Influence of gene action across different time scales on behavior.
Genes can affect natural behavioral variation in different ways. Allelic variation causes alternative behavioral phenotypes, whereas changes in gene expression can influence the initiation of behavior at different ages. We show that the age-related transition by honey bees from hive work to foraging is associated with an increase in the expression of the foraging (for) gene, which encodes a guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKG). cGMP treatment elevated PKG activity and caused foraging behavior. Previous research showed that allelic differences in PKG expression result in two Drosophila foraging variants. The same gene can thus exert different types of influence on a behavior.
Ben-Shahar
Y
Y
Department of Entomology, Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Robichon
A
A
Sokolowski
M B
MB
Robinson
G E
GE
D000375:Aging; D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior; D001516:Bees / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D017869:Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D017344:Genes, Insect; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D024521:Mushroom Bodies / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012919:Social Behavior; D015854:Up-Regulation
D012333:RNA, Messenger; C016276:8-bromocyclic GMP; D017869:Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D006152:Cyclic GMP