ROBINSON, Gene E.

Department of Entomology

 Ph.D. (1986) Cornell University

   Research Topics

    - Endrocrine

    - Neural and Genetic Mechanisms of social behavior

    - Sociogenomics

   Research Interests

   Gene Robinson's research group studies the regulation of social behavior, using the honey bee as a model. The research is integrative, involving analyses of behavior, communication, hormones, neurochemicals, neuroanatomy, and molecular biology. The principle focus is the bee colony's division of labor, which is based on an intricate process of individual behavioral development that results in age-related changes in occupation. Molecular biological analyses have thus far focused on exploring how changes in the expression of several genes in the brain might influence the regulation of neuronal and behavioral plasticity. A more comprehensive approach has been initiated, which involves sequencing 20,000 ESTs from a brain cDNA library and performing analyses of gene expression with microarrays. Studies of the honey bee can contribute to an emerging interest in understanding the molecular biology of social behavior because the bee's social life is complex and amendable to precise manipulation.

   Key Words Gene Expression, Division of Labor, Honey Bees, Social Behavior, Neural Plasticity

   Current Research Funding NSF, NIH, CRI, Burroughs-Wellcome