Open AccessEvidence for reduced immune gene diversity and activity during the evolution of termites
Author(s) -
Shulin He,
Thorben Sieksmeyer,
Yanli Che,
M. Alejandra Esparza Mora,
Petr Stiblík,
Ronald Banasiak,
Mark C. Harrison,
Jan Šobotník,
Zongqing Wang,
Paul R. Johnston,
Dino P. McMahon
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings - royal society. biological sciences/proceedings - royal society. biological sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.342
H-Index - 253
eISSN - 1471-2954
pISSN - 0962-8452
DOI - 10.1098/rspb.2020.3168
Subject(s) - eusociality , biology , multicellular organism , immune system , evolutionary biology , sociality , gene , organism , acquired immune system , ecology , genetics , hymenoptera
The evolution of biological complexity is associated with the emergence of bespoke immune systems that maintain and protect organism integrity. Unlike the well-studied immune systems of cells and individuals, little is known about the origins of immunity during the transition to eusociality, a major evolutionary transition comparable to the evolution of multicellular organisms from single-celled ancestors. We aimed to tackle this by characterizing the immune gene repertoire of 18 cockroach and termite species, spanning the spectrum of solitary, subsocial and eusocial lifestyles. We find that key transitions in termite sociality are correlated with immune gene family contractions. In cross-species comparisons of immune gene expression, we find evidence for a caste-specific social defence system in termites, which appears to operate at the expense of individual immune protection. Our study indicates that a major transition in organismal complexity may have entailed a fundamental reshaping of the immune system optimized for group over individual defence.