Intragenomic conflict over queen determination favours genomic imprinting in eusocial Hymenoptera

Shigeto Dobata; Kazuki Tsuji

doi:10.1098/rspb.2011.2673

Intragenomic conflict over queen determination favours genomic imprinting in eusocial Hymenoptera

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2011.2673 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 279 (1738) ◽

pp. 2553-2560 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Shigeto Dobata ◽

Kazuki Tsuji

Keyword(s):

Genomic Imprinting ◽

Intragenomic Conflict ◽

Queen Determination

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Intrafamily and intragenomic conflicts in human warfare

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2016.2699 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 284 (1849) ◽

pp. 20162699 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Alberto J. C. Micheletti ◽

Graeme D. Ruxton ◽

Andy Gardner

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Mathematical Model ◽

Genomic Imprinting ◽

Social Group ◽

Ecological Study ◽

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Ecological Perspective ◽

Evolution Of Sex ◽

Intragenomic Conflict ◽

Parent Of Origin

Recent years have seen an explosion of multidisciplinary interest in ancient human warfare. Theory has emphasized a key role for kin-selected cooperation, modulated by sex-specific demography, in explaining intergroup violence. However, conflicts of interest remain a relatively underexplored factor in the evolutionary-ecological study of warfare, with little consideration given to which parties influence the decision to go to war and how their motivations may differ. We develop a mathematical model to investigate the interplay between sex-specific demography and human warfare, showing that: the ecology of warfare drives the evolution of sex-biased dispersal; sex-biased dispersal modulates intrafamily and intragenomic conflicts in relation to warfare; intragenomic conflict drives parent-of-origin-specific patterns of gene expression—i.e. ‘genomic imprinting’—in relation to warfare phenotypes; and an ecological perspective of conflicts at the levels of the gene, individual, and social group yields novel predictions as to pathologies associated with mutations and epimutations at loci underpinning human violence.

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Genomic imprinting and the social brain

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2006.1942 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 361 (1476) ◽

pp. 2229-2237 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Anthony R Isles ◽

William Davies ◽

Lawrence S Wilkinson

Keyword(s):

Genomic Imprinting ◽

Parental Investment ◽

Social Groups ◽

Monoallelic Expression ◽

Imprinted Genes ◽

Epigenetic Mark ◽

Parental Allele ◽

Intragenomic Conflict ◽

Starting Point ◽

The Social

Genomic imprinting refers to the parent-of-origin-specific epigenetic marking of a number of genes. This epigenetic mark leads to a bias in expression between maternally and paternally inherited imprinted genes, that in some cases results in monoallelic expression from one parental allele. Genomic imprinting is often thought to have evolved as a consequence of the intragenomic conflict between the parental alleles that occurs whenever there is an asymmetry of relatedness. The two main examples of asymmetry of relatedness are when there is partiality of parental investment in offspring (as is the case for placental mammals, where there is also the possibility of extended postnatal care by one parent), and in social groups where there is a sex-biased dispersal. From this evolutionary starting point, it is predicted that, at the behavioural level, imprinted genes will influence what can broadly be termed bonding and social behaviour. We examine the animal and human literature for examples of imprinted genes mediating these behaviours, and divide them into two general classes. Firstly, mother–offspring interactions (suckling, attachment and maternal behaviours) that are predicted to occur when partiality in parental investment in early postnatal offspring occurs; and secondly, adult social interactions, when there is an asymmetry of relatedness in social groups. Finally, we return to the evolutionary theory and examine whether there is a pattern of behavioural functions mediated by imprinted genes emerging from the limited data, and also whether any tangible predictions can be made with regards to the direction of action of genes of maternal or paternal origin.

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