Journal
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
Volume 76, Issue 4, Pages 637-651Publisher
SPRINGER BASEL AG
DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2948-z
Keywords
Activity-regulated genes; Mapping tool; Honey bee; Long-term memory formation; egr-1; c-jun
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Funding
- German Excellence Initiative
- NCBS-TIFR institutional funding [12P4167]
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Social insects show complex behaviors and master cognitive tasks. The underlying neuronal mechanisms, however, are in most cases only poorly understood due to challenges in monitoring brain activity in freely moving animals. Immediate early genes (IEGs) that get rapidly and transiently expressed following neuronal stimulation provide a powerful tool for detecting behavior-related neuronal activity in vertebrates. In social insects, like honey bees, and in insects in general, this approach is not yet routinely established, even though these genes are highly conserved. First studies revealed a vast potential of using IEGs as neuronal activity markers to analyze the localization, function, and plasticity of neuronal circuits underlying complex social behaviors. We summarize the current knowledge on IEGs in social insects and provide ideas for future research directions.
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