Ant genomics sheds light on the molecular regulation of social organization

Ants are powerful model systems for the study of cooperation and sociality. In this review, we discuss how recent advances in ant genomics have contributed to our understanding of the evolution and organization of insect societies at the molecular level.     

Phylogenetic analysis of the tenascin gene family: evidence of origin early in the chordate lineage

Background  

Tenascins are a family of glycoproteins found primarily in the extracellular matrix of embryos where they help to regulate cell proliferation, adhesion and migration. In order to learn more about their origins and relationships to each other, as well as to clarify the nomenclature used to describe them, the tenascin genes of the urochordate Ciona intestinalis, the pufferfish Tetraodon nigroviridis and Takifugu rubripes and the frog Xenopus tropicalis were identified and their gene organization and predicted protein products compared with the previously characterized tenascins of amniotes.     

Loss of the Plasma Membrane-Bound Protein Gas1p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Results in the Release of β1,3-Glucan into the Medium and Induces a Compensation Mechanism To Ensure Cell Wall Integrity

Deletion of GAS1/GGP1/CWH52 results in a lower β-glucan content of the cell wall and swollen, more spherical cells (L. Popolo, M. Vai, E. Gatti, S. Porello, P. Bonfante, R. Balestrini, and L. Alberghina, J. Bacteriol. 175:1879–1885, 1993; A. F. J. Ram, S. S. C. Brekelmans, L. J. W. M. Oehlen, and F. M. Klis, FEBS Lett. 358:165–170, 1995). We show here that gas1Δ cells release β1,3-glucan into the medium. Western analysis of the medium proteins with β1,3-glucan- and β1,6-glucan-specific antibodies showed further that at least some of the released β1,3-glucan was linked to protein as part of a β1,3-glucan–β1,6-glucan–protein complex. These data indicate that Gas1p might play a role in the retention of β1,3-glucan and/or β-glucosylated proteins. Interestingly, the defective incorporation of β1,3-glucan in the cell wall was accompanied by an increase in chitin and mannan content in the cell wall, an enhanced expression of cell wall protein 1 (Cwp1p), and an increase in β1,3-glucan synthase activity, probably caused by the induced expression of Fks2p. It is proposed that the cell wall weakening caused by the loss of Gas1p induces a set of compensatory reactions to ensure cell integrity.