Eusociality has convergently evolved multiple times, but the genomic basis of caste-based division of labor and degree to which independent origins of eusociality have utilized common genes remain largely unknown. Here we characterize caste-specific transcriptomic profiles across development and adult body segments from pharaoh ants (Monomorium pharaonis) and honey bees (Apis mellifera), representing two independent origins of eusociality. We identify a substantial shared core of genes upregulated in the abdomens of queen ants and honey bees that also tends to be upregulated in mated female flies, suggesting that these genes are part of a conserved insect reproductive groundplan. Outside of this shared groundplan, few genes are differentially expressed in common. Instead, the majority of the thousands of caste-associated genes are plastically expressed, rapidly evolving, and relatively evolutionarily young. These results emphasize that the recruitment of both highly conserved and lineage-specific genes underlie the convergent evolution of novel traits such as eusociality.

道德社会化已经融合了许多次，但是基于种姓的分工的基因组基础以及道德社会化的独立起源利用共同基因的程度在很大程度上仍然未知。在这里，我们描绘了法老蚂蚁（Monormorium pharaonis）和蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）在发育和成年人体各部分的种姓特异性转录组谱），代表了两个独立的道德社会根源。我们确定了在蚁后和蜜蜂的腹部中上调的基因的基本共有核心，在交配的雌蝇中也倾向于上调，这表明这些基因是保守的昆虫繁殖计划的一部分。在这个共同的计划之外，很少有基因共同表达差异。取而代之的是，数千种与种姓相关的基因中的大多数是可塑性表达的，迅速进化的并且相对进化年轻的。这些结果强调，高度保守和谱系特异性基因的募集是诸如性格开朗等新特性的趋同进化的基础。