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CRISPR, a gene-editing technique, revolutionized the way genes are studied.
, the technique has been widely used to modify specific cell types in single-celled organisms and complex organisms.
, two separate research groups reported that they used CRISPR to process ant eggs, altering the entire colony.
paper was recently published in the journal Cell.
" these studies show that people can also alter the genetics of ants.
"If you're interested in studying social behavior and its genetic basis, ants are a good system," said Daniel Kronauer, senior author of one of the papers and an assistant professor at Rockefeller University in the United States.
now we can knock out any genes that affect social behavior and see how it works, " he said.
"Because ants live in ant colonies, this animal is a valuable model for studying complex biological systems.
but because of the complexity of the life cycle, it is difficult for ant colonies to grow and study in the laboratory.
, the researchers used two different ants to find a solution.
Rockefeller University team used asened breeding raider ants( Ooceraea biroi), which do not have queens in their colonies.
contrast, uncult fertilized eggs can develop asethual breeding individuals that can use monosymed reproduction to create more ants.
"this means that we can modify ant eggs using CRISPR and quickly grow a colony of ants that contain genetic mutations that we hope to study."
," Kronauer said.
team of researchers from New York University, New York University School of Medicine, Arizona State University, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Vanderburg University used Indian jumping ants.
"We chose these ants because one of their characteristics is that they are easily transformed into queens."
" said Claude Desplan of New York University, senior author of the second paper.
way, if the queen dies, the young worker ants will fight for dominance.
eventually, one of them becomes a "spawning queen" and begins spawning.
" In the lab, we can inject any worker ant's embryo to change its genetic make-up.
," Desplan said, "and then turn the worker ant into an spawning queen to extend the new gene to the entire colony."
two studies, researchers used CRISPR technology to knock out a gene called orco (smell receptor co-receptor).
ants have 350 odor reampor genes, and because of the unique biological properties of their odor retarder operation, researchers were able to block all 350 genes at once.
" each recipient needs to work with orco to take effect.
," said Waring Trible, lead author of the Rockefeller University paper and a student at Kronauer Labs.
once the gene is knocked out, ants ignore the phoneme signals they normally use to communicate.
lose these chemical clues, they become selfish: they leave their nests and hang out, and they stop looking for food.
even more surprising is that knocking out orco can also affect the anatomy of the brains of both ants.
ants also have centers in their brains dedicated to processing cues of perception and smell, but when the gene is knocked out, their sensory centers, called tentacle leaf fiber balls, are lost in large numbers.
we don't fully understand why this is happening," he said.
't know if the nerve cells in this area died because they were no longer in use or if they didn't develop in the first place," Kronauer said.
need to track the problem further and eventually extend it to mammals, " he said.
experts say a better understanding of how behavior is formed from a biochemical perspective can help reveal which changes in social interactions are characteristic of diseases such as schizophrenia or depression.
third related study, conducted by the Roberto Bonasio team at the University of Pennsylvania, scientists used blackened-induced neuropeptides to alter ant behavior.
found that blackening induces neuropeptides to resemble reproductive hormones in vertebrates, and that this hormone prevents worker ants from becoming spawning queens.
animals such as "ants" are excellent models for studying how genes affect behavior.
because they live in a group of individuals with the same genome, but have very different behaviors.
," commented one expert.
.