Tachykinin signaling inhibits task-specific behavioral responsiveness in honeybee workers

Behavioral specialization is key to the success of social insects and leads division labor among colony members. Response thresholds task-specific stimuli are thought proximally regulate behavioral specialization, but their neurobiological regulation complex not well understood. Here, we show that response task-relevant correspond three phenotypes honeybee workers in well-studied important Apis mellifera cerana . Quantitative neuropeptidome comparisons suggest two tachykinin-related peptides (TRP2 TRP3) as candidates for modification these thresholds. Based on our characterization receptor binding downstream signaling, confirm a functional role tachykinin signaling regulating specific responsiveness workers: TRP2 injection RNAi-mediated downregulation cause consistent, opposite effects each behaviorally specialized phenotype unrelated tasks. Thus, study demonstrates TRP regulates degree may control context specificity behavior animals more generally.