A gene necessary for reproductive suppression in termites.
A major transition in evolution is the origin of a division between reproduction and work among individuals. Nowhere is this divide more striking than in social insects, where workers rarely produce offspring even though they are often capable of reproduction should the queen or king die. The molecular mechanisms that control worker reproduction remain largely unknown. We used a combination of behavioral assays and RNA interference (RNAi) to identify a gene required for the reproductive division of labor between the queen and the workers.
Behavioral Biology, University of Osnabrueck, Barbarastrasse 11, D-49076 Osnabrueck, Germany. judith.korb@biologie.uni-osnabrueck.de
Judith
J
Korb
Tobias
T
Weil
Katharina
K
Hoffmann
Kevin R
KR
Foster
Michael
M
Rehli
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D005796:Genes; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020049:Isoptera / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D034622:RNA Interference; D012098:Reproduction / Q000235:genetics; D012919:Social Behavior
D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases