System-level reorganization of gene networks underlies the nurse-to-forager transition in honeybees.

Behavioral maturation of worker honeybees (Apis mellifera) shows coordinated, nonmonotonic reorganization of fat body gene-gene correlation networks, with later stages increasing modular segregation and antagonistic relationships.

• Why it matters: Division of labor depends on coordinated physiological and gene-regulatory changes, but it is unclear whether maturation reflects incremental gene changes or system-level transcriptomic reorganization.
• What they did: Using fat body gene expression across five developmental time points spanning the nurse-to-forager transition, the authors built signed gene-gene correlation networks and quantified macro- and mesostate properties, then derived gene-level microstate lists.
• The result: Networks shift from broadly positive, globally synchronized correlations to increased modular segregation and sparse, module-specific antagonistic negative correlations while remaining fully connected with high global efficiency, implying two polarized attractor-like regulatory states.