ArticleGenome research2013
Social insect genomes exhibit dramatic evolution in gene composition and regulation while preserving regulatory features linked to sociality.
Article in Genome research, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 122 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
122 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 260 citations in OpenAlex.
- Meta-Analysis of Public RNA Sequencing Data Revealed Potential Key Genes Associated with Reproductive Division of Labor in Social Hymenoptera and Termites.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Co-expression Gene Networks and Machine-learning Algorithms Unveil a Core Genetic Toolkit for Reproductive Division of Labour in Rudimentary Insect Societies.Genome biology and evolution · 2023Pooled it
- Genome Evolution in Social Insects.Genome biology and evolution · 2026Review
- Regulation of reproductive and behavioral plasticity in social insects.Current opinion in insect science · 2026Review
- Transposable elements as evolutionary catalysts of ant macrodiversity.Science advances · 2026Article
- Transcription Factor Evolution Associated with Social Transitions in Blattodea.Journal of molecular evolution · 2026Article
- Article
- The genetic foundations of convergent traits.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2026Review
- Genomic Insights Into the Evolution of Parental Care in Weevils.Genome biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Evolution of molecular and cellular bases of self-sacrificing gall repair in social aphids.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The Evolutionary and Ecological Consequences of Cooperation.The American naturalist · 2026Review
- Evolutionary Transitions in Social Behavior are Associated With Convergent and Partially Reversible Expansions of Transcription Factor Binding Sites.Genome biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Cryptocercus Genomes Expand Knowledge of Adaptations to Xylophagy and Termite Sociality.Genome biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Multiomics Reveal Associations Between CpG Methylation, Histone Modifications and Transcription in a Species That has Lost DNMT3, the Colorado Potato Beetle.Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution · 2025Article
- Article
- Epigenetic Mechanisms inCurrent issues in molecular biology · 2025Review
- Optimizing ddRAD sequencing for population genomic studies with ddgRADer.Molecular ecology resources · 2025Article
- Exploring the genetics of social behaviour in C. calcarata.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Review
- Repeated Shifts in Sociality Are Associated With Fine-tuning of Highly Conserved and Lineage-Specific Enhancers in a Socially Flexible Bee.Molecular biology and evolution · 2024Article
62 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
38 authors at 15 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Genomes of eusocial insects code for dramatic examples of phenotypic plasticity and social organization. We compared the genomes of seven ants, the honeybee, and various solitary insects to examine whether eusocial lineages share distinct features of genomic organization. Each ant lineage contains ∼4000 novel genes, but only 64 of these genes are conserved among all seven ants. Many gene families have been expanded in ants, notably those involved in chemical communication (e.g., desaturases and odorant receptors). Alignment of the ant genomes revealed reduced purifying selection compared with Drosophila without significantly reduced synteny. Correspondingly, ant genomes exhibit dramatic divergence of noncoding regulatory elements; however, extant conserved regions are enriched for novel noncoding RNAs and transcription factor-binding sites. Comparison of orthologous gene promoters between eusocial and solitary species revealed significant regulatory evolution in both cis (e.g., Creb) and trans (e.g., fork head) for nearly 2000 genes, many of which exhibit phenotypic plasticity. Our results emphasize that genomic changes can occur remarkably fast in ants, because two recently diverged leaf-cutter ant species exhibit faster accumulation of species-specific genes and greater divergence in regulatory elements compared with other ants or Drosophila. Thus, while the "socio-genomes" of ants and the honeybee are broadly characterized by a pervasive pattern of divergence in gene composition and regulation, they preserve lineage-specific regulatory features linked to eusociality. We propose that changes in gene regulation played a key role in the origins of insect eusociality, whereas changes in gene composition were more relevant for lineage-specific eusocial adaptations.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.