A Role of Histone Acetylation in the Regulation of Circadian Rhythm in Ants

In many organisms, circadian rhythms and associated oscillations in gene expression are controlled by post-translational modifications of histone proteins. Although epigenetic mechanisms influence key aspects of insect societies, their implication in regulating circadian rhythms has not been studied...

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Bibliographic Details
Published iniScience Vol. 23; no. 2; p. 100846
Main Authors Libbrecht, Romain, Nadrau, Dennis, Foitzik, Susanne
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 21.02.2020
Elsevier
Subjects
Biodiversity
Ecology, environment
Entomology
Life Sciences
Molecular Biology
Molecular Mechanism of Behavior
Neurobiology
Neurons and Cognition
Populations and Evolution
Molecular Biology
Molecular Mechanism of Behavior
Entomology
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Summary:In many organisms, circadian rhythms and associated oscillations in gene expression are controlled by post-translational modifications of histone proteins. Although epigenetic mechanisms influence key aspects of insect societies, their implication in regulating circadian rhythms has not been studied in social insects. Here we ask whether histone acetylation plays a role in adjusting circadian activity in the ant Temnothorax longispinosus. We characterized activity patterns in 20 colonies to reveal that these ants exhibit a diurnal rhythm in colony-level activity and can rapidly respond to changes in the light regime. Then we fed T. longispinosus colonies with C646, a chemical inhibitor of histone acetyltransferases, to show that treated colonies lost their circadian rhythmicity and failed to adjust their activity to the light regime. These findings suggest a role for histone acetylation in controlling rhythmicity in ants and implicate epigenetic processes in the regulation of circadian rhythms in a social context. [Display omitted] •Colony-level activity shows diurnal rhythmicity in Temnothorax longispinosus•T. longispinosus colonies adjust their activity in response to a new light regime•Colonies treated with an inhibitor of histone acetylation lose their rhythmicity•Our findings suggest an epigenetic regulation of circadian rhythms in ants Entomology; Molecular Biology; Molecular Mechanism of Behavior
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ISSN:2589-0042
2589-0042
DOI:10.1016/j.isci.2020.100846