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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Starvation resistance and tissue-specific gene expression of stress-related genes in a naturally inbred ant population
Nick BosDalial FreitakDalial FreitakLiselotte SundströmUnni Pulliainensubject
0301 basic medicineSELECTIONHYMENOPTERAmuurahaisetInbreeding depressionFormica exsectageeniekspressiolcsh:ScienceHAPLODIPLOIDSsietokyky2. Zero hungerStarvationGeneticseducation.field_of_studyMultidisciplinarybiology70Tissue-Specific Gene Expression129FORMICA-EXSECTANatural population growth1181 Ecology evolutionary biologymedicine.symptomInbreedingResearch Article1001INBREEDING DEPRESSIONnälkäsocial insectPopulation60inbreedingtissue specificity03 medical and health sciencesmedicineeducationGeneSEX DETERMINATIONstarvationINSECTbiology.organism_classification030104 developmental biologyDROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTERPATTERNSsukusiitosgene expressionta1181Formica exsectalcsh:QBiology (Whole organism)SYSTEMdescription
Starvation is one of the most common and severe stressors in nature. Not only does it lead to death if not alleviated, it also forces the starved individual to allocate resources only to the most essential processes. This creates energetic trade-offs which can lead to many secondary challenges for the individual. These energetic trade-offs could be exacerbated in inbred individuals, which have been suggested to have a less efficient metabolism. Here, we studied the effect of inbreeding on starvation resistance in a natural population of Formica exsecta ants, with a focus on survival and tissue-specific expression of stress, metabolism and immunity-related genes. Starvation led to large tissue-specific changes in gene expression, but inbreeding had little effect on most of the genes studied. Our results illustrate the importance of studying stress responses in different tissues instead of entire organisms.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-04-01 | Royal Society Open Science |