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Aamidor SE, Cardoso-Júnior CAM, Harianto J, Nowell CJ, Cole L, Oldroyd BP, Ronai I. Reproductive plasticity and oogenesis in the queen honey bee (Apis mellifera). JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 136:104347. [PMID: 34902433 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2021.104347] [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: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In the honey bee (Apis mellifera), queen and worker castes originate from identical genetic templates but develop into different phenotypes. Queens lay up to 2000 eggs daily whereas workers are sterile in the queen's presence. Periodically queens stop laying: during swarming, when resources are scarce in winter, and when they are confined to a cage by beekeepers. We used confocal microscopy and gene expression assays to investigate the control of oogenesis in the ovaries of honey bee queens that were caged inside and outside the colony. We find evidence that queens use a different combination of 'checkpoints' to regulate oogenesis compared to honey bee workers and other insect species. However, both queen and worker castes likely use the same programmed cell death pathways to terminate oocyte development at their caste-specific checkpoints. Our results also suggest that a key factor driving the termination of oogenesis in queens is nutritional stress. Thus, queens may regulate oogenesis via the same regulatory pathways that were utilised by ancestral solitary species but likely have adjusted physiological checkpoints to suit their highly-derived life history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Aamidor
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Carlos A M Cardoso-Júnior
- Departamento de Biologia Celulare Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil
| | - Januar Harianto
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Cameron J Nowell
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Louise Cole
- Microbial Imaging Facility, I3 Institute, Faculty of Science, The University of Technology Sydney, Australia
| | - Benjamin P Oldroyd
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Isobel Ronai
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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2
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Duncan EJ, Leask MP, Dearden PK. Genome Architecture Facilitates Phenotypic Plasticity in the Honeybee (Apis mellifera). Mol Biol Evol 2021; 37:1964-1978. [PMID: 32134461 PMCID: PMC7306700 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of an organism to alter its phenotype in response to an environmental cue, facilitates rapid adaptation to changing environments. Plastic changes in morphology and behavior are underpinned by widespread gene expression changes. However, it is unknown if, or how, genomes are structured to ensure these robust responses. Here, we use repression of honeybee worker ovaries as a model of plasticity. We show that the honeybee genome is structured with respect to plasticity; genes that respond to an environmental trigger are colocated in the honeybee genome in a series of gene clusters, many of which have been assembled in the last 80 My during the evolution of the Apidae. These clusters are marked by histone modifications that prefigure the gene expression changes that occur as the ovary activates, suggesting that these genomic regions are poised to respond plastically. That the linear sequence of the honeybee genome is organized to coordinate widespread gene expression changes in response to environmental influences and that the chromatin organization in these regions is prefigured to respond to these influences is perhaps unexpected and has implications for other examples of plasticity in physiology, evolution, and human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Duncan
- Genomics Aotearoa and Biochemistry Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Megan P Leask
- Genomics Aotearoa and Biochemistry Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Peter K Dearden
- Genomics Aotearoa and Biochemistry Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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3
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Lu B, Jiang Q, Liu A, Huang H, Ye H. Stimulatory roles of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in ovarian development of mud crab Scylla paramamosain. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 299:113616. [PMID: 32950581 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a pleiotropic glycoprotein which plays a role in regulating cell proliferation, migration and differentiation. However, to date little is known about its functions in crustaceans. In this study, we successfully identified SpEGFR from mud crab Scylla paramamosain. RT-PCR result showed that SpEGFR was widely distributed in all tested tissues and highly expressed in ovary. In situ hybridization revealed that SpEGFR mainly localized in oocyte perinuclear region with notably obvious signals. In vitro experiments showed that the expression of SpVgR and SpCyclin B in ovary explants from late vitellogenic stage crabs (summer) were significantly increased when treated with 1 nM human EGF (hEGF) for 1 h, while there was no obvious change towards SpEGFR. Interestingly, as for winter crab at the same vitellogenic stage, the expression of SpVgR and SpCyclin B in ovary explants did not show significant increase until treated with higher concentration of 10 nM hEGF and longer incubation time of 12 h. In addition, the hEGF-induced effect could be suppressed by pre-treated with EGFR inhibitor AG1478 and PD153035, respectively, which further indicated that EGF-EGFR pathway played a vital role in ovarian development in mud crab. In conclusion, SpEGFR might promote ovarian development by stimulating the expression of SpVgR and SpCyclin B under hEGF-induced treatment. The different physiological response to hEGF in the same vitellogenic stage crabs between summer and winter might be attributed to the changes in metabolism and physiological sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Lu
- College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Qingling Jiang
- College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - An Liu
- College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Huiyang Huang
- College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
| | - Haihui Ye
- College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
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4
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Guoth AW, Chernyshova AM, Thompson GJ. Gene-regulatory context of honey bee worker sterility. Biosystems 2020; 198:104235. [PMID: 32882324 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2020.104235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The highly organized societies of the Western honey bee Apis mellifera feature a highly reproductive queen at the center of attention and a large cohort of daughters that suppress their own reproduction to help rear more sisters, some of whom become queens themselves. This reproductive altruism is peculiar because in theory it evolves via indirect selection on genes for altruism that are expressed in the sterile workers but not in the reproductive queens. In this study we attempt to situate lists of genes previously implicated in queenright worker sterility into a broader regulatory framework. To do so we use a model bee brain transcriptional regulatory network as a template to infer how sets of genes responsive to ovary-suppressing queen pheromone are functionally interconnected over the model's topology. We predict that genes jointly involved in the regulation of worker sterility should be tightly networked, relative to genes whose functions are unrelated to each other. We find that sets of mapped genes - ranging in size from 17 to 250 - are well dispersed across the network's substructural scaffolds, suggesting that ovary de-activation involves genes that reside within more than one transcriptional regulatory module. For some sets, however, this dispersion is biased into certain areas of the network's substructure. Our analysis identifies the regions enriched for sterility genes and likewise identifies local hub genes that are presumably critical to subnetwork function. Our work offers a glimpse into the gene regulatory context of honey bee worker sterility and uses this context to identify new candidate gene targets for functional analysis. Finally, to the extent that any sterility-related modules identified here have evolved via selection for worker altruism, we can assume that this selection was indirect and of the type specifically invoked by inclusive fitness theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex W Guoth
- Biology Department, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Anna M Chernyshova
- Biology Department, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Graham J Thompson
- Biology Department, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada.
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5
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Abbas MN, Kausar S, Zhao E, Cui H. Suppressors of cytokine signaling proteins as modulators of development and innate immunity of insects. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2020; 104:103561. [PMID: 31785267 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2019.103561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) are a family of intracellular molecules. Many members of this family have been reported to be involved in various physiological processes in invertebrates and vertebrates (e.g., developmental process and immune response). The functions of SOCS molecules seem to remain conserved in animals throughout evolutionary history. The members of the SOCS family play vital roles in the physiological processes by regulating the extent and duration of signaling activities of both Janus Kinase-Signal Transducer and Activators of Transcription (JAK-STAT) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathways in vivo. So far, in different insect species, a variable number of SOCS and SOCS box domain-containing proteins have been identified. These proteins are categorized into different types based on their sequence diversification, leading to an alteration in structure and regulatory function. The biological roles of the many SOCS proteins have been established as a negative or positive regulator of the signaling pathways, as mentioned earlier. Here, we discussed the existing knowledge on the SOCS proteins and their involvement in different biological functions in insects, and future perspectives to further elucidate their physiological roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Nadeem Abbas
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Sericulture Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Medical Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
| | - Saima Kausar
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Sericulture Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Medical Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
| | - Erhu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Sericulture Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Medical Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
| | - Hongjuan Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Sericulture Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Medical Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
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6
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Dohmen E, Klasberg S, Bornberg-Bauer E, Perrey S, Kemena C. The modular nature of protein evolution: domain rearrangement rates across eukaryotic life. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:30. [PMID: 32059645 PMCID: PMC7023805 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-1591-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Modularity is important for evolutionary innovation. The recombination of existing units to form larger complexes with new functionalities spares the need to create novel elements from scratch. In proteins, this principle can be observed at the level of protein domains, functional subunits which are regularly rearranged to acquire new functions. RESULTS In this study we analyse the mechanisms leading to new domain arrangements in five major eukaryotic clades (vertebrates, insects, fungi, monocots and eudicots) at unprecedented depth and breadth. This allows, for the first time, to directly compare rates of rearrangements between different clades and identify both lineage specific and general patterns of evolution in the context of domain rearrangements. We analyse arrangement changes along phylogenetic trees by reconstructing ancestral domain content in combination with feasible single step events, such as fusion or fission. Using this approach we explain up to 70% of all rearrangements by tracing them back to their precursors. We find that rates in general and the ratio between these rates for a given clade in particular, are highly consistent across all clades. In agreement with previous studies, fusions are the most frequent event leading to new domain arrangements. A lineage specific pattern in fungi reveals exceptionally high loss rates compared to other clades, supporting recent studies highlighting the importance of loss for evolutionary innovation. Furthermore, our methodology allows us to link domain emergences at specific nodes in the phylogenetic tree to important functional developments, such as the origin of hair in mammals. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that domain rearrangements are based on a canonical set of mutational events with rates which lie within a relatively narrow and consistent range. In addition, gained knowledge about these rates provides a basis for advanced domain-based methodologies for phylogenetics and homology analysis which complement current sequence-based methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias Dohmen
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Hüfferstrasse 1, Münster, 48149, Germany.,Institute for Bioinformatics and Chemoinformatics, Westphalian University of Applied Sciences, August-Schmidt-Ring 10, Recklinghausen, 45665, Germany
| | - Steffen Klasberg
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Hüfferstrasse 1, Münster, 48149, Germany
| | - Erich Bornberg-Bauer
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Hüfferstrasse 1, Münster, 48149, Germany
| | - Sören Perrey
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Chemoinformatics, Westphalian University of Applied Sciences, August-Schmidt-Ring 10, Recklinghausen, 45665, Germany
| | - Carsten Kemena
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Hüfferstrasse 1, Münster, 48149, Germany.
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7
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Jongepier E, Kemena C, Lopez-Ezquerra A, Belles X, Bornberg-Bauer E, Korb J. Remodeling of the juvenile hormone pathway through caste-biased gene expression and positive selection along a gradient of termite eusociality. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2018; 330:296-304. [PMID: 29845724 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of division of labor between sterile and fertile individuals represents one of the major transitions in biological complexity. A fascinating gradient in eusociality evolved among the ancient hemimetabolous insects, ranging from noneusocial cockroaches through the primitively social lower termites-where workers retain the ability to reproduce-to the higher termites, characterized by lifetime commitment to worker sterility. Juvenile hormone (JH) is a prime candidate for the regulation of reproductive division of labor in termites, as it plays a key role in insect postembryonic development and reproduction. We compared the expression of JH pathway genes between workers and queens in two lower termites (Zootermopsis nevadensis and Cryptotermes secundus) and a higher termite (Macrotermes natalensis) to that of analogous nymphs and adult females of the noneusocial cockroach Blattella germanica. JH biosynthesis and metabolism genes ranged from reproductive female-biased expression in the cockroach to predominantly worker-biased expression in the lower termites. Remarkably, the expression profile of JH pathway genes sets the higher termite apart from the two lower termites, as well as the cockroach, indicating that JH signaling has undergone major changes in this eusocial termite. These changes go beyond mere shifts in gene expression between the different castes, as we find evidence for positive selection in several termite JH pathway genes. Thus, remodeling of the JH pathway may have played a major role in termite social evolution, representing a striking case of convergent molecular evolution between the termites and the distantly related social hymenoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelien Jongepier
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Carsten Kemena
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Xavier Belles
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, CSIC-University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Erich Bornberg-Bauer
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Judith Korb
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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8
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Ronai I, Vergoz V, Oldroyd B. The Mechanistic, Genetic, and Evolutionary Basis of Worker Sterility in the Social Hymenoptera. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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9
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Amarasinghe HE, Toghill BJ, Nathanael D, Mallon EB. Allele specific expression in worker reproduction genes in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1079. [PMID: 26213649 PMCID: PMC4512776 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2015] [Accepted: 06/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Methylation has previously been associated with allele specific expression in ants. Recently, we found methylation is important in worker reproduction in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. Here we searched for allele specific expression in twelve genes associated with worker reproduction in bees. We found allele specific expression in Ecdysone 20 monooxygenase and IMP-L2-like. Although we were unable to confirm a genetic or epigenetic cause for this allele specific expression, the expression patterns of the two genes match those predicted for imprinted genes.
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10
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Elshaer N, Piulachs MD. Crosstalk of EGFR signalling with Notch and Hippo pathways to regulate cell specification, migration and proliferation in cockroach panoistic ovaries. Biol Cell 2015; 107:273-85. [DOI: 10.1111/boc.201500003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nashwa Elshaer
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva; CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra; Barcelona 08003 Spain
- Permanent address: Department of Pest Control; Faculty of Agriculture; Zagazig University; Egypt
| | - Maria-Dolors Piulachs
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva; CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra; Barcelona 08003 Spain
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11
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Matsuyama S, Nagao T, Sasaki K. Consumption of tyrosine in royal jelly increases brain levels of dopamine and tyramine and promotes transition from normal to reproductive workers in queenless honey bee colonies. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2015; 211:1-8. [PMID: 25448251 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2014] [Revised: 10/22/2014] [Accepted: 11/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) and tyramine (TA) have neurohormonal roles in the production of reproductive workers in queenless colonies of honey bees, but the regulation of these biogenic amines in the brain are still largely unclear. Nutrition is an important factor in promoting reproduction and might be involved in the regulation of these biogenic amines in the brain. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effect of oral treatments of tyrosine (Tyr; a common precursor of DA, TA and octopamine, and a component of royal jelly) in queenless workers and quantified the resulting production of biogenic amines. Tyrosine treatments enhanced the levels of DA, TA and their metabolites in the brain. Workers fed royal jelly had significantly larger brain levels of Tyr, DA, TA and the metabolites in the brains compared with those bees fed honey or sucrose (control). Treatment with Tyr also inhibited the behavior of workers outside of the hive and promoted ovarian development. These results suggest that there is a link between nutrition and the regulation of DA and TA in the brain to promote the production of reproductive workers in queenless honey bee colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syuhei Matsuyama
- Graduate Program in Bioscience and Chemistry, Human Information Systems, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 3-1 Yakkaho, Hakusan, Ishikawa 924-0838, Japan
| | - Takashi Nagao
- Graduate Program in Bioscience and Chemistry, Human Information Systems, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 3-1 Yakkaho, Hakusan, Ishikawa 924-0838, Japan
| | - Ken Sasaki
- Graduate Program in Bioscience and Chemistry, Human Information Systems, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 3-1 Yakkaho, Hakusan, Ishikawa 924-0838, Japan; Department of Bioresource Science, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo 194-8610, Japan.
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12
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Christiaens O, Smagghe G. The challenge of RNAi-mediated control of hemipterans. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2014; 6:15-21. [PMID: 32846663 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2014.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2014] [Revised: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The post-transcriptional gene silencing mechanism RNA interference (RNAi) has potential as a crop protection strategy against important pest insects. Here we focus on Hemiptera pests, comprising some of the most devastating pest organisms as aphids, whiteflies, psyllids, bedbugs and kissing bugs. At first, a state-of-the-art overview is provided of the progress in RNAi in Hemiptera, as well as on the challenges when developing new RNAi-based pest control strategies against hemipteran pests, such as the delivery of dsRNA and degradation in the insect body. We also discuss the variability in RNAi efficiency as observed between species and experiments, and the factors potentially responsible for this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Christiaens
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
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13
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Detienne G, De Haes W, Ernst UR, Schoofs L, Temmerman L. Royalactin extends lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans through epidermal growth factor signaling. Exp Gerontol 2014; 60:129-35. [PMID: 25456847 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2014.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Revised: 09/11/2014] [Accepted: 09/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Royalactin is a glycoprotein essential for the development of long-lived queen honeybees. Only larvae fed with royal jelly, containing royalactin, develop into queens. Royalactin plays a central role in this process by switching on the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor signaling pathway which ultimately leads to epigenetic changes and a long-lived queen phenotype. Recently it was shown that royalactin by itself also extends lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster. Yet, the mechanism by which royalactin promotes longevity remains largely unknown. We set out to characterize the effects of royalactin on Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan, and clarify the possible involvement of EGF signaling in this process. We demonstrate that royalactin extends lifespan of this nematode and that both EGF (LIN-3) and its receptor (LET-23) are essential to this process. To our knowledge, this is the first report of royalactin-mediated lifespan extension in a non-insect species. Additionally, we show that royalactin enhances locomotion in adult nematodes, implying that royalactin also influences healthspan. Our results suggest that royalactin is an important lifespan-extending factor in royal jelly and acts by promoting EGF signaling in C. elegans. Further work will now be needed to clarify which (secondary) signaling pathways are activated by royalactin, and how this ultimately translates into an extended health- and lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giel Detienne
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wouter De Haes
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ulrich R Ernst
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Liliane Schoofs
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Liesbet Temmerman
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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14
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Amsalem E, Malka O, Grozinger C, Hefetz A. Exploring the role of juvenile hormone and vitellogenin in reproduction and social behavior in bumble bees. BMC Evol Biol 2014; 14:45. [PMID: 24618396 PMCID: PMC4007805 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-14-45] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Accepted: 02/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The genetic and physiological pathways regulating behavior in solitary species are hypothesized to have been co-opted to regulate social behavior in social species. One classic example is the interaction between vitellogenin (an egg-yolk and storage protein) and juvenile hormone, which are positively correlated in most insect species but have modified interactions in highly eusocial insects. In some of these species (including some termites, ants, and the honey bee), juvenile hormone and vitellogenin levels are negatively correlated and juvenile hormone has shifted its role from a gonadotropin to a regulator of maturation and division of labor in the primarily sterile workers. The function of vitellogenin also seems to have broadened to encompass similar roles. Thus, the functions and molecular interactions of juvenile hormone and vitellogenin are hypothesized to have undergone changes during the evolution of eusociality, but the mechanisms underlying these changes are unknown. Bumble bees offer an excellent model system for testing how the relationship between juvenile hormone and vitellogenin evolved from solitary to social species. Bumble bee colonies are primitively eusocial and comprised of a single reproductive queen and facultatively sterile workers. In Bombus terrestris, juvenile hormone retains its ancestral role as a gonadotropin and is also hypothesized to regulate aggressive behavior. However, the function of vitellogenin and its interactions with juvenile hormone have not yet been characterized. Results By characterizing vitellogenin RNA expression levels (vg) in B. terrestris we show that vg is not associated with task and only partially associated with worker age, queen presence, and caste (queen vs worker). The correlations of vg with ovarian activation were not consistent across experiments, but both vg and ovarian activation were significantly associated with levels of aggression experienced by workers. Treatment with juvenile hormone did not affect vg levels in queenless groups. Conclusions We suggest that social interactions affect vg levels more strongly than a worker’s reproductive physiological state, and that juvenile hormone and vg are uncoupled in this species. Thus, although juvenile hormone maintains its traditional role as gonadotropin in B. terrestris, vg has already been co-opted into a novel role, consistent with the model that Bombus represents an intermediate stage in the evolution of eusociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etya Amsalem
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Center for Chemical Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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