Re-engineering Ants By Altering Genes in the Brain

Much like humans, ants respond to certain behavioral changes or environmental aspects that they encounter.  When an ant is hungry, it acts accordingly.  When an ant is threatened, again it acts accordingly.  Even within the ant hill, the ant's behavior may be subject to change depending on situations it encounters.  Now these changes in behavior are a result of genes located in the brain, and were observed within carpenter ants that were observed in a study co-authored by NYU Langone researchers and publishers.  With this discovery, focusing on specific genes to target certain behaviors in humans may be possible in the near future.

To further dive into the specifics, the researchers focused on a compound known to block the action of a group of enzymes, histone deacetylases (HDACs), which would activate genes that would cause the carpenter ant worker to behave like another ant without altering the coding for the gene itself.  Therefore, more work is being done to discover what else can be altered without changing or rewriting the genes themselves in ants or even humans.

Furthermore, the researchers conducted a series of tests on a female carpenter ant to regulate whether she became a guard ant (major in size) or a scout ant (minor in size).  To further elaborate on what the study focused on, an excerpt from the news article on EurekaAlert! was taken that describes the components within the ant that the scientists studied:

Specifically, the study found that foraging behavior as a caste-specific trait in the ant C. floridanus is controlled by the interplay between well-known families of enzymes: histone acetyltransferases (HATs), and histone deacetylases (HDACs). As their names suggest, HAT enzymes attach acetyl groups to histones, protein spools that DNA is wrapped around, to turn on genes. HDACs remove the groups from histones to turn off gene expression.

By focusing on the HDACs, the team was able to use HDAC inhibitors to alter the behavior in the guard ants and cause them to scout for food.  Essentially, the major ants were reprogrammed to function like the minor ants.  In addition, it wasn't just one gene that was activated within the major ants.  The experiment found that hundreds of genes in the central ant brain linked to hormone signaling, the sending of signals along nerve pathways, and the building of connections between nerve cells were all altered or activated in a different way than a normal major ant without HDAC inhibitors.  

With this discovery, and the results surrounding the use of HDAC inhibitors in ants, it seems entirely possible to alter behaviors and even which genes are activated in a multitude of organisms, including humans.  Granted, humans and ants do not share the exact same genetic blueprint, but the idea and the science behind it gives us a unique opportunity to possibly alter mental diseases in the brain, behavioral issues, and other problems within humans.  As stated by Danny Reinberg, PhD, the Terry and Mel Karmazin Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at NYU Langone, and a corresponding study author, "While no one is saying that ant behavior extends to humans, we believe, nonetheless, that this work promises to help guide the future use of HDAC inhibitors, which are already being studied as potential treatments for schizophrenia, depression, and neurodegenerative diseases."

More information on this topic can be found here:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-12/nyu-sb123115.php