Modulatory communication signal performance is associated with a distinct neurogenomic state in honey bees.

Autor: Cédric Alaux, Nhi Duong, Stanley S Schneider, Bruce R Southey, Sandra Rodriguez-Zas, Gene E Robinson
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: PLoS ONE, Vol 4, Iss 8, p e6694 (2009)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006694
Popis: Studies of animal communication systems have revealed that the perception of a salient signal can cause large-scale changes in brain gene expression, but little is known about how communication affects the neurogenomic state of the sender. We explored this issue by studying honey bees that produce a vibratory modulatory signal. We chose this system because it represents an extreme case of animal communication; some bees perform this behavior intensively, effectively acting as communication specialists. We show large differences in patterns of brain gene expression between individuals producing vibratory signal as compared with carefully matched non-senders. Some of the differentially regulated genes have previously been implicated in the performance of other motor activities, including courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster and Parkinson's Disease in humans. Our results demonstrate for the first time a neurogenomic brain state associated with sending a communication signal and provide suggestive glimpses of molecular roots for motor control.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals