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Octopamine Receptor Gene Influences Social Grouping in the Masked Birch Caterpillar by Chanchal Yadav; Jayne E. Yack; Myron L. Smith is a Medicine article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Octopamine Receptor Gene Influences Social Grouping in the Masked Birch Caterpillar about?

## Objective Group-living plays a key role in the success of many insects, but the mechanisms underlying group formation and maintenance are poorly understood. Here we use the masked birch caterpillar, __Drepana arcuata,__ to explore genetic influences on social grouping. These larvae predictably transition from living in social groups to living solitarily during the 3rd instar of development. Our previous study showed a notable shift in the __D. arcuata__ transcriptome that correlates with the transition from grouping to solitary behavior. We noted that one differentially regulated gene, octopamine receptor gene (DaOAR), is a prominent ‘social’ gene in other insect species, prompting us to test the hypothesis that DaOAR influences grouping behavior in __D. arcuata__. This was done using RNA interference (RNAi) methods by feeding second instar larvae synthetic dsRNAs. ## Results RT–qPCR analysis confirmed a significant reduction in DaOAR transcript abundance in dsRNA-fed larvae compared to controls. Behavioral trials showed that caterpillars with reduced transcript abundance of DaOAR remained solitary throughout the observation period compared to controls. These results provide evi

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Author

Chanchal Yadav; Jayne E. Yack; Myron L. Smith

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Published

2022

Language

EN

Field

Medicine (Health Sciences)