A long non-coding RNA is a key factor in the evolution of insect eusociality

Abstract

Insect sociality is a major evolutionary transition based on the suppression of worker reproduction in favor of the reproductive monopoly of the queen. In the honey bee (Apis mellifera) model organism, the development of the two female caste phenotypes, queen and worker, is triggered by differences in their larval diets. However, the mechanistic details underlying their respective developmental trajectories, as well as the maintenance of sterility in the adult workers, are still not fully understood. Here we show that the long non-coding RNA lncov1 interacts with the Tudor staphylococcus nuclease (Tudor-SN) protein to form a regulatory module that promotes apoptosis in the ovaries of worker larvae. In adult workers, the lncov1/Tudor-SN module responds positively to environmental cues that suppress reproductive capacity. As lncov1 is considerably conserved in the Apidae, we propose that, by promoting worker sterility, the lncov1/Tudor-SN module has likely played critical roles in the social evolution of bees.