1
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Moyano A, Croce AC, Scolari F. Pathogen-Mediated Alterations of Insect Chemical Communication: From Pheromones to Behavior. Pathogens 2023; 12:1350. [PMID: 38003813 PMCID: PMC10675518 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12111350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogens can influence the physiology and behavior of both animal and plant hosts in a manner that promotes their own transmission and dispersal. Recent research focusing on insects has revealed that these manipulations can extend to the production of pheromones, which are pivotal in chemical communication. This review provides an overview of the current state of research and available data concerning the impacts of bacterial, viral, fungal, and eukaryotic pathogens on chemical communication across different insect orders. While our understanding of the influence of pathogenic bacteria on host chemical profiles is still limited, viral infections have been shown to induce behavioral changes in the host, such as altered pheromone production, olfaction, and locomotion. Entomopathogenic fungi affect host chemical communication by manipulating cuticular hydrocarbons and pheromone production, while various eukaryotic parasites have been observed to influence insect behavior by affecting the production of pheromones and other chemical cues. The effects induced by these infections are explored in the context of the evolutionary advantages they confer to the pathogen. The molecular mechanisms governing the observed pathogen-mediated behavioral changes, as well as the dynamic and mutually influential relationships between the pathogen and its host, are still poorly understood. A deeper comprehension of these mechanisms will prove invaluable in identifying novel targets in the perspective of practical applications aimed at controlling detrimental insect species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Moyano
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Italian National Research Council (CNR), Via Abbiategrasso 207, I-27100 Pavia, Italy; (A.M.); (A.C.C.)
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Anna Cleta Croce
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Italian National Research Council (CNR), Via Abbiategrasso 207, I-27100 Pavia, Italy; (A.M.); (A.C.C.)
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Scolari
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Italian National Research Council (CNR), Via Abbiategrasso 207, I-27100 Pavia, Italy; (A.M.); (A.C.C.)
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Iino S, Oya S, Kakutani T, Kohno H, Kubo T. Identification of ecdysone receptor target genes in the worker honey bee brains during foraging behavior. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10491. [PMID: 37380789 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37001-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecdysone signaling plays central roles in morphogenesis and female ovarian development in holometabolous insects. In the European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.), however, ecdysone receptor (EcR) is expressed in the brains of adult workers, which have already undergone metamorphosis and are sterile with shrunken ovaries, during foraging behavior. Aiming at unveiling the significance of EcR signaling in the worker brain, we performed chromatin-immunoprecipitation sequencing of EcR to search for its target genes using the brains of nurse bees and foragers. The majority of the EcR targets were common between the nurse bee and forager brains and some of them were known ecdysone signaling-related genes. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that some EcR target genes were upregulated in forager brains during foraging behavior and some were implicated in the repression of metabolic processes. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that EcR and its target genes were expressed mostly in neurons and partly in glial cells in the optic lobes of the forager brain. These findings suggest that in addition to its role during development, EcR transcriptionally represses metabolic processes during foraging behavior in the adult worker honey bee brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shiori Iino
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Satoyo Oya
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Tetsuji Kakutani
- 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.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lu J, Zhang H, Wang Q, Huang X. Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Pattern of Cytochrome P450 Genes in the Social Aphid Pseudoregma bambucicola. INSECTS 2023; 14:212. [PMID: 36835781 PMCID: PMC9966863 DOI: 10.3390/insects14020212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) have a variety of functions, including involvement in the metabolism of exogenous substances and the synthesis and degradation of endogenous substances, which are important for the growth and development of insects. Pseudoregma bambucicola is a social aphid that produces genetically identical but morphologically and behaviorally distinct first-instar soldiers and normal nymphs within colonies. In this study, we identified 43 P450 genes based on P. bambucicola genome data. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these genes were classified into 4 clans, 13 families, and 23 subfamilies. The CYP3 and CYP4 clans had a somewhat decreased number of genes. In addition, differential gene expression analysis based on transcriptome data showed that several P450 genes, including CYP18A1, CYP4G332, and CYP4G333, showed higher expression levels in soldiers compared to normal nymphs and adult aphids. These genes may be candidates for causing epidermal hardening and developmental arrest in soldiers. This study provides valuable data and lays the foundation for the study of functions of P450 genes in the social aphid P. bambucicola.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianjun Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Qing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Xiaolei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Chen SL, Liu BT, Lee WP, Liao SB, Deng YB, Wu CL, Ho SM, Shen BX, Khoo GH, Shiu WC, Chang CH, Shih HW, Wen JK, Lan TH, Lin CC, Tsai YC, Tzeng HF, Fu TF. WAKE-mediated modulation of cVA perception via a hierarchical neuro-endocrine axis in Drosophila male-male courtship behaviour. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2518. [PMID: 35523813 PMCID: PMC9076693 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30165-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The nervous and endocrine systems coordinate with each other to closely influence physiological and behavioural responses in animals. Here we show that WAKE (encoded by wide awake, also known as wake) modulates membrane levels of GABAA receptor Resistance to Dieldrin (Rdl), in insulin-producing cells of adult male Drosophila melanogaster. This results in changes to secretion of insulin-like peptides which is associated with changes in juvenile hormone biosynthesis in the corpus allatum, which in turn leads to a decrease in 20-hydroxyecdysone levels. A reduction in ecdysone signalling changes neural architecture and lowers the perception of the male-specific sex pheromone 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate by odorant receptor 67d olfactory neurons. These finding explain why WAKE-deficient in Drosophila elicits significant male-male courtship behaviour. The authors show that the Drosophila master regulator WAKE modulates the secretion of insulin-like peptides, triggering a decrease in 20-hydroxyecdysone levels. This lowers the perception of a male-specific sex pheromone and explains why WAKE-deficient Drosophila flies show male-male courtship behaviour.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shiu-Ling Chen
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chi Nan University, Nantou, Taiwan
| | - Bo-Ting Liu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chi Nan University, Nantou, Taiwan
| | - Wang-Pao Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Sin-Bo Liao
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chi Nan University, Nantou, Taiwan.,Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Yao-Bang Deng
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chi Nan University, Nantou, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Lin Wu
- Department of Biochemistry and Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.,Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Shuk-Man Ho
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chi Nan University, Nantou, Taiwan
| | - Bing-Xian Shen
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chi Nan University, Nantou, Taiwan
| | - Guan-Hock Khoo
- Department of Life Science and Life Science Center, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Chiang Shiu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chi Nan University, Nantou, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Hsuan Chang
- Department of Life Science and Life Science Center, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.,National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Wen Shih
- Department of Life Science and Life Science Center, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Jung-Kun Wen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tsuo-Hung Lan
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Tsaotun Psychiatric Center, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Nantou, Taiwan.,Department of Psychiatry, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,Center for Neuropsychiatric Research, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Chien Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chen Tsai
- Department of Life Science and Life Science Center, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan.
| | - Huey-Fen Tzeng
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chi Nan University, Nantou, Taiwan.
| | - Tsai-Feng Fu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chi Nan University, Nantou, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Genetic Underpinnings of Host Manipulation by Ophiocordyceps as Revealed by Comparative Transcriptomics. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2020; 10:2275-2296. [PMID: 32354705 PMCID: PMC7341126 DOI: 10.1534/g3.120.401290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Ant-infecting Ophiocordyceps fungi are globally distributed, host manipulating, specialist parasites that drive aberrant behaviors in infected ants, at a lethal cost to the host. An apparent increase in activity and wandering behaviors precedes a final summiting and biting behavior onto vegetation, which positions the manipulated ant in a site beneficial for fungal growth and transmission. We investigated the genetic underpinnings of host manipulation by: (i) producing a high-quality hybrid assembly and annotation of the Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani genome, (ii) conducting laboratory infections coupled with RNAseq of O. camponoti-floridani and its host, Camponotus floridanus, and (iii) comparing these data to RNAseq data of Ophiocordyceps kimflemingiae and Camponotus castaneus as a powerful method to identify gene expression patterns that suggest shared behavioral manipulation mechanisms across Ophiocordyceps-ant species interactions. We propose differentially expressed genes tied to ant neurobiology, odor response, circadian rhythms, and foraging behavior may result by activity of putative fungal effectors such as enterotoxins, aflatrem, and mechanisms disrupting feeding behaviors in the ant.
Collapse
|
7
|
Hesselbach H, Seeger J, Schilcher F, Ankenbrand M, Scheiner R. Chronic exposure to the pesticide flupyradifurone can lead to premature onset of foraging in honeybees
Apis mellifera. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Hesselbach
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology Biocenter University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology University of Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Johannes Seeger
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology University of Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Felix Schilcher
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology Biocenter University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
| | - Markus Ankenbrand
- Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology Biocenter University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology Biocenter University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Shanmugam G, Mohankumar A, Kalaiselvi D, Nivitha S, Murugesh E, Shanmughavel P, Sundararaj P. Diosgenin a phytosterol substitute for cholesterol, prolongs the lifespan and mitigates glucose toxicity via DAF-16/FOXO and GST-4 in Caenorhabditis elegans. Biomed Pharmacother 2017; 95:1693-1703. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.09.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2017] [Revised: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
|
9
|
Van Nest BN, Wagner AE, Marrs GS, Fahrbach SE. Volume and density of microglomeruli in the honey bee mushroom bodies do not predict performance on a foraging task. Dev Neurobiol 2017; 77:1057-1071. [PMID: 28245532 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2016] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The mushroom bodies (MBs) are insect brain regions important for sensory integration, learning, and memory. In adult worker honey bees (Apis mellifera), the volume of neuropil associated with the MBs is larger in experienced foragers compared with hive bees and less experienced foragers. In addition, the characteristic synaptic structures of the calycal neuropils, the microglomeruli, are larger but present at lower density in 35-day-old foragers relative to 1-day-old workers. Age- and experience-based changes in plasticity of the MBs are assumed to support performance of challenging tasks, but the behavioral consequences of brain plasticity in insects are rarely examined. In this study, foragers were recruited from a field hive to a patch comprising two colors of otherwise identical artificial flowers. Flowers of one color contained a sucrose reward mimicking nectar; flowers of the second were empty. Task difficulty was adjusted by changing flower colors according to the principle of honey bee color vision space. Microglomerular volume and density in the lip (olfactory inputs) and collar (visual inputs) compartments of the MB calyces were analyzed using anti-synapsin I immunolabeling and laser scanning confocal microscopy. Foragers displayed significant variation in microglomerular volume and density, but no correlation was found between these synaptic attributes and foraging performance. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 1057-1071, 2017.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Byron N Van Nest
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.,Wake Forest School of Medicine, Neuroscience Program, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.,Center for Molecular Communication and Signaling, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Ashley E Wagner
- Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee
| | - Glen S Marrs
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.,Wake Forest School of Medicine, Neuroscience Program, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.,Center for Molecular Communication and Signaling, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Susan E Fahrbach
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.,Wake Forest School of Medicine, Neuroscience Program, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.,Center for Molecular Communication and Signaling, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
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.
Collapse
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:
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Corby-Harris V, Meador CAD, Snyder LA, Schwan MR, Maes P, Jones BM, Walton A, Anderson KE. Transcriptional, translational, and physiological signatures of undernourished honey bees (Apis mellifera) suggest a role for hormonal factors in hypopharyngeal gland degradation. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 85:65-75. [PMID: 26658137 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2015.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Revised: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/30/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Honey bee colonies function as a superorganism, where facultatively sterile female workers perform various tasks that support the hive. Nurse workers undergo numerous anatomical and physiological changes in preparation for brood rearing, including the growth of hypopharyngeal glands (HGs). These glands produce the major protein fraction of a protein- and lipid-rich jelly used to sustain developing larvae. Pollen intake is positively correlated with HG growth, but growth in the first three days is similar regardless of diet, suggesting that initial growth is a pre-determined process while later HG development depends on nutrient availability during a critical window in early adulthood (>3 d). It is unclear whether the resultant size differences in nurse HG are simply due to growth arrest or active degradation of the tissue. To determine what processes cause such differences in HG size, we catalogued the differential expression of both gene transcripts and proteins in the HGs of 8 d old bees that were fed diets containing pollen or no pollen. 3438 genes and 367 proteins were differentially regulated due to nutrition. Of the genes and proteins differentially expressed, undernourished bees exhibited more gene and protein up-regulation compared to well-nourished bees, with the affected processes including salivary gland apoptosis, oogenesis, and hormone signaling. Protein secretion was virtually the only process up-regulated in well-nourished bees. Further assays demonstrated that inhibition of ultraspiracle, one component of the ecdysteroid receptor, in the fat body caused larger HGs. Undernourished bees also had higher acid phosphatase activity, a physiological marker of cell death, compared to well-nourished bees. These results support a connection between poor nutrition, hormonal signaling, and HG degradation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Corby-Harris
- Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States; Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 United States.
| | - Charlotte A D Meador
- Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States
| | - Lucy A Snyder
- Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States
| | - Melissa R Schwan
- Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States
| | - Patrick Maes
- Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States
| | - Beryl M Jones
- Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States
| | - Alexander Walton
- Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States
| | - Kirk E Anderson
- Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States; Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Matsumoto H, Ueno C, Nakamura Y, Kinjoh T, Ito Y, Shimura S, Noda H, Imanishi S, Mita K, Fujiwara H, Hiruma K, Shinoda T, Kamimura M. Identification of two juvenile hormone inducible transcription factors from the silkworm, Bombyx mori. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 80:31-41. [PMID: 25770979 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2015.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2014] [Revised: 01/30/2015] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile hormone (JH) regulates many physiological processes in insects. However, the signal cascades in which JH is active have not yet been fully elucidated, particularly in comparison to another major hormone ecdysteroid. Here we identified two JH inducible transcription factors as candidate components of JH signaling pathways in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. DNA microarray analysis showed that expression of two transcription factor genes, E75 and Enhancer of split mβ (E(spl)mβ), was induced by juvenile hormone I (JH I) in NIAS-Bm-aff3 cells. Real time RT-PCR analysis confirmed that expression of four E75 isoforms (E75A, E75B, E75C and E75D) and E(spl)mβ was 3-8 times greater after JH I addition. Addition of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide did not suppress JH-induced expression of the genes, indicating that they were directly induced by JH. JH-induced expression of E75 and E(spl)mβ was also observed in four other B. mori cell lines and in larval hemocytes of final instar larvae. Notably, E75A expression was induced very strongly in larval hemocytes by topical application of the JH analog fenoxycarb; the level of induced expression was comparable to that produced by feeding larvae with 20-hydroxyecdysone. These results suggest that E75 and E(spl)mβ are general and direct target genes of JH and that the transcription factors encoded by these genes play important roles in JH signaling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hitoshi Matsumoto
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Chihiro Ueno
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yuki Nakamura
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Terunori Kinjoh
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
| | - Yuka Ito
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Sachiko Shimura
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Noda
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Shigeo Imanishi
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Kazuei Mita
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Fujiwara
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Hiruma
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
| | - Tetsuro Shinoda
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Manabu Kamimura
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Ueno T, Takeuchi H, Kawasaki K, Kubo T. Changes in the Gene Expression Profiles of the Hypopharyngeal Gland of Worker Honeybees in Association with Worker Behavior and Hormonal Factors. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130206. [PMID: 26083737 PMCID: PMC4470657 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2013] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The hypopharyngeal glands (HPGs) of worker honeybees undergo physiological changes along with the age-dependent role change from nursing to foraging: nurse bee HPGs secrete mainly major royal jelly proteins, whereas forager HPGs secrete mainly α-glucosidase III, which converts the sucrose in the nectar into glucose and fructose. We previously identified two other genes, Apis mellifera buffy (Ambuffy) and Apis mellifera matrix metalloproteinase 1 (AmMMP1), with enriched expression in nurse bee and forager HPGs, respectively. In the present study, to clarify the molecular mechanisms that coordinate HPG physiology with worker behavior, we first analyzed whether Ambuffy, AmMMP1, mrjp2 (a gene encoding one of major royal jelly protein isoforms), and Hbg3 (a gene encoding α-glucosidase III) expression, is associated with worker behavior in 'single-cohort colonies' where workers of almost the same age perform different tasks. Expression of these genes correlated with the worker’s role, while controlling for age, indicating their regulation associated with the worker’s behavior. Associated gene expression suggested the possible involvement of some hormonal factors in its regulation. We therefore examined the relationship between ecdysone- and juvenile hormone (JH)-signaling, and the expression profiles of these ‘indicator’ genes (nurse bee HPG-selective genes: mrjp2 and Ambuffy, and forager HPG-selective genes: Hbg3 and AmMMP1). Expression of both ecdysone-regulated genes (ecdysone receptor, mushroom body large type Kenyon cell specific protein-1, and E74) and JH-regulated genes (Methoprene tolerant and Krüppel homolog 1) was higher in the forager HPGs than in the nurse bee HPGs, suggesting the possible roles of ecdysone- and JH-regulated genes in worker HPGs. Furthermore, 20-hydroxyecdysone-treatment repressed both nurse bee- and forager-selective gene expression, whereas methoprene-treatment enhanced the expression of forager-selective genes and repressed nurse bee-selective genes in the HPGs. Our findings suggest that both ecdysone- and JH-signaling cooperatively regulate the physiological state of the HPGs in association with the worker’s behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Ueno
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113–0033, Japan
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Doshisha Women's College, Kyotanabe, Kyoto, 610–0395, Japan
| | - Hideaki Takeuchi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113–0033, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Kawasaki
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Doshisha Women's College, Kyotanabe, Kyoto, 610–0395, Japan
| | - Takeo Kubo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113–0033, Japan
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Mello TRP, Aleixo AC, Pinheiro DG, Nunes FMF, Bitondi MMG, Hartfelder K, Barchuk AR, Simões ZLP. Developmental regulation of ecdysone receptor (EcR) and EcR-controlled gene expression during pharate-adult development of honeybees (Apis mellifera). Front Genet 2014; 5:445. [PMID: 25566327 PMCID: PMC4273664 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2014.00445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2014] [Accepted: 12/04/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Major developmental transitions in multicellular organisms are driven by steroid hormones. In insects, these, together with juvenile hormone (JH), control development, metamorphosis, reproduction and aging, and are also suggested to play an important role in caste differentiation of social insects. Here, we aimed to determine how EcR transcription and ecdysteroid titers are related during honeybee postembryonic development and what may actually be the role of EcR in caste development of this social insect. In addition, we expected that knocking-down EcR gene expression would give us information on the participation of the respective protein in regulating downstream targets of EcR. We found that in Apis mellifera females, EcR-A is the predominantly expressed variant in postembryonic development, while EcR-B transcript levels are higher in embryos, indicating an early developmental switch in EcR function. During larval and pupal stages, EcR-B expression levels are very low, while EcR-A transcripts are more variable and abundant in workers compared to queens. Strikingly, these transcript levels are opposite to the ecdysteroid titer profile. 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) application experiments revealed that low 20E levels induce EcR expression during development, whereas high ecdysteroid titers seem to be repressive. By means of RNAi-mediated knockdown (KD) of both EcR transcript variants we detected the differential expression of 234 poly-A+ transcripts encoding genes such as CYPs, MRJPs and certain hormone response genes (Kr-h1 and ftz-f1). EcR-KD also promoted the differential expression of 70 miRNAs, including highly conserved ones (e.g., miR-133 and miR-375), as well honeybee-specific ones (e.g., miR-3745 and miR-3761). Our results put in evidence a broad spectrum of EcR-controlled gene expression during postembryonic development of honeybees, revealing new facets of EcR biology in this social insect.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tathyana R P Mello
- Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Aline C Aleixo
- Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniel G Pinheiro
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Francis M F Nunes
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de São Carlos São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Márcia M G Bitondi
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Klaus Hartfelder
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Molecular e de Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Angel R Barchuk
- Laboratório de Biologia Animal Integrativa, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Tecidual e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas Alfenas, Brazil
| | - Zilá L P Simões
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Juvenile hormone enhances aversive learning performance in 2-day old worker honey bees while reducing their attraction to queen mandibular pheromone. PLoS One 2014; 9:e112740. [PMID: 25390885 PMCID: PMC4229236 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that exposing young worker bees (Apis mellifera) to queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) reduces their aversive learning performance, while enhancing their attraction to QMP. As QMP has been found to reduce the rate of juvenile hormone (JH) synthesis in worker bees, we examined whether aversive learning in 2-day old workers exposed to QMP from the time of adult emergence could be improved by injecting JH (10 µg in a 2 µl volume) into the haemolymph. We examined in addition, the effects of JH treatment on worker attraction to QMP, and on the levels of expression of amine receptor genes in the antennae, as well as in the mushroom bodies of the brain. We found that memory acquisition and 1-hour memory recall were enhanced by JH. In contrast, JH treatment reduced the bees' attraction towards a synthetic strip impregnated with QMP (Bee Boost). Levels of expression of the dopamine receptor gene Amdop1 were significantly lower in the mushroom bodies of JH-treated bees than in bees treated with vehicle alone (acetone diluted with bee ringer). Expression of the octopamine receptor gene, Amoa1, in this brain region was also affected by JH treatment, and in the antennae, Amoa1 transcript levels were significantly lower in JH-treated bees compared to controls. The results of this study suggest that QMP's effects on JH synthesis may contribute to reducing aversive learning performance and enhancing attraction to QMP in young worker bees.
Collapse
|
16
|
Scholl C, Wang Y, Krischke M, Mueller MJ, Amdam GV, Rössler W. Light exposure leads to reorganization of microglomeruli in the mushroom bodies and influences juvenile hormone levels in the honeybee. Dev Neurobiol 2014; 74:1141-53. [DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2014] [Revised: 05/28/2014] [Accepted: 05/28/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Christina Scholl
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II); Biocenter; University of Würzburg; 97074 Würzburg Germany
| | - Ying Wang
- School of Life Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe 85004 Arizona USA
| | - Markus Krischke
- Pharmaceutical Biology; Biocenter; Julius-von-Sachs-Institute for Biosciences; University of Würzburg; 97082 Würzburg Germany
| | - Martin J. Mueller
- Pharmaceutical Biology; Biocenter; Julius-von-Sachs-Institute for Biosciences; University of Würzburg; 97082 Würzburg Germany
| | - Gro V. Amdam
- School of Life Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe 85004 Arizona USA
- Department of Chemistry; Biotechnology; and Food Science; University of Life Sciences; 1432 Aas Norway
| | - Wolfgang Rössler
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II); Biocenter; University of Würzburg; 97074 Würzburg Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Boulanger A, Dura JM. Nuclear receptors and Drosophila neuronal remodeling. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2014; 1849:187-95. [PMID: 24882358 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2014.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2014] [Revised: 04/25/2014] [Accepted: 05/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
During the development of both vertebrates and invertebrates, neurons undergo a crucial remodeling process that is necessary for their new function. Neuronal remodeling is composed of two stages: first, axons and dendrites are pruned without the loss of the cell body; later, this process is most commonly followed by a regrowth step. Holometabolous insects like the fruitfly Drosophila exhibit striking differences between their larval and adult stages. These neuronal remodeling processes occur during metamorphosis, the period of transformation from a larva to an adult. All axon and dendrite pruning events ultimately depend on the EcR nuclear receptor. Its ligand, the steroid molting hormone ecdysone, binds to heteromeric receptors comprising the nuclear receptor ECR and USP, and this complex regulates target genes involved in neuronal remodeling. Here we review the nuclear receptor-mediated genetic control of the main neuronal remodeling events described so far in Drosophila. These events consist of neurite degeneration in the mushroom bodies (MBs: the brain memory center) and in the dendritic arborizing sensory neurons, of neurite retraction or small scale elimination in the thoracic ventral neurosecretory cells, in the olfactory circuits and in the neuromuscular junction. MB axon regrowth after pruning and the role of MB neuron remodeling in memory formation are also reviewed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Nuclear receptors in animal development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Boulanger
- Institute of Human Genetics, UPR 1142, CNRS, 141, rue de la Cardonille, 34396 Montpellier, France.
| | - Jean-Maurice Dura
- Institute of Human Genetics, UPR 1142, CNRS, 141, rue de la Cardonille, 34396 Montpellier, France.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Geddes LH, McQuillan HJ, Aiken A, Vergoz V, Mercer AR. Steroid hormone (20-hydroxyecdysone) modulates the acquisition of aversive olfactory memories in pollen forager honeybees. Learn Mem 2013; 20:399-409. [DOI: 10.1101/lm.030825.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
19
|
Duportets L, Maria A, Vitecek S, Gadenne C, Debernard S. Steroid hormone signaling is involved in the age-dependent behavioral response to sex pheromone in the adult male moth Agrotis ipsilon. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 186:58-66. [PMID: 23474331 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2012] [Revised: 02/19/2013] [Accepted: 02/20/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
In most animals, including insects, male reproduction depends on the detection and processing of female-produced sex pheromones. In the male moth, Agrotis ipsilon, both behavioral response and neuronal sensitivity in the primary olfactory center, the antennal lobe (AL), to female sex pheromone are age- and hormone-dependent. In many animal species, steroids are known to act at the brain level to modulate the responsiveness to sexually relevant chemical cues. We aimed to address the hypothesis that the steroidal system and in particular 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), the main insect steroid hormone, might also be involved in this olfactory plasticity. Therefore, we first cloned the nuclear ecdysteroid receptor EcR (AipsEcR) and its partner Ultraspiracle (AipsUSP) of A. ipsilon, the expression of which increased concomitantly with age in ALs. Injection of 20E into young sexually immature males led to an increase in both responsiveness to sex pheromone and amount of AipsEcR and AipsUSP in their ALs. Conversely, the behavioral response decreased in older, sexually mature males after injection of cucurbitacin B (CurB), an antagonist of the 20E/EcR/USP complex. Also, the amount of AipsEcR and AipsUSP significantly declined after treatment with CurB. These results suggest that 20E is involved in the expression of sexual behavior via the EcR/USP signaling pathway, probably acting on central pheromone processing in A. ipsilon.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Line Duportets
- UMR 1272, UPMC-INRA, Physiologie de l'Insecte: Signalisation et Communication, Université Paris VI, Bâtiment A, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75005 Paris, France
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Cousin M, Silva-Zacarin E, Kretzschmar A, El Maataoui M, Brunet JL, Belzunces LP. Size changes in honey bee larvae oenocytes induced by exposure to Paraquat at very low concentrations. PLoS One 2013; 8:e65693. [PMID: 23724149 PMCID: PMC3665783 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2012] [Accepted: 05/01/2013] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of the herbicide Paraquat were investigated in honey bee larvae with attention focused on oenocytes. Honey bee larvae were exposed to Paraquat at different concentrations in the food: 0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1 and 1 µg/kg. In controls, between 24 h and 48 h, oenocytes grew from 630.1 to 1643.8 µm(2) while nuclei changed in size from 124.9 to 245.6 µm(2). At 24 h, Paraquat induced a slight decrease in the size of oenocytes and nuclei. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant substance, slightly lowered the effects of Paraquat. At 48 h, Paraquat elicited a strong concentration-dependent decrease in the size of oenocytes, even at the lowest concentration. NAC reversed the effect of Paraquat at a concentration of ≥0.01 µg/kg. This reversion suggested different modes of action of Paraquat, with an oxidant action prevalent at concentrations ≥0.01 µg/kg. This study is the first which reports an effect of a pesticide at the very low concentration of 1 ng/kg, a concentration below the detection limits of the most efficient analytic methods. It shows that chemicals, including pesticides, are likely to have a potential impact at such exposure levels. We also suggest that Paraquat could be used as a suitable tool for investigating the functions of oenocytes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Cousin
- INRA, UR 406 Abeilles & Environnement, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, Avignon, France
| | - Elaine Silva-Zacarin
- Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Laboratory of Structural and Functional Biology, Sorocaba, São Paulo State, Brazil
| | | | | | - Jean-Luc Brunet
- INRA, UR 406 Abeilles & Environnement, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, Avignon, France
| | - Luc P. Belzunces
- INRA, UR 406 Abeilles & Environnement, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, Avignon, France
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Dolezal AG, Johnson J, Hölldobler B, Amdam GV. Division of labor is associated with age-independent changes in ovarian activity in Pogonomyrmex californicus harvester ants. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2013; 59:519-524. [PMID: 23473699 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2013.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2012] [Revised: 02/18/2013] [Accepted: 02/19/2013] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
An age-independent division of labor can develop in both the reproductive (queen) and non-reproductive (worker) castes of Pogonomyrmex californicus harvester ants, and individuals develop biases for in-nest activities or external foraging. Additionally, ant ovaries normally atrophy in foragers compared to nest-biased workers (nurses). However, it is not clear whether these ovarian changes are due to changes in behavior or age, since foragers are typically older individuals. Here, we clarify this relationship in P. californicus queens and workers by comparing ovarian activity in same-aged ants that exhibit divergent behavioral biases. We found that foraging individuals had significantly reduced ovarian activity compared to their nest-biased counterparts, thereby linking changes in the ants' reproductive system to social task performance rather than to age. The general finding that ovarian physiology is associated with social insect behaviors is consistent with the hypothesis that reproductive physiology may have played an important role in the evolution of social insect behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam G Dolezal
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Nunes FMF, Ihle KE, Mutti NS, Simões ZLP, Amdam GV. The gene vitellogenin affects microRNA regulation in honey bee (Apis mellifera) fat body and brain. J Exp Biol 2013; 216:3724-32. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.089243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Summary
In honey bees, Vitellogenin (Vg) is hypothesized to be a major factor affecting hormone signaling, food-related behavior, immunity, stress resistance and lifespan. Likewise microRNAs play important roles in posttranscriptional gene regulation and affect many biological processes. The action of microRNAs and Vg are known to intersect in the context of reproduction; however, the role of these associations on social behavior is unknown. The phenotypic effects of Vg knockdown are best established and studied in the forager stage of workers. Thus, we exploited the well-established RNA interference (RNAi) protocol for Vg knockdown to investigate its downstream effects on microRNA population in honey bee foragers' brain and fat body tissue. To identify microRNAs that are differentially expressed between tissues in control and knockdown foragers, we used µParaflo® microfluidic oligonucleotide microRNA microarrays. Our results show 76 and 74 microRNAs were expressed in the brain of control and knockdown foragers whereas 66 and 69 microRNAs were expressed in the fat body of control and knockdown foragers respectively. Target prediction identified potential seed matches for a differentially expressed subset of microRNAs affected by Vg knockdown. These candidate genes are involved in a broad range of biological processes including insulin signaling, juvenile hormone (JH) and ecdysteroid signaling previously shown to affect foraging behavior. Thus, here we demonstrate a causal link between the Vg knockdown forager phenotype and variation in the abundance of microRNAs in different tissues with possible consequences for regulation of foraging behavior.
Collapse
|
23
|
Wang Y, Brent CS, Fennern E, Amdam GV. Gustatory perception and fat body energy metabolism are jointly affected by vitellogenin and juvenile hormone in honey bees. PLoS Genet 2012; 8:e1002779. [PMID: 22761585 PMCID: PMC3386229 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2012] [Accepted: 05/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) provide a system for studying social and food-related behavior. A caste of workers performs age-related tasks: young bees (nurses) usually feed the brood and other adult bees inside the nest, while older bees (foragers) forage outside for pollen, a protein/lipid source, or nectar, a carbohydrate source. The workers' transition from nursing to foraging and their foraging preferences correlate with differences in gustatory perception, metabolic gene expression, and endocrine physiology including the endocrine factors vitellogenin (Vg) and juvenile hormone (JH). However, the understanding of connections among social behavior, energy metabolism, and endocrine factors is incomplete. We used RNA interference (RNAi) to perturb the gene network of Vg and JH to learn more about these connections through effects on gustation, gene transcripts, and physiology. The RNAi perturbation was achieved by single and double knockdown of the genes ultraspiracle (usp) and vg, which encode a putative JH receptor and Vg, respectively. The double knockdown enhanced gustatory perception and elevated hemolymph glucose, trehalose, and JH. We also observed transcriptional responses in insulin like peptide 1 (ilp1), the adipokinetic hormone receptor (AKHR), and cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG, or "foraging gene" Amfor). Our study demonstrates that the Vg-JH regulatory module controls changes in carbohydrate metabolism, but not lipid metabolism, when worker bees shift from nursing to foraging. The module is also placed upstream of ilp1, AKHR, and PKG for the first time. As insulin, adipokinetic hormone (AKH), and PKG pathways influence metabolism and gustation in many animals, we propose that honey bees have conserved pathways in carbohydrate metabolism and conserved connections between energy metabolism and gustatory perception. Thus, perhaps the bee can make general contributions to the understanding of food-related behavior and metabolic disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Dolezal AG, Brent CS, Hölldobler B, Amdam GV. Worker division of labor and endocrine physiology are associated in the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex californicus. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 215:454-60. [PMID: 22246254 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.060822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In Pogonomyrmex californicus harvester ants, an age-associated division of labor occurs in the worker caste, in which young workers perform in-nest tasks and older workers forage for food. Here, we tested whether this behavioral division is age based or age flexible, and whether it coincides with differential expression of systemic hormones with known roles in behavioral regulation. Whole-body content of juvenile hormone (JH) and ecdysteroids was determined in workers from (1) age-typical colonies, in which a typical age structure is maintained and workers transition across behaviors naturally, and (2) single-cohort colonies, which are entirely composed of same-aged workers, facilitating the establishment of age-independent division of labor. Foragers from both colony types had higher JH and lower ecdysteroid content than workers performing in-nest tasks, suggesting that age is not the sole determinant of worker behavior. This association between hormone content and behavior of P. californicus workers is similar to that previously observed in founding queens of this species. Because these hormones are key regulators of development and reproductive behavior, our data are consistent with the reproductive ground plan hypothesis (RGPH), which posits that the reproductive regulatory mechanisms of solitary ancestors were co-opted to regulate worker behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam G Dolezal
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Ament SA, Wang Y, Chen CC, Blatti CA, Hong F, Liang ZS, Negre N, White KP, Rodriguez-Zas SL, Mizzen CA, Sinha S, Zhong S, Robinson GE. The transcription factor ultraspiracle influences honey bee social behavior and behavior-related gene expression. PLoS Genet 2012; 8:e1002596. [PMID: 22479195 PMCID: PMC3315457 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2011] [Accepted: 01/30/2012] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavior is among the most dynamic animal phenotypes, modulated by a variety of internal and external stimuli. Behavioral differences are associated with large-scale changes in gene expression, but little is known about how these changes are regulated. Here we show how a transcription factor (TF), ultraspiracle (usp; the insect homolog of the Retinoid X Receptor), working in complex transcriptional networks, can regulate behavioral plasticity and associated changes in gene expression. We first show that RNAi knockdown of USP in honey bee abdominal fat bodies delayed the transition from working in the hive (primarily “nursing” brood) to foraging outside. We then demonstrate through transcriptomics experiments that USP induced many maturation-related transcriptional changes in the fat bodies by mediating transcriptional responses to juvenile hormone. These maturation-related transcriptional responses to USP occurred without changes in USP's genomic binding sites, as revealed by ChIP–chip. Instead, behaviorally related gene expression is likely determined by combinatorial interactions between USP and other TFs whose cis-regulatory motifs were enriched at USP's binding sites. Many modules of JH– and maturation-related genes were co-regulated in both the fat body and brain, predicting that usp and cofactors influence shared transcriptional networks in both of these maturation-related tissues. Our findings demonstrate how “single gene effects” on behavioral plasticity can involve complex transcriptional networks, in both brain and peripheral tissues. Animals use behavior as one of the principal means of meeting their basic needs and responding flexibly to changes in their environment. An emerging insight is that changes in behavior are associated with massive changes in gene expression in the brain, but we know relatively little about how these changes are regulated. One important class of gene regulators are transcription factors (TF), proteins that orchestrate the expression of tens to thousands of genes. We discovered that ultraspiracle (USP), a TF previously known primarily for its role in development, regulates behavioral change in the honey bee; and we show that USP causes behaviorally related changes in gene expression by mediating responses to an endocrine regulator, juvenile hormone. We present evidence that these effects on gene expression occur through combinatorial interactions between USP and other TFs, and that these hormonally related transcriptional networks are preserved between two tissues with causal roles in behavioral plasticity: the brain and the fat body, a peripheral nutrient-sensing organ. These results suggest that behavior is subserved by complex interactions between genes and gene networks, occurring both in the brain and in peripheral tissues. More generally our results suggest that molecular systems biology is a promising paradigm by which to understand the mechanistic basis for behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seth A. Ament
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Chieh-Chun Chen
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Charles A. Blatti
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Feng Hong
- Department of Statistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Zhengzheng S. Liang
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Nicolas Negre
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Kevin P. White
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Sandra L. Rodriguez-Zas
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Craig A. Mizzen
- Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Saurabh Sinha
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Sheng Zhong
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Statistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Gene E. Robinson
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Bigot L, Shaik HA, Bozzolan F, Party V, Lucas P, Debernard S, Siaussat D. Peripheral regulation by ecdysteroids of olfactory responsiveness in male Egyptian cotton leaf worms, Spodoptera littoralis. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2012; 42:22-31. [PMID: 22044719 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2011.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2011] [Revised: 09/26/2011] [Accepted: 10/13/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Physiological and behavioral plasticity allows animals to adapt to changes in external (environmental) and internal (physiological) factors. In insects, the physiological state modulates adult behavior in response to different odorant stimuli. Hormones have the potential to play a major role in the plasticity of the olfactory responses. To explore if peripheral olfactory processing could be regulated by steroid hormones, we characterized the molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral response to changes in endogenous hormone levels in adult male Spodoptera littoralis. The expression of the receptor complex (EcR/USP) was localized by in situ hybridization in the olfactory sensilla of antennae. Injections of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) induced an ecdysteroid signaling pathway in antennae and increased expression of the nuclear receptors EcR, USP and E75. Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) and CaM expression were also up-regulated by 20E. Taken together, these molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral results suggest a hormonal regulation of the peripheral olfactory processing in S. littoralis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia Bigot
- UMR 1272 Physiologie de l'Insecte, Signalisation et Communication, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris VI, 7 Quai Saint Bernard, F-75005 Paris, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Wang Y, Kocher SD, Linksvayer TA, Grozinger CM, Page RE, Amdam GV. Regulation of behaviorally associated gene networks in worker honey bee ovaries. J Exp Biol 2012; 215:124-34. [PMID: 22162860 PMCID: PMC3233392 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.060889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Several lines of evidence support genetic links between ovary size and division of labor in worker honey bees. However, it is largely unknown how ovaries influence behavior. To address this question, we first performed transcriptional profiling on worker ovaries from two genotypes that differ in social behavior and ovary size. Then, we contrasted the differentially expressed ovarian genes with six sets of available brain transcriptomes. Finally, we probed behavior-related candidate gene networks in wild-type ovaries of different sizes. We found differential expression in 2151 ovarian transcripts in these artificially selected honey bee strains, corresponding to approximately 20.3% of the predicted gene set of honey bees. Differences in gene expression overlapped significantly with changes in the brain transcriptomes. Differentially expressed genes were associated with neural signal transmission (tyramine receptor, TYR) and ecdysteroid signaling; two independently tested nuclear hormone receptors (HR46 and ftz-f1) were also significantly correlated with ovary size in wild-type bees. We suggest that the correspondence between ovary and brain transcriptomes identified here indicates systemic regulatory networks among hormones (juvenile hormone and ecdysteroids), pheromones (queen mandibular pheromone), reproductive organs and nervous tissues in worker honey bees. Furthermore, robust correlations between ovary size and neuraland endocrine response genes are consistent with the hypothesized roles of the ovaries in honey bee behavioral regulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Abstract
The nuclear receptors (NRs) of metazoans are an ancient family of transcription factors defined by conserved DNA- and ligand-binding domains (DBDs and LBDs, respectively). The Drosophila melanogaster genome project revealed 18 canonical NRs (with DBDs and LBDs both present) and 3 receptors with the DBD only. Annotation of subsequently sequenced insect genomes revealed only minor deviations from this pattern. A renewed focus on functional analysis of the isoforms of insect NRs is therefore required to understand the diverse roles of these transcription factors in embryogenesis, metamorphosis, reproduction, and homeostasis. One insect NR, ecdysone receptor (EcR), functions as a receptor for the ecdysteroid molting hormones of insects. Researchers have developed nonsteroidal ecdysteroid agonists for EcR that disrupt molting and can be used as safe pesticides. An exciting new technology allows EcR to be used in chimeric, ligand-inducible gene-switch systems with applications in pest management and medicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susan E Fahrbach
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27109, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Scott E Dobrin
- Neuroscience Program, Wake Forest University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Amdam GV, Page RE, Fondrk MK, Brent CS. Hormone response to bidirectional selection on social behavior. Evol Dev 2011; 12:428-36. [PMID: 20883212 DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-142x.2010.00429.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Behavior is a quantitative trait determined by multiple genes. Some of these genes may have effects from early development and onward by influencing hormonal systems that are active during different life-stages leading to complex associations, or suites, of traits. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) have been used extensively in experiments on the genetic and hormonal control of complex social behavior, but the relationships between their early developmental processes and adult behavioral variation are not well understood. Bidirectional selective breeding on social food-storage behavior produced two honey bee strains, each with several sublines, that differ in an associated suite of anatomical, physiological, and behavioral traits found in unselected wild type bees. Using these genotypes, we document strain-specific changes during larval, pupal, and early adult life-stages for the central insect hormones juvenile hormone (JH) and ecdysteroids. Strain differences correlate with variation in female reproductive anatomy (ovary size), which can be influenced by JH during development, and with secretion rates of ecdysteroid from the ovaries of adults. Ovary size was previously assigned to the suite of traits of honey bee food-storage behavior. Our findings support that bidirectional selection on honey bee social behavior acted on pleiotropic gene networks. These networks may bias a bee's adult phenotype by endocrine effects on early developmental processes that regulate variation in reproductive traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gro V Amdam
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Ament SA, Wang Y, Robinson GE. Nutritional regulation of division of labor in honey bees: toward a systems biology perspective. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2011; 2:566-576. [PMID: 20836048 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.73] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Organisms adapt their behavior and physiology to environmental conditions through processes of phenotypic plasticity. In one well-studied example, the division of labor among worker honey bees involves a stereotyped yet plastic pattern of behavioral and physiological maturation. Early in life, workers perform brood care and other in-hive tasks and have large internal nutrient stores; later in life, they forage for nectar and pollen outside the hive and have small nutrient stores. The pace of maturation depends on colony conditions, and the environmental, physiological, and genomic mechanisms by which this occurs are being actively investigated. Here we review current knowledge of the mechanisms by which a key environmental variable, nutritional status, influences worker honey bee division of labor. These studies demonstrate that changes in individual nutritional status and conserved food-related molecular and hormonal pathways regulate the age at which individual bees begin to forage. We then outline ways in which systems biology approaches, enabled by the sequencing of the honey bee genome, will allow researchers to gain deeper insight into nutritional regulation of honey bee behavior, and phenotypic plasticity in general.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seth A Ament
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Gene E Robinson
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.,Entomology Department, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.,Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Wang Y, Kaftanoglu O, Siegel AJ, Page RE, Amdam GV. Surgically increased ovarian mass in the honey bee confirms link between reproductive physiology and worker behavior. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2010; 56:1816-1824. [PMID: 20688074 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2010.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2010] [Revised: 07/24/2010] [Accepted: 07/26/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers are essentially sterile females that are used to study how complex social behavior develops. Workers perform nest tasks, like nursing larvae, prior to field tasks, like foraging. Despite worker sterility, this behavioral progression correlates with ovary size: workers with larger ovaries (many ovary filaments) start foraging at younger ages on average. It is untested, however, whether the correlation confers a causal relationship between ovary size and behavioral development. Here, we successfully grafted supernumerary ovaries into worker bees to produce an artificial increase in the amount of ovary tissue. We next measured fat body mRNA levels for the yolk precursor gene vitellogenin, which influences honey bee behavioral development and can correlate with ovary size. Vitellogenin was equally expressed in surgical controls and bees with supernumerary ovaries, leading us to predict that these groups would be characterized by equal behavior. Contrary to our prediction, bees with supernumerary ovaries showed accelerated behavioral development compared to surgical controls, which behaved like reference bees that were not treated surgically. To explore this result we monitored fat body expression levels of a putative ecdysteroid-response gene, HR46, which is genetically linked to ovary size in workers. Our data establish that social insect worker behavior can be directly influenced by ovaries, and that HR46 expression changes with ovary size independent of vitellogenin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Abstract
Eusocial animal societies, as diverse as those found in the ants, bees, wasps, shrimp and naked mole-rats, are structured around one or few reproductive females. The remaining females are helpers called 'workers' that are mostly sterile. A paradigm in studies of eusociality is that worker sterility is a key to societal functions because advanced sociality cannot be achieved when there is conflict over reproduction. Yet, traits such as sensory responsiveness, foraging and hoarding behaviour that change between female reproductive life stages also vary between workers. This variation is central to worker division of labour, a complex social trait believed to be instrumental for the ecological success of animal societies. Thus, we took a step back from established views on worker sterility and societal functions, and hypothesized that division of labour can be better understood if adaptive variation in worker behaviour is seen as emerging from pre-existing mechanisms associated with female reproduction. In exploring this reproductive ground plan hypothesis (RGPH) in honeybee workers, we established that variation in foraging division of labour correlates with ovary size and is affected by expression changes in vitellogenin, an egg yolk protein precursor. Here, we explain and reconcile the RGPH with data on honeybee sensory sensitivity, genomic mapping, transcript and endocrine profiling, and link our discussion with Ihle et al. (2010, this issue, pp. xx-xx). The findings bring together mechanistic and evolutionary explanations of honeybee worker behaviour. This essay suggests that a broader view on worker reproductive traits can increase the understanding of animal social behaviour.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gro V Amdam
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Abstract
Ecdysone is the major steroid hormone in insects and plays essential roles in coordinating developmental transitions such as larval molting and metamorphosis through its active metabolite 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Although ecdysone is present throughout life in both males and females, its functions in adult physiology remain largely unknown. In this study we demonstrate that ecdysone-mediated signaling in the adult is intimately involved in transitions between the physiological states of sleep and wakefulness. First, administering 20E to adult Drosophila melanogaster promoted sleep in a dose-dependent manner, and it did so primarily by altering the length of sleep and wake bouts without affecting waking activity. Second, mutants for ecdysone synthesis displayed the "short-sleep phenotype," and this was alleviated by administering 20E at the adult stage. Third, mutants for nuclear ecdysone receptors showed reduced sleep, and conditional overexpression of wild-type ecdysone receptors in the adult mushroom bodies resulted in an isoform-specific increase in sleep. Finally, endogenous ecdysone levels increased after sleep deprivation, and mutants defective for ecdysone signaling displayed little sleep rebound, suggesting that ecdysone is involved in homeostatic sleep regulation. In light of the recent finding that lethargus--a period at larval-stage transitions in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans--is a sleep-like state, our results suggest that sleep is functionally and mechanistically linked to a genetically programmed, quiescent behavioral state during development.
Collapse
|
35
|
Ecdysone signaling regulates the formation of long-term courtship memory in adult Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:6381-6. [PMID: 19342482 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0810213106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Improved survival is likely linked to the ability to generate stable memories of significant experiences. Considerable evidence in humans and mammalian model animals shows that steroid hormones, which are released in response to emotionally arousing experiences, have an important role in the consolidation of memories of such events. In insects, ecdysone is the major steroid hormone, and it is well characterized with respect to its essential role in coordinating developmental transitions such as larval molting and metamorphosis. However, the functions of ecdysone in adult physiology remain largely elusive. Here, we show that 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), the active metabolite of ecdysone that is induced by environmental stimuli in adult Drosophila, has an important role in the formation of long-term memory (LTM). In male flies, the levels of 20E were found to be significantly increased after courtship conditioning, and exogenous administration of 20E either enhanced or suppressed courtship LTM, depending on the timing of its administration. We also found that mutants in which ecdysone signaling is reduced were defective in LTM, and that an elevation of 20E levels was associated with activation of the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), an essential regulator of LTM formation. Our results demonstrate that the molting steroid hormone ecdysone in adult Drosophila is critical to the evolutionarily conserved strategy that is used for the formation of stable memories. We propose that ecdysone is able to consolidate memories possibly by recapturing molecular and cellular processes that are used for normal neural development.
Collapse
|