DNA_methylation_and_gene_expression_in_Dinoponera. DNA_methylation_and_gene_expression_in_Dinoponera

We will associate gene expression changes with DNA methylation pattern in brain of Queen and Worker castes of Dinoponera . Dinosaur ant primitive social organisation shows highter phenotype plasticity at adult stage compare to highly social organisation of bees (Patalano et al., Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2012 Jun;24(3):367-73). DNA methylation has been previously show to play a role in Worker versus Queen differentiation during larva stage (Kucharski et al., Science. 2008 Mar 28;319(5871):1827-3)but no study has yet associated the dynamic changes of DNA methylation and gene expression with adult behaviour.