Epigenesis and sociality: Unraveling the link between nutrition and the genome - how do genes and environment interact to produce phenotypes?

Environmental factors such as nutrition are critical in translating a common genotype into a different phenotype. In honeybees, both sterile workers and fertile queens are produced from genetically identical larvae on the basis of differential feeding with royal jelly. This process is controlled by epigenetic memory that can alter how a gene is used, while leaving the DNA sequence unchanged. Our aim is to gain insights into the molecular basis of this phenomenon and unravel a set of general rules applicable to other organisms. This project will generate novel data on how an entire genome responds to diet and environment.