N-methyladenosine modification of RNA controls dopamine synthesis to influence labour division in ants.

The N-methyladenosine (mA) modification of RNA has been reported to remodel gene expression in response to environmental conditions; however, the biological role of mA in social insects remains largely unknown. In this study, we explored the role of mA in the division of labour by worker ants (Solenopsis invicta). We first determined the presence of mA in RNAs from the brains of worker ants and found that mA methylation dynamics differed between foragers and nurses. Depletion of mA methyltransferase or chemical suppression of mA methylation in foragers resulted in a shift to 'nurse-like' behaviours. Specifically, mRNAs of dopamine receptor 1 (Dop1) and dopamine transporter (DAT) were modified by mA, and their expression increased dopamine levels to promote the behavioural transition from foragers to nurses. The abundance of Dop1 and DAT mRNAs and their stability were reduced by the inhibition of mA modification caused by the silencing of Mettl3, suggesting that mA modification in worker ants modulates dopamine synthesis, which regulates labour division. Collectively, our results provide the first example of the epitranscriptomic regulation of labour division in social insects and implicate mA regulatory mechanism as a potential novel target for controlling red imported fire ants.