Genomic and transcriptomic analyses of the subterranean termite <i>Reticulitermes speratus</i> : Gene duplication facilitates social evolution
Shuji Shigenobu, Yoshinobu Hayashi, Dai Watanabe, Gaku Tokuda, Masaru Hojo, Kouhei Toga, Ryota Saiki, Hajime Yaguchi, Yudai Masuoka, Ryutaro Suzuki, Shogo Suzuki, Moe Kimura, Masatoshi Matsunami, Yasuhiro Sugime, Kohei Oguchi, Teruyuki Niimi, Hiroki Gotoh, Masaru Hojo, Satoshi Miyazaki, Atsushi Toyoda, Toru Miura, Kiyoto Maekawa
Abstract
genome. The duplicated genes comprised diverse categories related to social functions, including lipocalins (chemical communication), cellulases (wood digestion and social interaction), lysozymes (social immunity), geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (social defense), and a novel class of termite lineage-specific genes with unknown functions. Paralogous genes were often observed in tandem in the genome, but their expression patterns were highly variable, exhibiting caste biases. Some of the assayed duplicated genes were expressed in caste-specific organs, such as the accessory glands of the queen ovary and the frontal glands of soldier heads. We propose that gene duplication facilitates social evolution through regulatory diversification, leading to caste-biased expression and subfunctionalization and/or neofunctionalization conferring caste-specialized functions.