Category Archives: Transhuman News

What Is Genome Sequencing?
How Do We Assemble Genomes? (Part 2/12)

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What Is Genome Sequencing? - Video

[14.05.20] Park Jung Min attends #39;Genome Hazard() #39; VIP Movie Premiere
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[14.05.20] Park Jung Min attends 'Genome Hazard()' VIP Movie Premiere - Video

cre-lox and cre recombinases in Mouse Genome Informatics: worksheet module 2
This video is an introduction to the cre-lox system of conditional mouse genetic engineering and tools available in the Mouse Genome Informatics database, fo...

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cre-lox and cre recombinases in Mouse Genome Informatics: worksheet module 2 - Video

The social structure of termites evolved independently from bees and ants, but all the species seem to share similar chemical tags that control a few genes

This image shows various castes of the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis: a soldier (with large dark head), a neotenic reproductive (darker individual without enlarged head), several larval instars (lighter individuals), and a nymph (light individual with darker wing buds) Liebig et al

The genome of the termite has just been sequenced, and it is revealing several clues about how the pests create their rigid social order.

For instance, the new genome, detailed today (May 20) in the journal Nature Communications, uncovers some of the underpinnings of termites' caste system, as well as the roots of the males' sexual staying power.

Social bugs

Like other social insects such as ants, honeybees and some wasps termites live in highly structured "caste systems," with each creature programmed to perform a rigidly defined job. A select few termite kings and queens reproduce, while drones and soldiers work, defend the colony or care for young. [Image Gallery: Ants of the World]

Yet termites evolved their social structure independently from ants and bees, which belong to an order known as Hymenoptera.

To understand how this happened, Jrgen Liebig, a behavioral biologist at Arizona State University, and his colleagues collected dampwood termites(Zootermopsis nevadensis nuttingi) that lived in Monterey, California. The researchers then sequenced the genome of the insects and measured how those genes were expressed, or turned on and off.

Sex differences

The research revealed several insights about termite sexual and social behavior.

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Termite Genome Reveals Details of "Caste System"

A team of international researchers has sequenced the genome of the Nevada dampwood termite, providing an inside look into the biology of the social insect and uncovering new genetic targets for pest control.

Michael Scharf, a Purdue University professor of entomology who participated in the collaborative study, said the genome could help researchers develop control strategies that are more specific than the broad-spectrum chemicals conventionally used to treat termite infestations.

"The termite genome reveals many unique genetic targets that can be disrupted for better termite control," said Scharf, who is the O. Wayne Rollins/Orkin Chair in Molecular Physiology and Urban Entomology. "Depending on which gene or protein that is targeted, we could disrupt termites' neurological processes, molting, digestive factors or cuticle formation. We're just limited by our imagination."

The Nevada dampwood termite is the first termite species to have its genome sequenced. While dampwood termites do not cause significant damage to buildings, they are closely related to key pests such as the eastern subterranean termite, which is the main pest species in Indiana and the Eastern U.S.

Termites are major pests of human structures, costing an estimated $40 billion in damage and control treatment each year. Having the genome in hand will enable researchers to look for common features expressed across termite species to find control targets effective for all types of termites, Scharf said.

Current termite control measures consist largely of synthetic chemical-based products, some of which are toxic to vertebrates.

"While current pesticides are very effective products, the problem is that you're injecting large volumes of them into the soil around the house," Scharf said. "It would be nice to move to a greener technology, and that's what the genome sequence could enable us to do."

Baiting termites with small quantities of treated wood that they could eat and share with colony-mates would be one such technique, he said. Newer technology such as gene silencing, which targets termite RNA to reduce the expression of critical genes, could also knock out the pests.

"With termites, you don't have to impact all of them," he said. "Targeting just a fraction of the workers could cause an entire colony to collapse."

The study also highlights genes related to chemical communication, the way in which termites "talk" to one another to signal aggression or a desire to reproduce.

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Termite genome lays roadmap for 'greener' control measures

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

20-May-2014

Contact: Mick Kulikowski mick_kulikowski@ncsu.edu 919-515-8387 North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University entomologists are part of a research team that has for the first time sequenced the genome of a member of the termite order, the dampwood termite (Zootermopsis nevadensis). A paper reports the findings today in Nature Communications.

The findings on the genetic blueprint of the dampwood termite, one of the world's most primitive social insects, highlight key differences and similarities with other social insects like ants, wasps and bees, and provide insight into how social insects evolved. The findings could also help researchers pinpoint specific gene functions to devise measures to control unwanted termites.

Dampwood termites don't get out much; most of their lives are spent inside a tree log. So it stands to reason that termite males have expanded male fertility genes to continually fertilize eggs produced by queens that don't store sperm for very long. In contrast, ant males deliver sperm once in a short-lived and often far-flung existence, forcing ant queens to store sperm for a long time, says Dr. Ed Vargo, professor of entomology and a co-author of the paper.

"Generally, ant males deliver sperm and then die. But sperm production goes on for life in the dampwood termite male," Vargo said.

The study also shows that termites have fewer receptors associated with smell than other social insects. While this makes sense at a basic level a termite that doesn't leave home may not experience a wide variety of smells and thus has no need for a wide odor palate the finding is also a bit surprising. Dr. R. Michael Roe, an NC State professor of entomology and co-author of the paper, says that previous studies in ants and bees suggest that a sophisticated chemical communication behavior system needs lots of sensory receptor genes.

"These sensory receptors may not be as important to being social as we previously believed, at least for these more primitive termites," Roe said. "These findings also show that you can't make assumptions about termites by studying ants it's important to study both as comprehensively as possible."

The study also found some key similarities between dampwood termites and other social insects. Many of the termite genes involved in sex and caste determination appear to be present in ants, for example.

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Researchers sequence genome of primitive termite