Posted on behalf of Hans-Joachim Pflüger:
In the article by Ott et al. the role of two protein kinases (PK) in the population density dependent transition from solitarious to gregarious animals is investigated. Only gregarious locusts form large swarms that are harmful for agriculture. The foraging gene product, a cGMP-dependent PK (PKG), implicated in foraging, and a cAMP-dependent PK (PKA), for example involved in processes of learning, were examined. The main result is that PKA but not PKG is involved in this phase transition between solitarious and gregarious animals.
Ott, S., Verlinden, H., Rogers, S., Brighton, C., Quah, P., Vleugels, R., Verdonck, R., & Vanden Broeck, J. (2011). Critical role for protein kinase A in the acquisition of gregarious behavior in the desert locust Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1114990109
Tags: locusts, molecular cascade, PKA
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