Histone acetyltransferases and external demands influence task switching in Temnothorax ants

In social hymenopterans, workers specialize on different tasks. Whether a worker nurses the brood or forages is influenced by the responsiveness for task-related cues which in turn is determined by gene expression. Task choice is dynamic and changes throughout a worker’s life, e.g. with age or in response to increased demands for certain tasks. Behavioral switches require the ability to adjust gene expression but the mechanisms regulating such transcriptional adaptations remain elusive. We investigated the role of histone acetylation in task specialization and behavioral flexibility in Temnothorax longispinosus ants. By inhibiting p300/CBP histone acetyltransferases (HAT) and manipulating colony composition, we found that HAT inhibition impairs the ability of older workers to switch to brood care. Yet, HAT inhibition increased the ability of young workers to accelerate their behavioral development and switch to foraging. Our data suggest that HAT in combination with social signals indic..., ,