Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) play an important role in the cellular defense of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms against a variety of internal and external stressors. In this study, a cDNA clone encoding a member of the α-crystallin/sHSP family, termed AccHsp27.6, was isolated from Apis cerana cerana. The full-length cDNA is 1,014 bp in length and contains a 708-bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 236 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 27.6 kDa and an isoelectric point of 7.53. Seven putative heat shock elements and three NF-κB binding sites were present in the 5′-flanking region, suggesting a possible function in immunity. A semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that AccHsp27.6 was expressed in all tested tissues and at different developmental stages. Furthermore, expression of the AccHsp27.6 transcript was induced by exposure to heat shock, H 2 O 2 , a number of different chemicals (including SO 2 , formaldehyde, alcohol, acetone, chloroform, and the pesticides phoxime and acetamiprid), and the microbes Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus. In contrast, the mRNA expression could be repressed by CO 2 , the pesticides pyriproxyfen and cyhalothrin, and the microbes Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Notably, the recombinant AccHsp27.6 protein exhibited significant in vitro molecular chaperone activity and antimicrobial activity. Taken together, these results suggest that AccHsp27.6 might play an important role in the response to abiotic and biotic stresses and in immune reactions.

Thioredoxin peroxidases (Tpxs) play important roles in protecting organisms against the toxicity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and regulating intracellular signal transduction. In the present study, we cloned the full cDNA of Tpx1 encoding a 195-amino acid protein from Apis cerana cerana (Acc). Based on the genomic DNA sequence, a 1442-bp 5'-flanking region was obtained, and the putative transcription factor binding sites were predicted. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that AccTpx1 was highly expressed in thorax and that the AccTpx1 transcript reached its highest level in two-week-old adult worker honeybees. Moreover, expression of the AccTpx1 transcript was increased by various abiotic stresses, such as ultraviolet light, HgCl(2) , and insecticide treatments. In addition, the recombinant AccTpx1 protein exhibited antioxidant activity; it removed hydrogen peroxide and protected DNA. These results suggest that AccTpx1 plays an important role in protecting honeybees from oxidative injury and may act in extending the lifespan of them.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) mediate fast cholinergic synaptic transmission in the insect nervous system and are important targets for insecticides. In this study, we identified and characterized two novel β subunit genes (Accβ1 and Accβ2) from Apis cerana cerana. Homology analysis indicated that Accβ1 and Accβ2 possess characteristics that are typical of nAChR subunits although Accβ2 was distinct from Accβ1 and the other nAChR subunits, due to its unusual transmembrane structure and uncommon exon-intron boundary within the genomic region encoding the TM1 transmembrane domain. Analysis of the 5' flanking regions indicated that Accβ1 and Accβ2 possess different regulatory elements, suggesting that the genes might exhibit various expression and regulatory patterns. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that Accβ2 was expressed at a much higher level than Accβ1 in the tissues of adult bees. During development, Accβ1 was highly expressed at the pupal stages, whereas Accβ2 was abundantly expressed at the larval stages. Furthermore, Accβ1 and Accβ2 were both induced by exposure to various insecticides and environmental stresses although Accβ2 was more responsive than Accβ1. These results indicate that Accβ1 and Accβ2 may have distinct roles in insect growth and development and that they may belong to separate regulatory pathways involved in the response to insecticides and environmental stresses. This report is the first description of the differences between the nAChR β subunit genes in the Chinese honey bee and establishes an initial foundation for further study.

Ribosomal protein L17 (RPL17) is a core protein of the large (60S) ribosomal subunit and plays an important role in protein synthesis. In this report, a RPL17 gene was isolated from Apis cerana cerana, designated as AccRPL17. Alignment analysis showed that AccRPL17 exhibits high homology to other known RPL17s. Moreover, genomic sequence analysis revealed that five exons are splitted by four introns, and the position of the first intron is comparatively conservative, being localized in the 5' untranslated region. Partial putative cis-acting elements related to development were also examined. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that the highest mRNA level was detected in larvae on the fifth day. Simultaneously, immunohistochemical localization showed that AccRPL17 is primarily concentrated in muscular tissues, stigma, body wall, and the surrounding of the eye in the fifth-instar larvae. Further studies suggested that AccRPL17 might be involved in responses to abiotic stresses. This is a report attempting to analyze the expression and distribution of RPL17 in A. cerana cerana. These results indicated that AccRPL17 might play an important role in insect development, and the importance of AccRPL17 in participating in abiotic stresses is discussed.

The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is involved in various processes, including stress responses, development, and differentiation. However, little information on p38 MAPK in insects is available. In this study, a p38 MAPK gene, Accp38b, was isolated from Apis cerana cerana and characterized. The quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR) analysis revealed that Accp38b was induced by multiple stressors. Notably, the expression of Accp38b was relatively higher in the pupae phase than in other developmental phases. During the pupae phase, Accp38b expression was higher in the thorax than in the head and abdomen and higher in the fat body than in the muscle and midgut. Immunohistochemisty