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Robinson, Gene E.
Professor, Entomology, Cell and Developmental Biology
B.S., M S., Ph.D., Cornell University
Research Areas
Neural, endocrine, and genetic analyses of social behavior
My research group uses the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, to understand mechanisms governing social behavior. Behavioral development occurs in many animals, including humans. As animals age and pass through different life stages, their genetically determined behavioral responses to environmental and social stimuli change in predictable ways. Often these responses increase in complexity and involve learning. Behavioral development in the honey bee is the basis for an intricate division of labor in the bee colony. Our research is designed to explain the function and evolution of behavioral mechanisms that integrate the activity of individuals in a society. We explore how the brain changes to allow for this complex pattern of behavioral development, by studying changes in gene expression, hormones, neurochemicals, and brain structure. Much of this work is in collaboration with Prof. Susan Fahrbach, a developmental neuroanatomist. Our goal is to forge links between behavioral neuroscience and sociobiology by attempting to understand naturally occurring complex behavior, from society to molecules. We also are developing genomic tools to bring this field to the stage of "sociogenomics."
Representative Publications
Robertson, H. M. and K. W. Wanner. 2006. The chemoreceptor superfamily in the honey bee Apis mellifera: expansion of the odorant, but not gustatory, receptor family. Genome Research 16, 1395-1403
Robinson, G. E., J. D. Evans, R. Maleszka, H. M. Robertson, D. B. Weaver, K. Worley, R. A. Gibbs, and G. M. Weinstock. 2006. Sweetness and light: illuminating the honey bee genome. Insect Molecular Biology 15, 535-539.
The Honeybee Genome Sequencing Consortium. 2006. Insights into social insects from the genome of the honeybee Apis mellifera. Nature 443, 931-949.
Wang, Y., M. Jorda, P. L. Jones, R. Maleszka, X. Ling, H. M. Robertson, C. A. Mizzen, M. A. Peinado, and G. E. Robinson. 2006. Functional CpG methylation system in a social insect. Science 314, 645-647.
Robertson, H. M. and K. H. J. Gordon. 2006. Canonical TTAGG repeat telomeres and telomerase in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. Genome Research 16, 1345-1351.
Rubin, E. B. Y. Shemesh, M. Cohen, S. Elgavish, H. M. Robertson, and G. Bloch. 2006. Molecular and phylogenetic analyses reveal mammalian-like clockwork in the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and shed new light on the molecular evolution of the circadian clock. Genome Research 16, 1352-1365
Robinson GE, Grozinger CM, and Whitfield CW. 2005. Sociogenomics: Social life in molecular terms. Nature Reviews - Genetics 6:257-270.
Robinson GE. 2004. Beyond nature and nurture. Science 304:397-399.
Leoncini I, Le Conte Y, Costagliola G, Plettner E, Toth AL, Wang M, Huang Z, B�card J-M, Crauser D, Slessor KN, and Robinson GE. 2004. Regulation of behavioral maturation by a primer pheromone produced by adult worker honey bees. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101:17559-17564.
Whitfield CW, Cziko A-M, and Robinson GE. 2003. Naturally occurring behavioral plasticity characterized by distinct gene expression profiles in the brain. Science 302:296-929.
Grozinger CM, Sharabash N, Whitfield CW, and Robinson GE. 2003. Pheromone-mediated gene expression in the honey bee brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 100(suppl. 2):14519-14525.
Additional Information
Collaborative Projects:
Professor Susan Fahrbach - Structural and molecular changes in the brain that occur as the bee grows up
Professor David Clayton - The role of dynamic changes in gene expression on neural and behavioral plasticity
Related Research (By Area):
Aging
Bioinformatics and Neuroinformatics
Neuroethology
Neurogenomics and Sociogenomics
Contact information:
