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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Baton Rouge, Louisiana » Honey Bee Lab » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391639
Research Project: Using Genetics to Improve the Breeding and Health of Honey Bees

Location: Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research

Title: Single-cell dissection of a collective behaviour in honeybees

Author
item TRANIELLO, IAN - University Of Illinois
item BUKHARI, SYED - University Of Illinois
item DIBAEINIA, PAYAM - University Of Illinois
item SERRANO, GUILLERMO - University Of Illinois
item Avalos, Arian
item AHMED, AMY - University Of Illinois
item SANKEY, ALISON - University Of Illinois
item HERNAEZ, MIKEL - University Of Navarra
item SINHA, SAURABH - University Of Illinois
item ZHAO, SIHAI - University Of Illinois
item CATCHEN, JULIAN - University Of Illinois
item ROBINSON, GENE - University Of Illinois

Submitted to: Nature Ecology and Evolution
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/9/2023
Publication Date: 6/1/2023
Citation: Traniello, I.M., Bukhari, S.A., Dibaeinia, P., Serrano, G., Avalos, A., Ahmed, A.C., Sankey, A., Hernaez, M., Sinha, S., Zhao, S.D., Catchen, J., Robinson, G.E. 2023. Single-cell dissection of a collective behaviour in honeybees. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 2:1-25. https://doi.org/10.3389/finsc.2022.998310.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/finsc.2022.998310

Interpretive Summary: The complexity of behavioral traits such as honey bee colony defense makes understanding the underlying genetics a challenging process. In this manuscript we examine colony defense from the colony level to single brain cell gene expression within worker bees by combining traditional genome wide and gene expression analyses to arrive at a small subset of genes. Target genes were localized within specific brain cells associated with vision and scent and are involved in networks of genes the modulate previously suspected targets such as serotonin. Results highlight the benefit of integrating evolutionary and systems biology towards a greater understanding of complex traits.

Technical Abstract: A major challenge in biology is to understand how inherited variation results in phenotypic differences, especially for complex polygenic traits like behavior. Integrating genetic variants associated with differences in honey bee aggression with brain single-cell (sc) transcriptomics and sc gene regulatory network (GRN) modeling, we achieved robust genotype-to-phenotype mapping. We identified genetic differences in transcription factor-target gene relationships associated with evolutionary differences in aggression, located in specific brain cell populations related to olfaction and vision. Some involve serotonin, which already was known to influence bee aggression, but not yet from a genetic perspective. These results demonstrate that, as theory predicts, gene regulatory network analysis can integrate evolutionary and systems biology to identify molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive polygenic traits.