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Vander Meer RK, Chinta SP, Jones TH, et al. Male fire ant neurotransmitter precursors trigger reproductive development in females after mating. Commun Biol. 2021;4(1):1400doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02921-5.
Vander Meer, R. K., Chinta, S. P., Jones, T. H., O'Reilly, E. E., & Adams, R. M. M. (2021). Male fire ant neurotransmitter precursors trigger reproductive development in females after mating. Communications biology, 4(1), 1400. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02921-5
Vander Meer, Robert K, et al. "Male fire ant neurotransmitter precursors trigger reproductive development in females after mating." Communications biology vol. 4,1 (2021): 1400. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02921-5
Vander Meer RK, Chinta SP, Jones TH, O'Reilly EE, Adams RMM. Male fire ant neurotransmitter precursors trigger reproductive development in females after mating. Commun Biol. 2021 Dec 15;4(1):1400. doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02921-5. PMID: 34912037; PMCID: PMC8674293.
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Commun Biol. 2021 Dec 15;4(1):1400. doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02921-5.

Male fire ant neurotransmitter precursors trigger reproductive development in females after mating.

Communications biology

Robert K Vander Meer, Satya P Chinta, Tappey H Jones, Erin E O'Reilly, Rachelle M M Adams

Affiliations

  1. USDA/ARS, CMAVE, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA. [email protected].
  2. Foresight Science and Technology, Hopkinton, MA, 01748, USA.
  3. Virginia Military Institute, Department of Chemistry, Lexington, VA, 24450, USA.
  4. USDA/ARS, CMAVE, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA.
  5. Ohio State University, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Columbus, OH, 43212, USA.
  6. National Museum of Natural History, Department of Entomology, Washington, DC, 20560, USA.

PMID: 34912037 PMCID: PMC8674293 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02921-5

Abstract

Social insect queens have evolved mechanisms to prevent competition from their sexual daughters. For Solenopsis invicta, the fire ant, queens have evolved a primer pheromone that retards reproductive development in their winged reproductive daughters. If these daughters are removed from the influence of the queen, it takes about a week to start reproductive development; however, it starts almost immediately after mating. This dichotomy has been unsuccessfully investigated for several decades. Here we show that male fire ants produce tyramides, derivatives of the biogenic amine tyramine, in their reproductive system. Males transfer tyramides to winged females during mating, where the now newly mated queens enzymatically convert tyramides to tyramine. Tyramine floods the hemolymph, rapidly activating physiological processes associated with reproductive development. Tyramides have been found only in the large Myrmicinae ant sub-family (6,800 species), We suggest that the complex inhibition/disinhibition of reproductive development described here will be applicable to other members of this ant sub-family.

© 2021. This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply.

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