BioProject

The emergence of eusociality is one of the major transitions in evolution. There have been several investigations into the reasons for shaping caste differentiation and social behavior of eusocial insects, such as ants and honeybees. More...

The emergence of eusociality is one of the major transitions in evolution. There have been several investigations into the reasons for shaping caste differentiation and social behavior of eusocial insects, such as ants and honeybees. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the sociality of these insects remain obscure. In this study, we profiled the transcriptome and chromatin accessibility of brain tissues in all castes: queens, males, gynes and workers in Monomorium pharaonis which is a typical caste-dependent eusocial insect. We created a comprehensive dataset including 16 RNA-seq and 16 ATAC-seq profiles from 4 biological replicates. We also demonstrated strong reproducibility of the datasets and identified specific genes and open chromatin regions in the genome that may be associated with caste differentiation. Overall, our data will be a valuable resource for further study of the mechanisms underlying eusocial insect behavior, particularly the role of the brain in the control of eusociality. Overall design: We have profiled caste-dependent transcriptomes in the brain of Monomorium pharaonis, which is a typical eusocial insect, and the colony consists of four adult castes: queens, males, gynes and workers. We analyzed the gene expression by producing RNA-seq and ATAC-seq profiles of four castes brain. 16 samples from 4 biological replicates were processed and sequenced. Less...