A Hymenoptera-restricted gene mediating ant castes co-opts deeply conserved machinery to control organ size
Ruyan Li, Sha Song, Xiafang Zhang, Rasmus Stenbak Larsen, Yanmei Qi, Yu Li, Fuqiang Lin, Joel Vizueta, Zijun Xiong, Jie Zhao, Dashuang Zuo, Wei Dai, Jixuan Zheng, Bitao Qiu, Yue Shi, , Guojie Zhang
The paper identifies a Hymenoptera-specific gene, torch, that controls caste-specific organ size by co-opting conserved Hippo signaling machinery across species.
bioRxiv · Sep 3, 2026 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology