The basis of bee-ing different: the role of gene silencing in plasticity.

Developmental plasticity can generate, from one genotype, diverse alternative phenotypes appropriate to local environmental conditions (West-Eberhard 2003). However, our understanding of the developmental-genetic mechanisms that underlie plastic responses remains incomplete. Recent research suggests that DNA methylation, a system of gene silencing heritable across cell divisions, may serve as a mechanism underlying the evolution of plasticity. In particular, several recent studies in Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies) highlight the potential importance of methylation for understanding plasticity (Wang et al. 2006; Kronforst et al. 2008; Kucharski et al. 2008).