研究人员表示，在大多数生物体中，繁殖与较短的寿命相关联。然而，在非社会性昆虫中，繁殖型蚁后的寿命比工蚁的寿命长得多。在掠猛蚁属蚂蚁中，当蚁后死亡时，工蚁可以进行成年等级转换为生殖型假蚁后（gamergate），并表现出五倍的寿命延长。
为了探索繁殖和寿命之间的关系，研究人员比较了等级转换期间的基因表达。胰岛素的表达在gamergate大脑中增加，这与脂肪合成的增加和脂肪体中卵黄原蛋白的产生有关，两者都被运到卵子中。这是由胰岛素信号传导途径的丝裂原激活蛋白激酶（MAPK）分支激活的结果。相比之下，在gamergate发育的卵巢中产生抗胰岛素的Imp-L2，导致脂肪体中AKT/叉头盒O（FOXO）分支的信号减少，这与它们的寿命延长是一致的。
附：英文原文
Title: Insulin signaling in the long-lived reproductive caste of ants
Author: Hua Yan, Comzit Opachaloemphan, Francisco Carmona-Aldana, Giacomo Mancini, Jakub Mlejnek, Nicolas Descostes, Bogdan Sieriebriennikov, Alexandra Leibholz, Xiaofan Zhou, Long Ding, Maria Traficante, Claude Desplan, Danny Reinberg
Issue&Volume: 2022-09-02
Abstract: In most organisms, reproduction is correlated with shorter life span. However, the reproductive queen in eusocial insects exhibits a much longer life span than that of workers. In Harpegnathos ants, when the queen dies, workers can undergo an adult caste switch to reproductive pseudo-queens (gamergates), exhibiting a five-times prolonged life span. To explore the relation between reproduction and longevity, we compared gene expression during caste switching. Insulin expression is increased in the gamergate brain that correlates with increased lipid synthesis and production of vitellogenin in the fat body, both transported to the egg. This results from activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) branch of the insulin signaling pathway. By contrast, the production in the gamergate developing ovary of anti-insulin Imp-L2 leads to decreased signaling of the AKT/forkhead box O (FOXO) branch in the fat body, which is consistent with their extended longevity.
DOI: abm8767
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abm8767