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Dominance hierarchies are ubiquitous in invertebrates and vertebrates, but little is known on how genes influence dominance rank. Our gaps in knowledge are specifically significant concerning female hierarchies, particularly in insects. To start filling these gaps, we studied the social bumble bee Bombus terrestris, in which social hierarchies among females are common and functionally significant. Dominance rank in this bee is influenced by multiple factors, including juvenile hormone (JH) that is a major gonadotropin in this species. We tested the hypothesis that the JH responsive transcription factor Krüppel homologue 1 (Kr-h1) mediates hormonal influences on dominance behavior. We first developed and validated a perfluorocarbon nanoparticles-based RNA interference protocol for knocking down Kr-h1 expression. We then used this procedure to show that Kr-h1 mediates the influence of JH, not only on oogenesis and wax production, but also on aggression and dominance rank. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study causally linking a gene to dominance rank in social insects, and one of only a few such studies on insects or on female hierarchies. These findings are important for determining whether there are general molecular principles governing dominance rank across gender and taxa. Full article

The juvenile hormone (JH) signalling and ecdysone signalling pathways are crucial endocrine signalling pathways that orchestrate the metamorphosis of insects. The metamorphic process, the morphological change from the immature to adult forms, is orchestrated by the dramatic reduction of JH and downstream transcription factors. The Krüppel-homologue 1 (Kr-h1), a downstream transcription factor of the JH signalling pathway, represses E93 expression with an anti-metamorphic effect. However, the biochemical interaction between Kr-h1 and E93 and how the interaction regulates ovary development, a sensitive readout for endocrine regulation, remain unknown. In brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, we found that the downregulation of Kr-h1 partially recovered the deteriorating effect of E93 knock-down on metamorphosis. Dual knock down of E93 and Kr-h1 increased ovary development and the number of eggs laid when compared to the effects of the knock down of E93 alone, indicating that the knock down of Kr-h1 partially recovered the deteriorating effect of the E93 knock-down on ovary development. In summary, our results indicated that E93 and Kr-h1 have antagonistic effects on regulating metamorphosis and ovary development. We tested the biochemical interaction between these two proteins and found that these molecules interact directly. Kr-h1 V and E93 II undergo strong and specific interactions, indicating that the potential interacting domain may be located in these two regions. We inferred that the nuclear receptor interaction motif (NR-box) and helix-turn-helix DNA binding motifs of the pipsqueak family (RHF1) are candidate domains responsible for the protein–protein interaction between E93 and Kr-h1. Moreover, the HA-tagged E93 and FLAG-tagged Kr-h1 were co-localized in the nucleus, and the expression of E93 was increased when Kr-h1 was downregulated, supporting that these two proteins may interact antagonistically. JH and ecdysone signalling are critical for the control of ovary development and pest populations. Our result is important for understanding the interactions between E93 and related proteins, which makes it possible to identify potential targets and develop new pesticides for pest management. Full article