity. Ant queens and workers vary in fecundity and lifespan, which are enhanced and extended in queens. Yet, the regulatory mechanisms underlying this variation are not well understood. Ant queens live and reproduce for years, so that they need to protect their germline from transposable element (TE) activity, which may be redundant in short-lived, often sterile workers. We analysed the expression of two protective classes of small RNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs) and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), in various tissues, castes and age classes of the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. In queens, piRNAs were highly abundant in ovaries with TEs being their clear targets, with reduced but still detectable piRNA-specific ping-pong signatures in thorax and brains. piRNA pathway activity varied little with age in queens. Moreover, the reduced ovaries of workers also exhibited similar piRNA activity and this not only in young, fertile workers, but also in older foragers with regressed ovaries. Therefore, these ants protect their germline through piRNA activity, regardless of ovarian development, age or caste, even in sterile workers often considered the soma of the superorganism. Our tissue-specific miRNA analysis detected the expression of 304 miRNAs, of which 105 were expressed in all tissues, 10 enriched in the brain, three in the thorax, whereas 83 were ovarian-specific. We identified ovarian miRNAs whose expression was related to caste, fecundity and age, and which likely regulate group-specific gene expression. sRNA shifts in young- to middle-aged queens were minor, suggesting delayed senescence in this reproductive caste.	en_GB
dc.language.iso	eng	de
dc.rights	CC BY	*
dc.rights.uri	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/	*
dc.subject.ddc	570 Biowissenschaften	de_DE
dc.subject.ddc	570 Life sciences	en_GB
dc.title	Age- and caste-independent piRNAs in the germline and miRNA profiles linked to caste and fecundity in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus	en_GB
dc.type	Zeitschriftenaufsatz	de
dc.identifier.doi	http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-9763	-
jgu.type.dinitype	article	en_GB
jgu.type.version	Published version	de
jgu.type.resource	Text	de
jgu.organisation.department	FB 10 Biologie	de
jgu.organisation.number	7970	-
jgu.organisation.name	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz	-
jgu.rights.accessrights	openAccess	-
jgu.journal.title	Molecular ecology	de
jgu.journal.volume	32	de
jgu.journal.issue	22	de
jgu.pages.start	6027	de
jgu.pages.end	6043	de
jgu.publisher.year	2023	-
jgu.publisher.name	Wiley-Blackwell	de
jgu.publisher.place	Oxford u.a	de
jgu.publisher.issn	1365-294X	de
jgu.organisation.place	Mainz	-
jgu.subject.ddccode	570	de
jgu.publisher.doi	10.1111/mec.17162	de
jgu.organisation.ror	https://ror.org/023b0x485	-
Appears in collections:	DFG-491381577-H

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