Identification of genomic changes associated with social evolution of termites by comparative genomic analysis

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K06816
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 45040:Ecology and environment-related
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: HAYASHI Yoshinobu 慶應義塾大学, 法学部(日吉), 講師 (70626803)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 宮崎 智史 玉川大学, 農学部, 准教授 (20547781)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 真社会性 / 亜社会性 / 遺伝子 / 自然選択

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The evolution from solitary to eusociality is one of the major transitions in the history of biological evolution, giving rise to a new hierarchy of society, and is a particularly noteworthy phenomenon in biology. In this study, we examined natural selection on genes during the evolution of sub-social cockroaches and eusocial termites. As a result, positive selection was detected in genes considered important in the establishment of parent-offspring relationships and in genes related to flight ability. In the future, it will be of utmost importance to comprehensively elucidate the genomic changes that have occurred during the evolutionary process of these genes.

Free Research Field

昆虫社会学、進化ゲノム学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は真社会性の進化に着目し、その過程における自然選択の影響について研究したものである。真社会性進化については、「なぜ進化したのか」という究極要因の研究が中心的であったが、本研究では「どのように進化してきたのか」という系統発生要因を明らかにした。今後さらにシロアリ特異的遺伝子や遺伝子発現調節領域の研究を進めることで、生物進化史上の大イベントである「真社会性への進化」がどのように実現されたのかを解明することができる。