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Neurodevelopmental adaptations prime olfactory circuits for complex pheromonal communication in the clonal raider ant.

Award Number: K99DC021506
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2027

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Neurodevelopmental adaptations prime olfactory circuits for complex pheromonal communication in the clonal raider ant. - Project Summary Impaired social communication is a major feature of common neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder. Nevertheless, cellular mechanisms underlying the development of affected brain networks remain uncertain, despite the potential to inspire novel diagnostics and pharmacological interventions. Hence, this represents a key area of need in modern biomedical research. This career development proposal utilizes an emerging invertebrate model organism, the clonal raider ant, to investigate cellular mechanisms of neurodevelopment in olfactory brain circuits uniquely adapted for communication. Ants have evolved a remarkable capacity for chemical communication. Information is encoded by large arrays of pheromones exuded by dedicated exocrine glands and is received and processed by highly advanced olfactory systems. With approximately 500 olfactory glomeruli, the clonal raider ant antennal lobe (AL) is more complex than any other known insect and is evocative of the olfactory bulb in the brain of mammals (Drosophila have only ~50 AL glomeruli, for reference). Previous work in our lab suggests the evolution of sociality in ants may have coincided with unique neurodevelopmental logic in the AL supportive of this complexity. Over three aims, this project investigates early neuronal activity in pupal ant olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) and its significance for the normal wiring of brain circuits in adults. First, Aim 1 utilizes GCaMP-expressing transgenic ants and in vivo two-photon microscopy to characterize spontaneous neuronal activity in the OSNs of clonal raider ant pupae. In Aim 2, OSN activity is manipulated throughout development using novel transgenic ant lines and the impact of these perturbations on olfactory circuit structure is investigated. In Aim 3, optogenetic tools are used to disrupt OSN activity during an isolated period of widespread synaptogenesis in mature ant pupae and the effect on neuropil volume is examined.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY	1230 YORK AVE	NEW YORK	NY	10065	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	2	3/5/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $125,902 )
2025	2025	ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY	1230 YORK AVE	NEW YORK	NY	10065	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	2	3/19/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$125,902
														Subtotal = $125,902

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $125,902 )
2024	2024	ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY	1230 YORK AVE	NEW YORK	NY	10065	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	10/27/2023	NEW	$125,902
2024	2024	ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY	1230 YORK AVE	NEW YORK	NY	10065	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	002	1	2/16/2024	NEW	$0
2024	2024	ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY	1230 YORK AVE	NEW YORK	NY	10065	NEW YORK	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	1	11/2/2023	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $125,902

Grand Total All Awards = $251,804

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Neurodevelopmental adaptations prime olfactory circuits for complex pheromonal communication in the clonal raider ant.

Award Number: K99DC021506

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2027

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