TY - JOUR A1 - He, Shulin A1 - Sieksmeyer, Thorben A1 - Che, Y. A1 - Mora, M. A. E. A1 - Stiblik, P. A1 - Banasiak, Ronald A1 - Harrison, M. C. A1 - Sobotnik, J. A1 - Wang, Z. A1 - Johnston, P. R. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter T1 - Evidence for reduced immune gene diversity and activity during the evolution of termites N2 - 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. KW - Social insect KW - Subsocial KW - Cockroach KW - Major transition KW - Contraction KW - Expansion PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-538878 DO - https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.3168 SN - 0962-8452 SN - 1471-2954 VL - 288 IS - 1945 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - The Royal Society CY - London AN - OPUS4-53887 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Aumont, Cédric A1 - Beránková, T. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Radek, R. A1 - Akama, P. D. A1 - Sillam-Dussès, D. A1 - Sobotnik, J. ED - Scholtz, G. T1 - The ultrastructure of the rostral gland in soldiers of Verrucositermes tuberosus (Blattodea: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) N2 - The soil-feeding habit is an evolutionary novelty found in some advanced groups of termites. The study of such groups is important to revealing interesting adaptations to this way-of-life. The genus Verrucositermes is one such example, characterized by peculiar outgrowths on the head capsule, antennae and maxillary palps, which are not found in any other termite. These structures have been hypothesized to be linked to the presence of a new exocrine organ, the rostral gland, whose structure has remained unexplored. We have thus studied the ultrastructure of the epidermal layer of the head capsule of Verrucositermes tuberosus soldiers.We describe the ultrastructure of the rostral gland, which consists of class 3 secretory cells only. The dominant secretory organelles comprise rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, which provide secretions delivered to the surface of the head, likely made of peptide-derived components of unclear function. We discuss a possible role of the rostral gland of soldiers as an adaptation to the frequent encounter with soil pathogens during search for new food resources. KW - Soil-feeding habit KW - Advanced groups of termites KW - New exocrine organ KW - Rostral gland KW - Epidemal layer KW - Peptide-derived components PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asd.2023.101238 SN - 1467-8039 VL - 73 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - London, UK AN - OPUS4-57046 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -