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Vázquez DE, Verellen F, Farina WM. Early exposure to glyphosate during larval development induces late behavioural effects on adult honey bees. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 360:124674. [PMID: 39111532 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 08/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
As the most abundant pollinator insect in crops, Apis mellifera is a sentinel species of the pollinator communities. In these ecosystems, honey bees of different ages and developmental stages are exposed to diverse agrochemicals. However, most toxicological studies analyse the immediate effects during exposure. Late effects during adulthood after early exposure to pollutants during larval development are poorly studied in bees. The herbicide glyphosate (GLY) is the most applied pesticide worldwide. GLY has been detected in honey and beebread from hives near treated crops. Alterations in growth, morphogenesis or organogenesis during pre-imaginal development could induce late adverse effects after the emergence. Previous studies have demonstrated that GLY alters honey bee development, immediately affecting survival, growth and metabolism, followed by late teratogenic effects. The present study aims to determine the late impact on the behaviour and physiology of adult bees after pre-imaginal exposure to GLY. For that, we reared brood in vitro or in the hive with sub-chronic exposure to the herbicide with the average detected concentration in hives. Then, all newly emerged bees were reared in an incubator until maturity and tested when they became nurse-aged bees. Three behavioural responses were assessed as markers of cognitive and physiological impairment. Our results show i) decreased sensitivity to sucrose regardless of the rearing procedure, ii) increased choice latency and locomotor alterations during chemotaxis and iii) impaired associative learning. These late toxicity signs could indicate adverse effects on task performance and colony efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego E Vázquez
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Facundo Verellen
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Walter M Farina
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Martins JR, Silva IC, Mazzoni TS, de Barrios GH, Freitas FCDP, Barchuk AR. Minibrain plays a role in the adult brain development of honeybee (Apis mellifera) workers. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39167296 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
The brain of adult honeybee (Apis mellifera) workers is larger than that of queens, facilitating behavioural differentiation between the castes. This brain diphenism develops during the pharate-adult stage and is driven by a caste-specific gene expression cascade in response to unique hormonal milieus. Previous molecular screening identified minibrain (mnb; DYRK1A) as a potential regulator in this process. Here, we used RNAi approach to reduce mnb transcript levels and test its role on brain diphenism development in honeybees. White-eyed unpigmented cuticle worker pupae were injected with dsRNA for mnb (Mnb-i) or gfp, and their phenotypes were assessed two and 8 days later using classic histological and transcriptomic analyses. After 2 days of the injections, Mnb-i bees showed 98% of downregulation of mnb transcripts. After 8 days, the brain of Mnb-i bees showed reduction in total volume and in the volume of the mushroom bodies (MB), antennal, and optic lobes. Additionally, signs of apoptosis were observed in the Kenyon cells region of the MB, and the cohesion of the brain tissues was affected. Our transcriptomic analyses revealed that 226 genes were affected by the knockdown of mnb transcripts, most of which allowing axonal fasciculation. These results suggest the evolutionary conserved mnb gene has been co-opted for promoting hormone-mediated developmental brain morphological plasticity generating caste diphenism in honeybees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Ramos Martins
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Izabella Cristina Silva
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, UFScar, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Talita Sarah Mazzoni
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Helena de Barrios
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Flávia Cristina de Paula Freitas
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, UFScar, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Angel Roberto Barchuk
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Choi JY, Chon K, Kim J, Vasamsetti BMK, Kim BS, Yoon CY, Hwang S, Park KH, Lee JH. Assessment of Lambda-Cyhalothrin and Spinetoram Toxicity and Their Effects on the Activities of Antioxidant Enzymes and Acetylcholinesterase in Honey Bee ( Apis mellifera) Larvae. INSECTS 2024; 15:587. [PMID: 39194792 DOI: 10.3390/insects15080587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Honeybees play a crucial role as agricultural pollinators and are frequently exposed to various pollutants, including pesticides. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the toxicity of lambda-cyhalothrin (LCY) and spinetoram (SPI) in honey bee larvae reared in vitro through single (acute) and repeated (chronic) exposure. The acute LD50 values for LCY and SPI were 0.058 (0.051-0.066) and 0.026 (0.01-0.045) μg a.i./larva, respectively. In chronic exposure, the LD50 values of LCY and SPI were 0.040 (0.033-0.046) and 0.017 (0.014-0.019) μg a.i./larva, respectively. The chronic no-observed-effect dose of LCY and SPI was 0.0125 μg a.i./larva. Adult deformation rates exceeded 30% in all LCY treatment groups, showing statistically significant differences compared to the solvent control group (SCG). Similarly, SPI-treated bees exhibited significantly more deformities than SCG. Furthermore, we examined the activities of several enzymes, namely, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), in larvae, pupae, and newly emerged bees after chronic exposure at the larval stage (honey bee larval chronic LD50, LD50/10 (1/10th of LD50), and LD50/20 (1/20th of LD50)). LCY and SPI induced significant changes in detoxification (GST), antioxidative (SOD and CAT), and signaling enzymes (AChE) during the developmental stages (larvae, pupae, and adults) of honey bees at sublethal and residue levels. Our results indicate that LCY and SPI may affect the development of honey bees and alter the activity of enzymes associated with oxidative stress, detoxification, and neurotransmission. These results highlight the potential risks that LCY and SPI may pose to the health and normal development of honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yeong Choi
- Toxicity and Risk Assessment Division, Department of Agro-Food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyongmi Chon
- Toxicity and Risk Assessment Division, Department of Agro-Food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Juyeong Kim
- Toxicity and Risk Assessment Division, Department of Agro-Food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Bala Murali Krishna Vasamsetti
- Toxicity and Risk Assessment Division, Department of Agro-Food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Bo-Seon Kim
- Toxicity and Risk Assessment Division, Department of Agro-Food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Young Yoon
- Toxicity and Risk Assessment Division, Department of Agro-Food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Sojeong Hwang
- Toxicity and Risk Assessment Division, Department of Agro-Food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeong-Hun Park
- Toxicity and Risk Assessment Division, Department of Agro-Food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju-gun 55365, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Hoon Lee
- Department of Bioenvironmental Chemistry, Chonbuk National University, 567 Baekje-daero, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si 54896, Republic of Korea
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Tadano H, Kohno H, Takeuchi H, Kubo T. Unique spatially and temporary-regulated/sex-specific expression of a long ncRNA, Nb-1, suggesting its pleiotropic functions associated with honey bee lifecycle. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8701. [PMID: 38622193 PMCID: PMC11018616 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59494-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Honey bees are social insects, and each colony member has unique morphological and physiological traits associated with their social tasks. Previously, we identified a long non-coding RNA from honey bees, termed Nb-1, whose expression in the brain decreases associated with the age-polyethism of workers and is detected in some neurosecretory cells and octopaminergic neurons, suggesting its role in the regulation of worker labor transition. Herein, we investigated its spatially and temporary-regulated/sex-specific expression. Nb-1 was expressed as an abundant maternal RNA during oogenesis and embryogenesis in both sexes. In addition, Nb-1 was expressed preferentially in the proliferating neuroblasts of the mushroom bodies (a higher-order center of the insect brain) in the pupal brains, suggesting its role in embryogenesis and mushroom body development. On the contrary, Nb-1 was expressed in a drone-specific manner in the pupal and adult retina, suggesting its role in the drone visual development and/or sense. Subcellular localization of Nb-1 in the brain during development differed depending on the cell type. Considering that Nb-1 is conserved only in Apidae, our findings suggest that Nb-1 potentially has pleiotropic functions in the expression of multiple developmental, behavioral, and physiological traits, which are closely associated with the honey bee lifecycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroto Tadano
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroki Kohno
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hideaki Takeuchi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
- Department of Integrative Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8577, Japan
| | - Takeo Kubo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
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Vommaro ML, Donato S, Caputo S, Agostino RG, Montali A, Tettamanti G, Giglio A. Anatomical changes of Tenebrio molitor and Tribolium castaneum during complete metamorphosis. Cell Tissue Res 2024; 396:19-40. [PMID: 38409390 PMCID: PMC10997553 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-024-03877-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
In holometabolous insects, extensive reorganisation of tissues and cells occurs at the pupal stage. The remodelling of the external exoskeleton and internal organs that intervenes during metamorphosis has been traditionally studied in many insect species based on histological or ultrastructural methods. This study demonstrates the use of synchrotron X-ray phase-contrast micro-computed tomography as a powerful, non-destructive tool for in situ morphological observation of anatomical structures at the pupal stage in two Tenebrionid beetles, i.e. Tribolium castaneum and Tenebrio molitor, known as important pests, as well as emerging and promising models in experimental biology. Virtual sections and three-dimensional reconstructions were performed on both males and females at early, intermediate, and late pupal stage. The dataset allowed us to observe the remodelling of the gut and nervous system as well as the shaping of the female and male reproductive system at different pupal ages in both mealworm and red flour beetles. Moreover, we observed that the timing and duration pattern of organ development varied between the species analysed, likely related to the species-specific adaptations of the pre-imaginal stages to environmental conditions, which ultimately affect their life cycle. This research provides new knowledge on the morphological modifications that occur during the pupal stage of holometabolous insects and provides a baseline set of information on beetle metamorphosis that may support future research in forensics, physiology, and ecology as well as an image atlas for educational purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Luigia Vommaro
- University of Calabria, Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science, Rende, Italy
| | - Sandro Donato
- University of Calabria, Department of Physics and STAR research infrastructure, Rende, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Division of Frascati, Rome, Italy
| | - Simone Caputo
- University of Calabria, Department of Environmental Engineering, Rende, Italy
| | - Raffaele G Agostino
- University of Calabria, Department of Physics and STAR research infrastructure, Rende, Italy
| | - Aurora Montali
- University of Insubria, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Varese, Italy
| | - Gianluca Tettamanti
- University of Insubria, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Varese, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-environmental Technology (BAT Center), University of Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Anita Giglio
- University of Calabria, Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science, Rende, Italy.
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Anton AA, Farnworth MS, Hebberecht L, Harrison CJ, Montgomery SH. A modified method to analyse cell proliferation using EdU labelling in large insect brains. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0292009. [PMID: 37796816 PMCID: PMC10553331 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of neurogenesis is critical to understanding of the evolution of nervous systems. Within invertebrates, this process has been extensively studied in Drosophila melanogaster, which is the predominant model thanks to the availability of advanced genetic tools. However, insect nervous systems are extremely diverse, and by studying a range of taxa we can gain additional information about how nervous systems and their development evolve. One example of the high diversity of insect nervous system diversity is provided by the mushroom bodies. Mushroom bodies have critical roles in learning and memory and vary dramatically across species in relative size and the type(s) of sensory information they process. Heliconiini butterflies provide a useful snapshot of this diversity within a closely related clade. Within Heliconiini, the genus Heliconius contains species where mushroom bodies are 3-4 times larger than other closely related genera, relative to the rest of the brain. This variation in size is largely explained by increases in the number of Kenyon cells, the intrinsic neurons which form the mushroom body. Hence, variation in mushroom body size is the product of changes in cell proliferation during Kenyon cell neurogenesis. Studying this variation requires adapting labelling techniques for use in less commonly studied organisms, as methods developed for common laboratory insects often do not work. Here, we present a modified protocol for EdU staining to examine neurogenesis in large-brained insects, using Heliconiini butterflies as our primary case, but also demonstrating applicability to cockroaches, another large-brained insect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaia Alcalde Anton
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Max S. Farnworth
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Hebberecht
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - C. Jill Harrison
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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Gao J, Guo Y, Chen J, Diao QY, Wang Q, Dai PL, Zhang L, Li WM, Wu YY. Acute oral toxicity, apoptosis, and immune response in nurse bees ( Apis mellifera) induced by flupyradifurone. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1150340. [PMID: 37057182 PMCID: PMC10086230 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1150340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The potential toxicity of flupyradifurone (FPF) to honey bees has been a subject of controversy in recent years. Understanding the effect of pesticides on nurse bees is important because the fitness of nurse bees is critical for in-hive activities, such as larval survival and performing hive maintenance. In order to evaluate the acute oral toxicity of flupyradifurone on nurse bees, flupyradifurone at five different concentrations was selected to feed both larvae and nurse bees. Our results showed that nurse bees were more sensitive to flupyradifurone than larvae (LD50 of the acute oral toxicity of flupyradifurone was 17.72 μg a.i./larva and 3.368 μg a.i./nurse bee). In addition, the apoptotic rates of neurons in mushroom bodies of nurse bees were significantly induced by flupyradifurone at sublethal concentrations (8 mg/L, 20 mg/L, and 50 mg/L) and the median lethal concentration LC50 (125 mg/L). The expression of immune-related genes (Hsp90, Toll-8/Tollo, and defensin) was significantly changed in exposed nurse bees at the field-realistic concentration of flupyradifurone. However, three detoxifying enzyme genes (CYP9Q1, -2, and -3) were not affected by pesticide exposure. Our data suggest that although flupyradifurone had a relatively lower acute oral toxicity than many other common pesticides, exposures to the field-realistic and other sublethal concentrations of flupyradifurone still have cytotoxicity and immune-responsive effects on nurse bees. Therefore, flupyradifurone should be considered for its application in crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qing-Yun Diao
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ping-Li Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Li Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wen-Min Li
- College of Life Sciences and Agriculture and Forestry, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar, China
| | - Yan-Yan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
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8
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Makarova AA, Veko EN, Polilov AA. Metamorphosis and denucleation of the brain in the miniature wasp Megaphragma viggianii (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2022; 70:101200. [PMID: 35961234 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2022.101200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Holometabolan brains undergo structural and allometric changes and complex reorganizations during metamorphosis. In minute egg parasitoids, brain formation is shifted to the late larva and young pupa, due to extreme de-embryonization. The brains of Megaphragma wasps undergo denucleation, the details of which remained unknown. We describe the morphological and volumetric changes in the brain of Megaphragma viggianii (Trichogrammatidae) during pupal development with emphasis on the lysis of nuclei and show that the absolute and relative volume of the brain decrease by a factor of 5 from prepupa to adult at the expense of the cell body rind. The first foci of lysis appear during early pupal development, but most nuclei (up to 97%) are lost between pharate adult and adult. The first signs of lysis (destruction of the nuclear envelopes) occur in pupae with red eyes. The number of lysis foci (organelle destruction and increasing number of lysosomes and degree of chromatin compaction) strongly increases in pupae with black eyes. The cell body rind volume strongly decreases during pupal development (in larger insects it increases slightly or remains unchanged). Elucidation of the lysis of nuclei in neurons and of the functioning of an anucleate brain is an important objective for neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Egor N Veko
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexey A Polilov
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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Traniello IM, Robinson GE. Neural and Molecular Mechanisms of Biological Embedding of Social Interactions. Annu Rev Neurosci 2021; 44:109-128. [PMID: 34236891 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-092820-012959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Animals operate in complex environments, and salient social information is encoded in the nervous system and then processed to initiate adaptive behavior. This encoding involves biological embedding, the process by which social experience affects the brain to influence future behavior. Biological embedding is an important conceptual framework for understanding social decision-making in the brain, as it encompasses multiple levels of organization that regulate how information is encoded and used to modify behavior. The framework we emphasize here is that social stimuli provoke short-term changes in neural activity that lead to changes in gene expression on longer timescales. This process, simplified-neurons are for today and genes are for tomorrow-enables the assessment of the valence of a social interaction, an appropriate and rapid response, and subsequent modification of neural circuitry to change future behavioral inclinations in anticipation of environmental changes. We review recent research on the neural and molecular basis of biological embedding in the context of social interactions, with a special focus on the honeybee.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian M Traniello
- Neuroscience Program and Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA;
| | - Gene E Robinson
- Neuroscience Program and Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA; .,Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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10
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Makarova AA, Veko EN, Polilov AA. Metamorphosis of the central nervous system of Trichogramma telengai (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2021; 60:101005. [PMID: 33212369 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2020.101005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
During metamorphosis, the insect CNS undergoes both structural and allometric changes. Due to their extreme de-embryonization and parasitism, the formation of the CNS in egg parasitoids occurs at the late larval stage. Our study provides the first data on the morphological and volumetric changes of the CNS occurring during the pupal development of the parasitic wasp Trichogramma telengai Sorokina, 1987 (Trichogrammatidae). The prepupal-pupal development includes fusion and concentration of ganglia achieved by the loss of connectives. Volumetric analysis shows that during the pupal development the absolute body volume and CNS volume gradually decrease. The brain and thoracic synganglion slightly increase in volume during the pupal period and extremely decrease from late pupa to adult. The CNS neuropil volume increases from prepupa to adult. The mean cell diameter also decreases during the metamorphosis of the nervous system. The cell body rind volume decreases during pupal development; this decrease correlates with the decrease in the number of cells on the one hand and increase in the neuropilar volume on the other hand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia A Makarova
- Department of Entomology, Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Egor N Veko
- Department of Entomology, Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexey A Polilov
- Department of Entomology, Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234, Moscow, Russia
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11
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Kumagai H, Kunieda T, Nakamura K, Matsumura Y, Namiki M, Kohno H, Kubo T. Developmental stage-specific distribution and phosphorylation of Mblk-1, a transcription factor involved in ecdysteroid-signaling in the honey bee brain. Sci Rep 2020; 10:8735. [PMID: 32457433 PMCID: PMC7250831 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65327-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In the honey bee, the mushroom bodies (MBs), a higher-order center in insect brain, comprise interneurons termed Kenyon cells (KCs). We previously reported that Mblk-1, which encodes a transcription factor involved in ecdysteroid-signaling, is expressed preferentially in the large-type KCs (lKCs) in the pupal and adult worker brain and that phosphorylation by the Ras/MAPK pathway enhances the transcriptional activity of Mblk-1 in vitro. In the present study, we performed immunoblotting and immunofluorescence studies using affinity-purified anti-Mblk-1 and anti-phosphorylated Mblk-1 antibodies to analyze the distribution and phosphorylation of Mblk-1 in the brains of pupal and adult workers. Mblk-1 was preferentially expressed in the lKCs in both pupal and adult worker brains. In contrast, some Mblk-1 was phosphorylated almost exclusively in the pupal stages, and phosphorylated Mblk-1 was preferentially expressed in the MB neuroblasts and lKCs in pupal brains. Immunofluorescence studies revealed that both Mblk-1 and phosphorylated Mblk-1 are located in both the cytoplasm and nuclei of the lKC somata in the pupal and adult worker brains. These findings suggest that Mblk-1 plays a role in the lKCs in both pupal and adult stages and that phosphorylated Mblk-1 has pupal stage-specific functions in the MB neuroblasts and lKCs in the honey bee brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitomi Kumagai
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takekazu Kunieda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Korefumi Nakamura
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Matsumura
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Manami Namiki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroki Kohno
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takeo Kubo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
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12
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Smith DB, Arce AN, Ramos Rodrigues A, Bischoff PH, Burris D, Ahmed F, Gill RJ. Insecticide exposure during brood or early-adult development reduces brain growth and impairs adult learning in bumblebees. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192442. [PMID: 32126960 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
For social bees, an understudied step in evaluating pesticide risk is how contaminated food entering colonies affects residing offspring development and maturation. For instance, neurotoxic insecticide compounds in food could affect central nervous system development predisposing individuals to become poorer task performers later-in-life. Studying bumblebee colonies provisioned with neonicotinoid spiked nectar substitute, we measured brain volume and learning behaviour of 3 or 12-day old adults that had experienced in-hive exposure during brood and/or early-stage adult development. Micro-computed tomography scanning and segmentation of multiple brain neuropils showed exposure during either of the developmental stages caused reduced mushroom body calycal growth relative to unexposed workers. Associated with this was a lower probability of responding to a sucrose reward and lower learning performance in an olfactory conditioning test. While calycal volume of control workers positively correlated with learning score, this relationship was absent for exposed workers indicating neuropil functional impairment. Comparison of 3- and 12-day adults exposed during brood development showed a similar degree of reduced calycal volume and impaired behaviour highlighting lasting and irrecoverable effects from exposure despite no adult exposure. Our findings help explain how the onset of pesticide exposure to whole colonies can lead to lag-effects on growth and resultant dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan B Smith
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Andres N Arce
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Ana Ramos Rodrigues
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Philipp H Bischoff
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Daisy Burris
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Farah Ahmed
- Core Research Laboratories, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Richard J Gill
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
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13
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Groh C, Rössler W. Analysis of Synaptic Microcircuits in the Mushroom Bodies of the Honeybee. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11010043. [PMID: 31936165 PMCID: PMC7023465 DOI: 10.3390/insects11010043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Mushroom bodies (MBs) are multisensory integration centers in the insect brain involved in learning and memory formation. In the honeybee, the main sensory input region (calyx) of MBs is comparatively large and receives input from mainly olfactory and visual senses, but also from gustatory/tactile modalities. Behavioral plasticity following differential brood care, changes in sensory exposure or the formation of associative long-term memory (LTM) was shown to be associated with structural plasticity in synaptic microcircuits (microglomeruli) within olfactory and visual compartments of the MB calyx. In the same line, physiological studies have demonstrated that MB-calyx microcircuits change response properties after associative learning. The aim of this review is to provide an update and synthesis of recent research on the plasticity of microcircuits in the MB calyx of the honeybee, specifically looking at the synaptic connectivity between sensory projection neurons (PNs) and MB intrinsic neurons (Kenyon cells). We focus on the honeybee as a favorable experimental insect for studying neuronal mechanisms underlying complex social behavior, but also compare it with other insect species for certain aspects. This review concludes by highlighting open questions and promising routes for future research aimed at understanding the causal relationships between neuronal and behavioral plasticity in this charismatic social insect.
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14
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Guan C, Egertová M, Perry CJ, Chittka L, Chittka A. Temporal correlation of elevated PRMT1 gene expression with mushroom body neurogenesis during bumblebee brain development. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 116:57-69. [PMID: 31039373 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Revised: 04/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Neural development depends on the controlled proliferation and differentiation of neural precursors. In holometabolous insects, these processes must be coordinated during larval and pupal development. Recently, protein arginine methylation has come into focus as an important mechanism of controlling neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation in mammals. Whether a similar mechanism is at work in insects is unknown. We investigated this possibility by determining the expression pattern of three protein arginine methyltransferase mRNAs (PRMT1, 4 and 5) in the developing brain of bumblebees by in situ hybridisation. We detected expression in neural precursors and neurons in functionally important brain areas throughout development. We found markedly higher expression of PRMT1, but not PRMT4 and PRMT5, in regions of mushroom bodies containing dividing cells during pupal stages at the time of active neurogenesis within this brain area. At later stages of development, PRMT1 expression levels were found to be uniform and did not correlate with actively dividing cells. Our study suggests a role for PRMT1 in regulating neural precursor divisions in the mushroom bodies of bumblebees during the period of neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cui Guan
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Michaela Egertová
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Clint J Perry
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Lars Chittka
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Alexandra Chittka
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK.
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15
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Panov AA. Proliferation and Differentiation: Two Sequential Stages of Proliferative Center Activity in Embryonic Mushroom Bodies of Three Orthopterans, Gryllus bimaculatus Deg., Acheta domesticus L., and Schistocerca gregaria Forsk. (Insecta: Orthoptera). BIOL BULL+ 2019. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359019020110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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16
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Sasaki K, Ugajin A, Harano KI. Caste-specific development of the dopaminergic system during metamorphosis in female honey bees. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206624. [PMID: 30372493 PMCID: PMC6205643 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Caste-specific differences in the dopaminergic systems of social insects assist in maintaining caste-specific behavior. To determine how caste differences in the honey bee occur during metamorphosis, a number of comparative analyses between castes were performed including comprehensive quantification of: levels of dopamine and its metabolite in the brain, the gene expression levels of enzymes involved in dopamine biosynthesis and conversion as well as expression levels of dopamine receptors and a dopamine transporter. Dopamine levels standardized to the protein contents of a whole brain at the day of eclosion in queens were 3.6-fold higher than those in workers. Dopamine levels increased until eclosion (7 days) in queens, whereas those in workers increased until 5–6 days before eclosion and then maintained until eclosion (10 days). These caste-specific dopamine dynamics in the brain were supported by the higher expression of genes (Amddc and Amth) encoding enzymes involved in dopamine synthesis in queens. The distribution of cells expressing Amddc in the brain revealed that soma clusters of dopaminergic cells were similar between castes at 7–8 days after pupation, suggesting the upregulation of Amddc expression in some cells in queens rather than addition of cell clusters. In contrast, genes encoding dopamine receptors were downregulated in queens or showed similar expression levels between castes. The expression of genes encoding dopamine transporters did not differ between castes. These results reveal the developmental process of caste-specific dopaminergic systems during metamorphosis in the honey bee, suggesting caste-specific behavior and division of reproduction in this highly eusocial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Sasaki
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Atsushi Ugajin
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ken-ichi Harano
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
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17
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Suenami S, Oya S, Kohno H, Kubo T. Kenyon Cell Subtypes/Populations in the Honeybee Mushroom Bodies: Possible Function Based on Their Gene Expression Profiles, Differentiation, Possible Evolution, and Application of Genome Editing. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1717. [PMID: 30333766 PMCID: PMC6176018 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mushroom bodies (MBs), a higher-order center in the honeybee brain, comprise some subtypes/populations of interneurons termed as Kenyon cells (KCs), which are distinguished by their cell body size and location in the MBs, as well as their gene expression profiles. Although the role of MBs in learning ability has been studied extensively in the honeybee, the roles of each KC subtype and their evolution in hymenopteran insects remain mostly unknown. This mini-review describes recent progress in the analysis of gene/protein expression profiles and possible functions of KC subtypes/populations in the honeybee. Especially, the discovery of novel KC subtypes/populations, the “middle-type KCs” and “KC population expressing FoxP,” necessitated a redefinition of the KC subtype/population. Analysis of the effects of inhibiting gene function in a KC subtype-preferential manner revealed the function of the gene product as well as of the KC subtype where it is expressed. Genes expressed in a KC subtype/population-preferential manner can be used to trace the differentiation of KC subtypes during the honeybee ontogeny and the possible evolution of KC subtypes in hymenopteran insects. Current findings suggest that the three KC subtypes are unique characteristics to the aculeate hymenopteran insects. Finally, prospects regarding future application of genome editing for the study of KC subtype functions in the honeybee are described. Genes expressed in a KC subtype-preferential manner can be good candidate target genes for genome editing, because they are likely related to highly advanced brain functions and some of them are dispensable for normal development and sexual maturation in honeybees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shota Suenami
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoyo Oya
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroki Kohno
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeo Kubo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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18
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Crittenden JR, Skoulakis EMC, Goldstein ES, Davis RL. Drosophila mef2 is essential for normal mushroom body and wing development. Biol Open 2018; 7:bio.035618. [PMID: 30115617 PMCID: PMC6176937 DOI: 10.1242/bio.035618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
MEF2 (myocyte enhancer factor 2) transcription factors are found in the brain and muscle of insects and vertebrates and are essential for the differentiation of multiple cell types. We show that in the fruit fly Drosophila, MEF2 is essential for the formation of mushroom bodies in the embryonic brain and for the normal development of wings in the adult. In embryos mutant for mef2, there is a striking reduction in the number of mushroom body neurons and their axon bundles are not detectable. The onset of MEF2 expression in neurons of the mushroom bodies coincides with their formation in the embryo and, in larvae, expression is restricted to post-mitotic neurons. In flies with a mef2 point mutation that disrupts nuclear localization, we find that MEF2 is restricted to a subset of Kenyon cells that project to the α/β, and γ axonal lobes of the mushroom bodies, but not to those forming the α’/β’ lobes. Summary:Drosophila mef2 expression is restricted to subsets of mushroom body neurons, from the time of their differentiation to adulthood, and is essential for mushroom body formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill R Crittenden
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Efthimios M C Skoulakis
- Division of Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre 'Alexander Fleming', Vari, 16672, Greece
| | - Elliott S Goldstein
- School of Life Science, Cellular, Molecular and Bioscience Program, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Ronald L Davis
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute Florida, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
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19
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Schatton A, Scharff C. FoxP expression identifies a Kenyon cell subtype in the honeybee mushroom bodies linking them to fruit fly αβ c neurons. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 46:2534-2541. [PMID: 28921711 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The arthropod mushroom bodies (MB) are a higher order sensory integration centre. In insects, they play a central role in associative olfactory learning and memory. In Drosophila melanogaster (Dm), the highly ordered connectivity of heterogeneous MB neuron populations has been mapped using sophisticated molecular genetic and anatomical techniques. The MB-core subpopulation was recently shown to express the transcription factor FoxP with relevance for decision-making. Here, we report the development and adult distribution of a FoxP-expressing neuron population in the MB of honeybees (Apis mellifera, Am) using in situ hybridisation and a custom-made antiserum. We found the same expression pattern in adult bumblebees (Bombus terrestris, Bt). We also designed a new Dm transgenic line that reports FoxP transcriptional activity in the MB-core region, clarifying previously conflicting data of two other reporter lines. Considering developmental, anatomical and molecular similarities, our data are consistent with the concept of deep homology of FoxP expression in neuron populations coding reinforcement-based learning and habit formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Schatton
- Department of Animal Behavior, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Constance Scharff
- Department of Animal Behavior, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195, Berlin, Germany
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20
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Shah A, Jain R, Brockmann A. Egr-1: A Candidate Transcription Factor Involved in Molecular Processes Underlying Time-Memory. Front Psychol 2018; 9:865. [PMID: 29928241 PMCID: PMC5997935 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In honey bees, continuous foraging is accompanied by a sustained up-regulation of the immediate early gene Egr-1 (early growth response protein-1) and candidate downstream genes involved in learning and memory. Here, we present a series of feeder training experiments indicating that Egr-1 expression is highly correlated with the time and duration of training even in the absence of the food reward. Foragers that were trained to visit a feeder over the whole day and then collected on a day without food presentation showed Egr-1 up-regulation over the whole day with a peak expression around 14:00. When exposed to a time-restricted feeder presentation, either 2 h in the morning or 2 h in the evening, Egr-1 expression in the brain was up-regulated only during the hours of training. Foragers that visited a feeder in the morning as well as in the evening showed two peaks of Egr-1 expression. Finally, when we prevented time-trained foragers from leaving the colony using artificial rain, Egr-1 expression in the brains was still slightly but significantly up-regulated around the time of feeder training. In situ hybridization studies showed that active foraging and time-training induced Egr-1 up-regulation occurred in the same brain areas, preferentially the small Kenyon cells of the mushroom bodies and the antennal and optic lobes. Based on these findings we propose that foraging induced Egr-1 expression can get regulated by the circadian clock after time-training over several days and Egr-1 is a candidate transcription factor involved in molecular processes underlying time-memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aridni Shah
- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Rikesh Jain
- School of Chemical and Biotechnology, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, India
| | - Axel Brockmann
- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, India
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21
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Schatton A, Mendoza E, Grube K, Scharff C. FoxP in bees: A comparative study on the developmental and adult expression pattern in three bee species considering isoforms and circuitry. J Comp Neurol 2018. [PMID: 29536541 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Mutations in the transcription factors FOXP1, FOXP2, and FOXP4 affect human cognition, including language. The FoxP gene locus is evolutionarily ancient and highly conserved in its DNA-binding domain. In Drosophila melanogaster FoxP has been implicated in courtship behavior, decision making, and specific types of motor-learning. Because honeybees (Apis mellifera, Am) excel at navigation and symbolic dance communication, they are a particularly suitable insect species to investigate a potential link between neural FoxP expression and cognition. We characterized two AmFoxP isoforms and mapped their expression in the brain during development and in adult foragers. Using a custom-made antiserum and in situ hybridization, we describe 11 AmFoxP expressing neuron populations. FoxP was expressed in equivalent patterns in two other representatives of Apidae; a closely related dwarf bee and a bumblebee species. Neural tracing revealed that the largest FoxP expressing neuron cluster in honeybees projects into a posterior tract that connects the optic lobe to the posterior lateral protocerebrum, predicting a function in visual processing. Our data provide an entry point for future experiments assessing the function of FoxP in eusocial Hymenoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Schatton
- Institute for Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Ezequiel Mendoza
- Institute for Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Kathrin Grube
- Institute for Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Constance Scharff
- Institute for Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14195, Germany
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22
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Basley K, Davenport B, Vogiatzis K, Goulson D. Effects of chronic exposure to thiamethoxam on larvae of the hoverfly Eristalis tenax (Diptera, Syrphidae). PeerJ 2018; 6:e4258. [PMID: 29372118 PMCID: PMC5775755 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
There is widespread concern over the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in the agro-ecosystem, due in part to their high water solubility which can lead to widespread contamination of non-target areas including standing surface water. Most studies investigating the negative fitness consequences of neonicotinoids have focused on bees, with little research on the impact on other non-target insects. Here we examined the effect of exposure on the aquatic larval stages of the hoverfly Eristalis tenax L. (Diptera: Syrphidae) to a range of concentrations (control, 5, 15, 50, 100 and 500 ppb) of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam; no published studies have thus far examined the effects of neonicotinoids on hoverflies. Survival was significantly lower when exposed to 500 ppb thiamethoxam, but this concentration exceeds that likely to be found in the field. We observed no effect on survival, development or any latent effects on adult activity budgets resulting from exposure to lower concentrations (up to 100 ppb). Our results suggest that E. tenax exposed as larvae to thiamethoxam are unlikely to be negatively impacted by this neonicotinoid under field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Basley
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, East Sussex, UK
| | - Balin Davenport
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, East Sussex, UK
| | - Kate Vogiatzis
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Dave Goulson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, East Sussex, UK
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23
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Zhao G, Wang C, Wang H, Gao L, Liu Z, Xu B, Guo X. Characterization of the CDK5 gene in Apis cerana cerana (AccCDK5) and a preliminary identification of its activator gene, AccCDK5r1. Cell Stress Chaperones 2018; 23:13-28. [PMID: 28674940 PMCID: PMC5741578 DOI: 10.1007/s12192-017-0820-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Revised: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is an unusual CDK whose function has been implicated in protecting the central nervous system (CNS) from oxidative damage. However, there have been few studies of CDK5 in insects. In this study, we identified the AccCDK5 gene from Apis cerana cerana and investigated its role in oxidation resistance. We found that AccCDK5 is highly conserved across species and contains conserved features of the CDK5 family. The results of qPCR analysis indicated that AccCDK5 is highly expressed during the larval and pupal stages and in the adult head and muscle. We further observed that AccCDK5 is induced by several environmental oxidative stresses. Moreover, the overexpression of the AccCDK5 protein in E. coli enhances the resistance of the bacteria to oxidative stress. The activation of CDK5 requires binding to its activator. Therefore, we also identified and cloned cyclin-dependent kinase 5 regulatory subunit 1, which we named AccCDK5r1, from Apis cerana cerana. AccCDK5r1 contains a conserved cell localization targeting domain as well as binding and activation sites for CDK5. Yeast two-hybrid analysis demonstrated the interaction between AccCDK5 and AccCDK5r1. The expression patterns of the two genes were similar after stress treatment. Collectively, these results suggest that AccCDK5 plays a pivotal role in the response to oxidative stresses and that AccCDK5r1 is a potential activator of AccCDK5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangdong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, 271018, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, 271018, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongfang Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, 271018, People's Republic of China
| | - Lijun Gao
- College of Life Sciences, Taishan Medical University, Taian, Shandong, 271016, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenguo Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, 271018, People's Republic of China
| | - Baohua Xu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, 271018, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xingqi Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, 271018, People's Republic of China.
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24
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Increased complexity of mushroom body Kenyon cell subtypes in the brain is associated with behavioral evolution in hymenopteran insects. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13785. [PMID: 29062138 PMCID: PMC5653845 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14174-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In insect brains, the mushroom bodies (MBs) are a higher-order center for sensory integration and memory. Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) MBs comprise four Kenyon cell (KC) subtypes: class I large-, middle-, and small-type, and class II KCs, which are distinguished by the size and location of somata, and gene expression profiles. Although these subtypes have only been reported in the honeybee, the time of their acquisition during evolution remains unknown. Here we performed in situ hybridization of tachykinin-related peptide, which is differentially expressed among KC subtypes in the honeybee MBs, in four hymenopteran species to analyze whether the complexity of KC subtypes is associated with their behavioral traits. Three class I KC subtypes were detected in the MBs of the eusocial hornet Vespa mandarinia and the nidificating scoliid wasp Campsomeris prismatica, like in A. mellifera, whereas only two class I KC subtypes were detected in the parasitic wasp Ascogaster reticulata. In contrast, we were unable to detect class I KC subtype in the primitive and phytophagous sawfly Arge similis. Our findings suggest that the number of class I KC subtypes increased at least twice - first with the evolution of the parasitic lifestyle and then with the evolution of nidification.
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25
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Panov AA. Embryonic development of mushroom bodies in Pterostichus niger schall. (Coleoptera: Carabidae). BIOL BULL+ 2017. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359017050132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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26
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O'Donnell S, Bulova S. Development and evolution of brain allometry in wasps (Vespidae): size, ecology and sociality. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 22:54-61. [PMID: 28805639 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Revised: 04/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We review research on brain development and brain evolution in the wasp family Vespidae. Basic vespid neuroanatomy and some aspects of functional neural circuitry are well-characterized, and genomic tools for exploring brain plasticity are being developed. Although relatively modest in terms of species richness, the Vespidae include species spanning much of the known range of animal social complexity, from solitary nesters to highly eusocial species with some of the largest known colonies and multiple reproductives. Eusocial species differ in behavior and ecology including variation in queen/worker caste differentiation and in diurnal/nocturnal activity. Species differences in overall brain size are strongly associated with brain allometry; relative sizes of visual processing tissues increase at faster rates than antennal processing tissues. The lower relative size of the central-processing mushroom bodies (MB) in eusocial species compared to solitary relatives suggests sociality may relax demands on individual cognitive abilities. However, queens have greater relative MB volumes than their workers, and MB development is positively associated with social dominance status in some species. Fruitful areas for future investigations of adaptive brain investment in the clade include sampling of key overlooked taxa with diverse social structures, and the analysis of neural correlations with ecological divergence in foraging resources and diel activity patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean O'Donnell
- Department of Biodiversity Earth & Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Susan Bulova
- Department of Biodiversity Earth & Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Nicholls E, Fowler R, Niven JE, Gilbert JD, Goulson D. Larval exposure to field-realistic concentrations of clothianidin has no effect on development rate, over-winter survival or adult metabolic rate in a solitary bee, Osmia bicornis. PeerJ 2017. [PMID: 28649467 PMCID: PMC5480390 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
There is widespread concern regarding the effects of agro-chemical exposure on bee health, of which neonicotinoids, systemic insecticides detected in the pollen and nectar of both crops and wildflowers, have been the most strongly debated. The majority of studies examining the effect of neonicotinoids on bees have focussed on social species, namely honey bees and bumble bees. However, most bee species are solitary, their life histories differing considerably from these social species, and thus it is possible that their susceptibility to pesticides may be quite different. Studies that have included solitary bees have produced mixed results regarding the impact of neonicotinoid exposure on survival and reproductive success. While the majority of studies have focused on the effects of adult exposure, bees are also likely to be exposed as larvae via the consumption of contaminated pollen. Here we examined the effect of exposure of Osmia bicornis larvae to a range of field-realistic concentrations (0–10 ppb) of the neonicotinoid clothianidin, observing no effect on larval development time, overwintering survival or adult weight. Flow-through respirometry was used to test for latent effects of larval exposure on adult physiological function. We observed differences between male and female bees in the propensity to engage in discontinuous gas exchange; however, no effect of larval clothianidin exposure was observed. Our results suggest that previously reported adverse effects of neonicotinoids on O. bicornis are most likely mediated by impacts on adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Nicholls
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Robert Fowler
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy E Niven
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - James D Gilbert
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, United Kingdom.,School of Biological, Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Dave Goulson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, United Kingdom
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Ramírez G, Fagundez C, Grosso JP, Argibay P, Arenas A, Farina WM. Odor Experiences during Preimaginal Stages Cause Behavioral and Neural Plasticity in Adult Honeybees. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:105. [PMID: 27375445 PMCID: PMC4891344 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In eusocial insects, experiences acquired during the development have long-term consequences on mature behavior. In the honeybee that suffers profound changes associated with metamorphosis, the effect of odor experiences at larval instars on the subsequent physiological and behavioral response is still unclear. To address the impact of preimaginal experiences on the adult honeybee, colonies containing larvae were fed scented food. The effect of the preimaginal experiences with the food odor was assessed in learning performance, memory retention and generalization in 3–5- and 17–19 day-old bees, in the regulation of their expression of synaptic-related genes and in the perception and morphology of their antennae. Three-five day old bees that experienced 1-hexanol (1-HEX) as food scent responded more to the presentation of the odor during the 1-HEX conditioning than control bees (i.e., bees reared in colonies fed unscented food). Higher levels of proboscis extension response (PER) to 1-HEX in this group also extended to HEXA, the most perceptually similar odor to the experienced one that we tested. These results were not observed for the group tested at older ages. In the brain of young adults, larval experiences triggered similar levels of neurexins (NRXs) and neuroligins (Nlgs) expression, two proteins that have been involved in synaptic formation after associative learning. At the sensory periphery, the experience did not alter the number of the olfactory sensilla placoidea, but did reduce the electrical response of the antennae to the experienced and novel odor. Our study provides a new insight into the effects of preimaginal experiences in the honeybee and the mechanisms underlying olfactory plasticity at larval stage of holometabolous insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Ramírez
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II, Ciudad Universitaria Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carol Fagundez
- Instituto de Ciencias Básicas y Medicina Experimental, Instituto Universitario del Hospital Italiano Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juan P Grosso
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II, Ciudad Universitaria Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo Argibay
- Instituto de Ciencias Básicas y Medicina Experimental, Instituto Universitario del Hospital Italiano Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Andrés Arenas
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II, Ciudad Universitaria Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Walter M Farina
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II, Ciudad Universitaria Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Suenami S, Paul RK, Takeuchi H, Okude G, Fujiyuki T, Shirai K, Kubo T. Analysis of the Differentiation of Kenyon Cell Subtypes Using Three Mushroom Body-Preferential Genes during Metamorphosis in the Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.). PLoS One 2016; 11:e0157841. [PMID: 27351839 PMCID: PMC4924639 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The adult honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) mushroom bodies (MBs, a higher center in the insect brain) comprise four subtypes of intrinsic neurons: the class-I large-, middle-, and small-type Kenyon cells (lKCs, mKCs, and sKCs, respectively), and class-II KCs. Analysis of the differentiation of KC subtypes during metamorphosis is important for the better understanding of the roles of KC subtypes related to the honeybee behaviors. In the present study, aiming at identifying marker genes for KC subtypes, we used a cDNA microarray to comprehensively search for genes expressed in an MB-preferential manner in the honeybee brain. Among the 18 genes identified, we further analyzed three genes whose expression was enriched in the MBs: phospholipase C epsilon (PLCe), synaptotagmin 14 (Syt14), and discs large homolog 5 (dlg5). Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that expression of PLCe, Syt14, and dlg5 was more enriched in the MBs than in the other brain regions by approximately 31-, 6.8-, and 5.6-fold, respectively. In situ hybridization revealed that expression of both Syt14 and dlg5 was enriched in the lKCs but not in the mKCs and sKCs, whereas expression of PLCe was similar in all KC subtypes (the entire MBs) in the honeybee brain, suggesting that Syt14 and dlg5, and PLCe are available as marker genes for the lKCs, and all KC subtypes, respectively. In situ hybridization revealed that expression of PLCe is already detectable in the class-II KCs at the larval fifth instar feeding stage, indicating that PLCe expression is a characteristic common to the larval and adult MBs. In contrast, expression of both Syt14 and dlg5 became detectable at the day three pupa, indicating that Syt14 and dlg5 expressions are characteristic to the late pupal and adult MBs and the lKC specific molecular characteristics are established during the late pupal stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shota Suenami
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113–0033, Japan
| | - Rajib Kumar Paul
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113–0033, Japan
| | - Hideaki Takeuchi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113–0033, Japan
| | - Genta Okude
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113–0033, Japan
| | - Tomoko Fujiyuki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113–0033, Japan
| | - Kenichi Shirai
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113–0033, Japan
| | - Takeo Kubo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113–0033, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Falibene A, Roces F, Rössler W, Groh C. Daily Thermal Fluctuations Experienced by Pupae via Rhythmic Nursing Behavior Increase Numbers of Mushroom Body Microglomeruli in the Adult Ant Brain. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:73. [PMID: 27147994 PMCID: PMC4835446 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Social insects control brood development by using different thermoregulatory strategies. Camponotus mus ants expose their brood to daily temperature fluctuations by translocating them inside the nest following a circadian rhythm of thermal preferences. At the middle of the photophase brood is moved to locations at 30.8°C; 8 h later, during the night, the brood is transferred back to locations at 27.5°C. We investigated whether daily thermal fluctuations experienced by developing pupae affect the neuroarchitecture in the adult brain, in particular in sensory input regions of the mushroom bodies (MB calyces). The complexity of synaptic microcircuits was estimated by quantifying MB-calyx volumes together with densities of presynaptic boutons of microglomeruli (MG) in the olfactory lip and visual collar regions. We compared young adult workers that were reared either under controlled daily thermal fluctuations of different amplitudes, or at different constant temperatures. Thermal regimes significantly affected the large (non-dense) olfactory lip region of the adult MB calyx, while changes in the dense lip and the visual collar were less evident. Thermal fluctuations mimicking the amplitudes of natural temperature fluctuations via circadian rhythmic translocation of pupae by nurses (amplitude 3.3°C) lead to higher numbers of MG in the MB calyces compared to those in pupae reared at smaller or larger thermal amplitudes (0.0, 1.5, 9.6°C), or at constant temperatures (25.4, 35.0°C). We conclude that rhythmic control of brood temperature by nursing ants optimizes brain development by increasing MG densities and numbers in specific brain areas. Resulting differences in synaptic microcircuits are expected to affect sensory processing and learning abilities in adult ants, and may also promote interindividual behavioral variability within colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustina Falibene
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
| | - Flavio Roces
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Rössler
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
| | - Claudia Groh
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
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Rittschof CC, Coombs CB, Frazier M, Grozinger CM, Robinson GE. Early-life experience affects honey bee aggression and resilience to immune challenge. Sci Rep 2015; 5:15572. [PMID: 26493190 PMCID: PMC4616062 DOI: 10.1038/srep15572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Early-life social experiences cause lasting changes in behavior and health for a variety of animals including humans, but it is not well understood how social information ''gets under the skin'' resulting in these effects. Adult honey bees (Apis mellifera) exhibit socially coordinated collective nest defense, providing a model for social modulation of aggressive behavior. Here we report for the first time that a honey bee's early-life social environment has lasting effects on individual aggression: bees that experienced high-aggression environments during pre-adult stages showed increased aggression when they reached adulthood relative to siblings that experienced low-aggression environments, even though all bees were kept in a common environment during adulthood. Unlike other animals including humans however, high-aggression honey bees were more, rather than less, resilient to immune challenge, assessed as neonicotinoid pesticide susceptibility. Moreover, aggression was negatively correlated with ectoparasitic mite presence. In honey bees, early-life social experience has broad effects, but increased aggression is decoupled from negative health outcomes. Because honey bees and humans share aspects of their physiological response to aggressive social encounters, our findings represent a step towards identifying ways to improve individual resiliency. Pre-adult social experience may be crucial to the health of the ecologically threatened honey bee.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare C. Rittschof
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Department of Entomology and Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802
| | - Chelsey B. Coombs
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801
| | - Maryann Frazier
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802
| | - Christina M. Grozinger
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802
| | - Gene E. Robinson
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Department of Entomology and Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801
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Gehring KB, Heufelder K, Kersting I, Eisenhardt D. Abundance of phosphorylatedApis melliferaCREB in the honeybee's mushroom body inner compact cells varies with age. J Comp Neurol 2015; 524:1165-80. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Revised: 08/24/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Katrin B. Gehring
- Institute for Biology-Neurobiology; Freie Universität Berlin; D-14195 Berlin Germany
| | - Karin Heufelder
- Institute for Biology-Neurobiology; Freie Universität Berlin; D-14195 Berlin Germany
| | - Isabella Kersting
- Institute for Biology-Neurobiology; Freie Universität Berlin; D-14195 Berlin Germany
| | - Dorothea Eisenhardt
- Institute for Biology-Neurobiology; Freie Universität Berlin; D-14195 Berlin Germany
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33
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Panov AA. General brain structure of newly hatched larva and neuroblasts in larval mushroom bodies in Pterostichus niger Deg. (Coleoptera: Carabidae). BIOL BULL+ 2015. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359015050106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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34
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Bressan JMA, Benz M, Oettler J, Heinze J, Hartenstein V, Sprecher SG. A map of brain neuropils and fiber systems in the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior. Front Neuroanat 2015; 8:166. [PMID: 25698935 PMCID: PMC4316776 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2014.00166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2014] [Accepted: 12/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A wide spectrum of occupied ecological niches and spectacular morphological adaptations make social insects a prime object for comparative neuroanatomical studies. Eusocial insects have evolved complex societies based on caste polyphenism. A diverse behavioral repertoire of morphologically distinct castes of the same species requires a high degree of plasticity in the central nervous system. We have analyzed the central brain neuropils and fiber tract systems of the worker of the ant Cardiocondylaobscurior, a model for the study of social traits. Our analysis is based on whole mount preparations of adult brains labeled with an antibody against Drosophila-Synapsin, which cross-reacts strongly with synapses in Cardiocondyla. Neuropil compartments stand out as domains with a certain texture and intensity of the anti-Synapsin signal. By contrast, fiber tracts, which are composed of bundles of axons accompanied by glia and are devoid of synapses, appear as channels or sheaths with low anti-Synapsin signal. We have generated a digital 3D atlas of the Cardiocondyla brain neuropil. The atlas provides a reference for future studies of brain polymorphisms in distinct castes, brain development or localization of neurotransmitter systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joris M A Bressan
- Department of Biology, Institute of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Martin Benz
- Department of Biology, Institute of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Jan Oettler
- Biologie I, Universität Regensburg Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Biologie I, Universität Regensburg Regensburg, Germany
| | - Volker Hartenstein
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Simon G Sprecher
- Department of Biology, Institute of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland
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35
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Panov AA. A novel, unusual (at least for beetles) mode of Kenyon cell production in the diving beetle Cybister lateralimarginalis Deg. (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). BIOL BULL+ 2014. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359014020083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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36
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Farris SM. Evolution of complex higher brain centers and behaviors: behavioral correlates of mushroom body elaboration in insects. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2013; 82:9-18. [PMID: 23979452 DOI: 10.1159/000352057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Large, complex higher brain centers have evolved many times independently within the vertebrates, but the selective pressures driving these acquisitions have been difficult to pinpoint. It is well established that sensory brain centers become larger and more structurally complex to accommodate processing of a particularly important sensory modality. When higher brain centers such as the cerebral cortex become greatly expanded in a particular lineage, it is likely to support the coordination and execution of more complex behaviors, such as those that require flexibility, learning, and social interaction, in response to selective pressures that made these new behaviors advantageous. Vertebrate studies have established a link between complex behaviors, particularly those associated with sociality, and evolutionary expansions of telencephalic higher brain centers. Enlarged higher brain centers have convergently evolved in groups such as the insects, in which multimodal integration and learning and memory centers called the mushroom bodies have become greatly elaborated in at least four independent lineages. Is it possible that similar selective pressures acting on equivalent behavioral outputs drove the evolution of large higher brain centers in all bilaterians? Sociality has greatly impacted brain evolution in vertebrates such as primates, but it has not been a major driver of higher brain center enlargement in insects. However, feeding behaviors requiring flexibility and learning are associated with large higher brain centers in both phyla. Selection for the ability to support behavioral flexibility appears to be a common thread underlying the evolution of large higher brain centers, but the precise nature of these computations and behaviors may vary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Farris
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
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Groh C, Lu Z, Meinertzhagen IA, Rössler W. Age-related plasticity in the synaptic ultrastructure of neurons in the mushroom body calyx of the adult honeybee Apis mellifera. J Comp Neurol 2013; 520:3509-27. [PMID: 22430260 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The mushroom bodies are high-order sensory integration centers in the insect brain. In the honeybee, their main sensory input regions are large, doubled calyces with modality-specific, distinct sensory neuropil regions. We investigated adult structural plasticity of input synapses in the microglomeruli of the olfactory lip and visual collar. Synapsin-immunolabeled whole-mount brains reveal that during the natural transition from nursing to foraging, a significant volume increase in the calycal subdivisions is accompanied by a decreased packing density of boutons from input projection neurons. To investigate the associated ultrastructural changes at pre- and postsynaptic sites of individual microglomeruli, we employed serial-section electron microscopy. In general, the membrane surface area of olfactory and visual projection neuron boutons increased significantly between 1-day-old bees and foragers. Both types of boutons formed ribbon and non-ribbon synapses. The percentage of ribbon synapses per bouton was significantly increased in the forager. At each presynaptic site the numbers of postsynaptic partners-mostly Kenyon cell dendrites-likewise increased. Ribbon as well as non-ribbon synapses formed mainly dyads in the 1-day-old bee, and triads in the forager. In the visual collar, outgrowing Kenyon cell dendrites form about 140 contacts upon a projection neuron bouton in the forager compared with only about 95 in the 1-day-old bee, resulting in an increased divergence ratio between the two stages. This difference suggests that synaptic changes in calycal microcircuits of the mushroom body during periods of altered sensory activity and experience promote behavioral plasticity underlying polyethism and social organization in honeybee colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Groh
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, 97074, Germany.
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Moda LM, Vieira J, Guimarães Freire AC, Bonatti V, Bomtorin AD, Barchuk AR, Simões ZLP. Nutritionally driven differential gene expression leads to heterochronic brain development in honeybee castes. PLoS One 2013; 8:e64815. [PMID: 23738002 PMCID: PMC3667793 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The differential feeding regimes experienced by the queen and worker larvae of the honeybee Apis mellifera shape a complex endocrine response cascade that ultimately gives rise to differences in brain morphologies. Brain development analyzed at the morphological level from the third (L3) through fifth (L5) larval instars revealed an asynchrony between queens and workers. In the feeding phase of the last larval instar (L5F), two well-formed structures, pedunculi and calyces, are identifiable in the mushroom bodies of queens, both of which are not present in workers until a later phase (spinning phase, L5S). Genome-wide expression analyses and normalized transcript expression experiments monitoring specific genes revealed that this differential brain development starts earlier, during L3. Analyzing brains from L3 through L5S1 larvae, we identified 21 genes with caste-specific transcription patterns (e.g., APC-4, GlcAT-P, fax, kr-h1 and shot), which encode proteins that are potentially involved in the development of brain tissues through controlling the cell proliferation rate (APC4, kr-h1) and fasciculation (GlcAT-P, fax, and shot). Shot, whose expression is known to be required for axon extension and cell proliferation, was found to be transcribed at significantly higher levels in L4 queens compared with worker larvae. Moreover, the protein encoded by this gene was immunolocalized to the cytoplasm of cells near the antennal lobe neuropiles and proximal to the Kenyon cells in the brains of L4 queens. In conclusion, during the larval period, the brains of queens are larger and develop more rapidly than workers’ brains, which represents a developmental heterochrony reflecting the effect of the differential feeding regime of the two castes on nervous system development. Furthermore, this differential development is characterized by caste-specific transcriptional profiles of a set of genes, thus pointing to a link between differential nutrition and differential neurogenesis via genes that control cell proliferation and fasciculation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lívia Maria Moda
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade de São Paulo-FMRP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Tecidual e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Joseana Vieira
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Tecidual e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Anna Cláudia Guimarães Freire
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Tecidual e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Bonatti
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade de São Paulo-FMRP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Tecidual e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ana Durvalina Bomtorin
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade de São Paulo-FMRP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Angel Roberto Barchuk
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Tecidual e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | - Zilá Luz Paulino Simões
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de São Paulo-FFCLRP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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Roat TC, Carvalho SM, Nocelli RCF, Silva-Zacarin ECM, Palma MS, Malaspina O. Effects of sublethal dose of fipronil on neuron metabolic activity of Africanized honeybees. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2013; 64:456-466. [PMID: 23224048 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-012-9849-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2012] [Accepted: 11/14/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Fipronil is a neurotoxic insecticide that inhibits the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor and can affect gustative perception, olfactory learning, and motor activity of the honeybee Apis mellifera. This study determined the lethal dose (LD50) and the lethal concentration (LC50) for Africanized honeybee and evaluated the toxicity of a sublethal dose of fipronil on neuron metabolic activity by way of histochemical analysis using cytochrome oxidase detection in brains from worker bees of different ages. In addition, the present study investigated the recovery mechanism by discontinuing the oral exposure to fipronil. The results showed that mushroom bodies of aged Africanized honeybees are affected by fipronil, which causes changes in metabolism by increasing the respiratory activity of mitochondria. In antennal lobes, the sublethal dose of fipronil did not cause an increase in metabolic activity. The recovery experiments showed that discontinued exposure to a diet contaminated with fipronil did not lead to recovery of neural activity. Our results show that even at very low concentrations, fipronil is harmful to honeybees and can induce several types of injuries to honeybee physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaisa Cristina Roat
- Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, Campus de Rio Claro, UNESP-Univ. Estadual Paulista, Avenida 24-A, n.1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, 13506-900, Brazil.
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Nasu N, Hara K. Gliogenesis in the mushroom body of the carpenter ant, Camponotus japonicus. Zoolog Sci 2013; 29:800-6. [PMID: 23215970 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.29.800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Mushroom bodies (MBs) are insect brain centers involved in multimodal sensory integration and memory formation. Advanced Hymenoptera, such as ants and bees, have particularly large and elaborately organized MBs, which are repeatedly implicated in complex behaviors. In this study, to address the developmental aspects of their MBs, gliogenesis of mushroom body neuroblasts (MB Nbs) was examined in the carpenter ant Camponotus japonicus. Reversed Polarity (REPO) is a paired-like homeodomain protein located exclusively in the nucleus of differentiating glial cells in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. First, the molecular aspects of C. japonicus REPO (CjREPO) were identified. Then, the antibody (CjREPO-antibody) was raised against a peptide of CjREPO. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the strong labeling was located in the nucleus of glial cells in the developing brains, whereas no immunoreactivity was detectable in progeny derived from MB Nbs. These findings suggest that MB Nb in the ant is a neuronal precursor that does not produce glial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natsume Nasu
- Life Science, Tokyo Gakugei University, 4-1-1, Nukui-Kitamachi, Koganei-shi, Tokyo 184-8501, Japan
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41
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Panov AA. Comparative histology of mushroom bodies in carnivorous beetles of the suborder polyphaga (Insecta, Coleoptera). BIOL BULL+ 2013. [DOI: 10.1134/s106235901302009x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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42
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Yang EC, Chang HC, Wu WY, Chen YW. Impaired olfactory associative behavior of honeybee workers due to contamination of imidacloprid in the larval stage. PLoS One 2012; 7:e49472. [PMID: 23166680 PMCID: PMC3498130 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2012] [Accepted: 10/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The residue of imidacloprid in the nectar and pollens of the plants is toxic not only to adult honeybees but also the larvae. Our understanding of the risk of imidacloprid to larvae of the honeybees is still in a very early stage. In this study, the capped-brood, pupation and eclosion rates of the honeybee larvae were recorded after treating them directly in the hive with different dosages of imidacloprid. The brood-capped rates of the larvae decreased significantly when the dosages increased from 24 to 8000 ng/larva. However, there were no significant effects of DMSO or 0.4 ng of imidacloprid per larva on the brood-capped, pupation and eclosion rates. Although the sublethal dosage of imidacloprid had no effect on the eclosion rate, we found that the olfactory associative behavior of the adult bees was impaired if they had been treated with 0.04 ng/larva imidacloprid in the larval stage. These results demonstrate that a sublethal dosage of imidacloprid given to the larvae affects the subsequent associative ability of the adult honeybee workers. Thus, a low dose of imidacloprid may affect the survival condition of the entire colony, even though the larvae survive to adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- En-Cheng Yang
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Chun Chang
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Yen Wu
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Wen Chen
- Department of Animal Science, National Ilan University, Ilan, Taiwan
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Eickhoff R, Bicker G. Developmental expression of cell recognition molecules in the mushroom body and antennal lobe of the locust Locusta migratoria. J Comp Neurol 2012; 520:2021-40. [PMID: 22173776 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
We examined the development of olfactory neuropils in the hemimetabolous insect Locusta migratoria with an emphasis on the mushroom bodies, protocerebral integration centers implicated in memory formation. Using a marker of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling cascade and lipophilic dye labeling, we obtained new insights into mushroom body organization by resolving previously unrecognized accessory lobelets arising from Class III Kenyon cells. We utilized antibodies against axonal guidance cues, such as the cell surface glycoproteins Semaphorin 1a (Sema 1a) and Fasciclin I (Fas I), as embryonic markers to compile a comprehensive atlas of mushroom body development. During embryogenesis, all neuropils of the olfactory pathway transiently expressed Sema 1a. The immunoreactivity was particularly strong in developing mushroom bodies. During late embryonic stages, Sema 1a expression in the mushroom bodies became restricted to a subset of Kenyon cells in the core region of the peduncle. Sema 1a was differentially sorted to the Kenyon cell axons and absent in the dendrites. In contrast to Drosophila, locust mushroom bodies and antennal lobes expressed Fas I, but not Fas II. While Fas I immunoreactivity was widely distributed in the midbrain during embryogenesis, labeling persisted into adulthood only in the mushroom bodies and antennal lobes. Kenyon cells proliferated throughout the larval stages. Their neurites retained the embryonic expression pattern of Sema 1a and Fas I, suggesting a role for these molecules in developmental mushroom body plasticity. Our study serves as an initial step toward functional analyses of Sema 1a and Fas I expression during locust mushroom body formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- René Eickhoff
- University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Division of Cell Biology, D-30173 Hannover, Germany
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44
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Panov AA. The mushroom bodies of the lower nematocera: A link between those of the higher diptera and other mecopteroids. BIOL BULL+ 2012. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359012040097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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45
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Tomé HVV, Martins GF, Lima MAP, Campos LAO, Guedes RNC. Imidacloprid-induced impairment of mushroom bodies and behavior of the native stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides. PLoS One 2012; 7:e38406. [PMID: 22675559 PMCID: PMC3366975 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2012] [Accepted: 05/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Declines in pollinator colonies represent a worldwide concern. The widespread use of agricultural pesticides is recognized as a potential cause of these declines. Previous studies have examined the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides such as imidacloprid on pollinator colonies, but these investigations have mainly focused on adult honey bees. Native stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponinae) are key pollinators in neotropical areas and are threatened with extinction due to deforestation and pesticide use. Few studies have directly investigated the effects of pesticides on these pollinators. Furthermore, the existing impact studies did not address the issue of larval ingestion of contaminated pollen and nectar, which could potentially have dire consequences for the colony. Here, we assessed the effects of imidacloprid ingestion by stingless bee larvae on their survival, development, neuromorphology and adult walking behavior. Increasing doses of imidacloprid were added to the diet provided to individual worker larvae of the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides throughout their development. Survival rates above 50% were only observed at insecticide doses lower than 0.0056 µg active ingredient (a.i.)/bee. No sublethal effect on body mass or developmental time was observed in the surviving insects, but the pesticide treatment negatively affected the development of mushroom bodies in the brain and impaired the walking behavior of newly emerged adult workers. Therefore, stingless bee larvae are particularly susceptible to imidacloprid, as it caused both high mortality and sublethal effects that impaired brain development and compromised mobility at the young adult stage. These findings demonstrate the lethal effects of imidacloprid on native stingless bees and provide evidence of novel serious sublethal effects that may compromise colony survival. The ecological and economic importance of neotropical stingless bees as pollinators, their susceptibility to insecticides and the vulnerability of their larvae to insecticide exposure emphasize the importance of studying these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hudson Vaner V Tomé
- Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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McQuillan HJ, Nakagawa S, Mercer AR. Mushroom bodies of the honeybee brain show cell population-specific plasticity in expression of amine-receptor genes. Learn Mem 2012; 19:151-8. [PMID: 22411422 DOI: 10.1101/lm.025353.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine and octopamine released in the mushroom bodies of the insect brain play a critical role in the formation of aversive and appetitive memories, respectively. As recent evidence suggests a complex relationship between the effects of these two amines on the output of mushroom body circuits, we compared the expression of dopamine- and octopamine-receptor genes in three major subpopulations of mushroom body intrinsic neurons (Kenyon cells). Using the brain of the honeybee, Apis mellifera, we found that expression of amine-receptor genes differs markedly across Kenyon cell subpopulations. We found, in addition, that levels of expression of these genes change dramatically during the lifetime of the bee and that shifts in expression are cell population-specific. Differential expression of amine-receptor genes in mushroom body neurons and the plasticity that exists at this level are features largely ignored in current models of mushroom body function. However, our results are consistent with the growing body of evidence that short- and long-term olfactory memories form in different regions of the mushroom bodies of the brain and that there is functional compartmentalization of the modulatory inputs to this multifunctional brain center.
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Affiliation(s)
- H James McQuillan
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
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Pasch E, Muenz TS, Rössler W. CaMKII is differentially localized in synaptic regions of Kenyon cells within the mushroom bodies of the honeybee brain. J Comp Neurol 2012; 519:3700-12. [PMID: 21674485 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) has been linked to neuronal plasticity associated with long-term potentiation as well as structural synaptic plasticity. Previous work in adult honeybees has shown that a single CaMKII gene is strongly expressed in the mushroom bodies (MBs), brain centers associated with sensory integration, and learning and memory formation. To study a potential role of CaMKII in synaptic plasticity, the cellular and subcellular distribution of activated (phosphorylated) pCaMKII protein was investigated at various life stages of the honeybee using immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy, and western blot analyses. Whereas at pupal stages 3-4 most parts of the brain showed high levels of pCaMKII immunoreactivity, the protein was predominantly concentrated in the MBs in the adult brain. The results show that pCaMKII is present in a specific subpopulation of Kenyon cells, the noncompact cells. Within the olfactory (lip) and visual (collar) subregion of the MB calyx neuropil pCaMKII was colocalized with f-actin in postsynaptic compartments of microglomeruli, indicating that it is enriched in Kenyon cell dendritic spines. This suggests a potential role of CaMKII in Kenyon cell dendritic plasticity. Interestingly, pCaMKII protein was absent in two other types of Kenyon cells, the inner compact cells associated with the multimodal basal ring and the outer compact cells. During adult behavioral maturation from nurse bees to foragers, pCaMKII distribution remained essentially similar at the qualitative level, suggesting a potential role in dendritic plasticity of Kenyon cells throughout the entire life span of a worker bee.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Pasch
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, 97074, Germany
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48
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Genikhovich G, Technau U. Complex functions of Mef2 splice variants in the differentiation of endoderm and of a neuronal cell type in a sea anemone. Development 2011; 138:4911-9. [PMID: 22007131 DOI: 10.1242/dev.068122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In triploblastic animals, mesoderm gives rise to many tissues and organs, including muscle. By contrast, the representatives of the diploblastic phylum Cnidaria (corals, sea anemones, jellyfish and hydroids) lack mesoderm but possess muscle. In vertebrates and insects, the transcription factor Mef2 plays a pivotal role in muscle differentiation; however, it is also an important regulator of neuron differentiation and survival. In the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, an organism that lacks mesoderm but has muscles and neurons, Mef2 (Nvmef2) has been reported in single ectodermal cells of likely neural origin. To our surprise, we found that Nvmef2 is alternatively spliced, forming differentially expressed variants. Using morpholino-mediated knockdown and mRNA injection, we demonstrate that specific splice variants of Nvmef2 are required for the proliferation and differentiation of endodermal cells and for the development of ectodermal nematocytes, a neuronal cell type. Moreover, we identified a small conserved motif in the transactivation domain that is crucially involved in the endodermal function of Nvmef2. The identification of a crucial and conserved motif in the transactivation domain predicts a similarly important role in vertebrate Mef2 function. This is the first functional study of a determinant of several mesodermal derivatives in a diploblastic animal. Our data suggest that the involvement of alternative splice variants of Mef2 in endomesoderm and neuron differentiation predates the cnidarian-bilaterian split.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grigory Genikhovich
- Department for Molecular Evolution and Development, Centre of Organismal Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
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Farris SM, Pettrey C, Daly KC. A subpopulation of mushroom body intrinsic neurons is generated by protocerebral neuroblasts in the tobacco hornworm moth, Manduca sexta (Sphingidae, Lepidoptera). ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2011; 40:395-408. [PMID: 21040804 PMCID: PMC3049923 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2010.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2010] [Revised: 10/07/2010] [Accepted: 10/20/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Subpopulations of Kenyon cells, the intrinsic neurons of the insect mushroom bodies, are typically sequentially generated by dedicated neuroblasts that begin proliferating during embryogenesis. When present, Class III Kenyon cells are thought to be the first born population of neurons by virtue of the location of their cell somata, farthest from the position of the mushroom body neuroblasts. In the adult tobacco hornworm moth Manduca sexta, the axons of Class III Kenyon cells form a separate Y tract and dorsal and ventral lobelet; surprisingly, these distinctive structures are absent from the larval Manduca mushroom bodies. BrdU labeling and immunohistochemical staining reveal that Class III Kenyon cells are in fact born in the mid-larval through adult stages. The peripheral position of their cell bodies is due to their genesis from two previously undescribed protocerebral neuroblasts distinct from the mushroom body neuroblasts that generate the other Kenyon cell types. These findings challenge the notion that all Kenyon cells are produced solely by the mushroom body neuroblasts, and may explain why Class III Kenyon cells are found sporadically across the insects, suggesting that when present, they may arise through de novo recruitment of neuroblasts outside of the mushroom bodies. In addition, lifelong neurogenesis by both the Class III neuroblasts and the mushroom body neuroblasts was observed, raising the possibility that adult neurogenesis may play a role in mushroom body function in Manduca.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Farris
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, USA.
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50
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Dobrin SE, Herlihy JD, Robinson GE, Fahrbach SE. Muscarinic regulation of Kenyon cell dendritic arborizations in adult worker honey bees. ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2011; 40:409-419. [PMID: 21262388 PMCID: PMC3101279 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2011.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2010] [Revised: 01/10/2011] [Accepted: 01/15/2011] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The experience of foraging under natural conditions increases the volume of mushroom body neuropil in worker honey bees. A comparable increase in neuropil volume results from treatment of worker honey bees with pilocarpine, an agonist for muscarinic-type cholinergic receptors. A component of the neuropil growth induced by foraging experience is growth of dendrites in the collar region of the calyces. We show here, via analysis of Golgi-impregnated collar Kenyon cells with wedge arborizations, that significant increases in standard measures of dendritic complexity were also found in worker honey bees treated with pilocarpine. This result suggests that signaling via muscarinic-type receptors promotes the increase in Kenyon cell dendritic complexity associated with foraging. Treatment of worker honey bees with scopolamine, a muscarinic inhibitor, inhibited some aspects of dendritic growth. Spine density on the Kenyon cell dendrites varied with sampling location, with the distal portion of the dendritic field having greater total spine density than either the proximal or medial section. This observation may be functionally significant because of the stratified organization of projections from visual centers to the dendritic arborizations of the collar Kenyon cells. Pilocarpine treatment had no effect on the distribution of spines on dendrites of the collar Kenyon cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott E Dobrin
- Neuroscience Program, Wake Forest University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
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