Award
National Institute of Mental Health 5R01MH131861-04
Epigenetic regulation of social and behavioral plasticity in ants
Recipient
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Award Amount
$406,250.00
Ceiling
$406,250.00
Awarded
September 16, 2025
Identifier
5R01MH131861-04
The NIH awarded a grant to the University of Pennsylvania to study how epigenetic pathways regulate social and behavioral plasticity in ants, aiming to understand mechanisms that may inform human neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders.
Description
This project aims to determine how epigenetic pathways regulate plasticity in social behaviors using the model ant Harpegnathos saltator. The research will test the hypothesis that external social cues are conveyed to chromatin by neuropeptides that regulate downstream transcription factors and associated epigenetic pathways, enabling stable changes in social behavior. The study leverages previous work on neuropeptides such as corazonin and vasopressin, and transcription factors like Kr-h1 and Fd3F, to understand their roles in social plasticity during caste transitions.