Mars is close to venus – Female reproductive proteins are expressed in the fat body and reproductive tract of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) drones

Colonello-Frattini, Nínive Aguiar; Guidugli-Lazzarini, Karina Rosa; Simões, Zilá Luz Paulino; Hartfelder, Klaus

doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2010.06.008

Cited by 18 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Unlike in honeybees, where Vg mRNA levels in abdomens, fat body and male accessory glands were only moderate in 1-day-old drones and then declined (Piulachs et al, 2003; Corona et al, 2007; Colonello-Frattini et al, 2010), we found very high transcript levels of Vg in fat bodies of mature males. Additionally, Vg was expressed in hypopharyngeal glands, flight muscles, and gonads.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 79%

“…In insects, Vg is not common in males, but not exceptionally rare (reviewed in Valle, 1993); in social insects it occurs for instance in males of termites (Weil et al, 2009), stingless bees (Dallacqua et al, 2007), honeybees (Colonello-Frattini et al, 2010), and two species of bumblebees (Li et al, 2010; Harrison et al, 2015). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This supports once again the expected pleiotropic function of Vg. Colonello-Frattini et al (2010) interpret the finding of Vg in male gonads as a “cross-sexual transfer” from traits evolved in female castes. Piulachs et al (2003) argue that it is not a partial development of female traits, because it is also found in diplo-diploid species, and suggest that in Hymenoptera at least, it is related to sociality.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gene Expression Dynamics in Major Endocrine Regulatory Pathways along the Transition from Solitary to Social Life in a Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris

Jedlička

Ernst

Votavová³

et al. 2016

Front. Physiol.

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Understanding the social evolution leading to insect eusociality requires, among other, a detailed insight into endocrine regulatory mechanisms that have been co-opted from solitary ancestors to play new roles in the complex life histories of eusocial species. Bumblebees represent well-suited models of a relatively primitive social organization standing on the mid-way to highly advanced eusociality and their queens undergo both, a solitary and a social phase, separated by winter diapause. In the present paper, we characterize the gene expression levels of major endocrine regulatory pathways across tissues, sexes, and life-stages of the buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, with special emphasis on critical stages of the queen's transition from solitary to social life. We focused on fundamental genes of three pathways: (1) Forkhead box protein O and insulin/insulin-like signaling, (2) Juvenile hormone (JH) signaling, and (3) Adipokinetic hormone signaling. Virgin queens were distinguished by higher expression of forkhead box protein O and downregulated insulin-like peptides and JH signaling, indicated by low expression of methyl farnesoate epoxidase (MFE) and transcription factor Krüppel homolog 1 (Kr-h1). Diapausing queens showed the expected downregulation of JH signaling in terms of low MFE and vitellogenin (Vg) expressions, but an unexpectedly high expression of Kr-h1. By contrast, reproducing queens revealed an upregulation of MFE and Vg together with insulin signaling. Surprisingly, the insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) turned out to be a queen-specific hormone. Workers exhibited an expression pattern of MFE and Vg similar to that of reproducing queens. Males were characterized by high Kr-h1 expression and low Vg level. The tissue comparison unveiled an unexpected resemblance between the fat body and hypopharyngeal glands across all investigated genes, sexes, and life stages.

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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 79%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gene Expression Dynamics in Major Endocrine Regulatory Pathways along the Transition from Solitary to Social Life in a Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris

Jedlička

Ernst

Votavová³

et al. 2016

Front. Physiol.

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“…Bebas et al [45] reported that, in the moth Spodoptera littoralis, a yolk protein precursor is produced in the testes, released into the seminal fluid, and forms an external coating on the spermatozoon. Vitellogenin is expressed in the reproductive system of the male honey bee Apis mellifera [46]. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster three yolk proteins are produced in the male reproductive tract and become extrinsic proteins of the spermatozoon membrane [47].…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Label-free protein quantification in freshly ejaculated versus post-mating spermatophores of the noble crayfish Astacus astacus

Niksirat

James

Andersson

et al. 2015

Journal of Proteomics

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“…This shift between nurse bees and foragers is driven by physiological modifications (6), which are governed by the egg yolk protein vitellogenin (1,52,54). Vitellogenin displays various functions in workers, drones, and queens (7,11,66). It is processed in the nurse hypopharyngeal glands to produce royal jelly polypeptides (3) and seems to play essential roles in bee immunity (5,43) and in bee ageing (53,55).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Dead or Alive: Deformed Wing Virus and Varroa destructor Reduce the Life Span of Winter Honeybees

Dainat

Evans²,

Chen³

et al. 2012

Appl Environ Microbiol

312

269

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Elevated winter losses of managed honeybee colonies are a major concern, but the underlying mechanisms remain controversial. Among the suspects are the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, the microsporidian Nosema ceranae, and associated viruses. Here we hypothesize that pathogens reduce the life expectancy of winter bees, thereby constituting a proximate mechanism for colony losses. A monitoring of colonies was performed over 6 months in Switzerland from summer 2007 to winter 2007/2008. Individual dead workers were collected daily and quantitatively analyzed for deformed wing virus (DWV), acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), N. ceranae, and expression levels of the vitellogenin gene as a biomarker for honeybee longevity. Workers from colonies that failed to survive winter had a reduced life span beginning in late fall, were more likely to be infected with DWV, and had higher DWV loads. Colony levels of infection with the parasitic mite Varroa destructor and individual infections with DWV were also associated with reduced honeybee life expectancy. In sharp contrast, the level of N. ceranae infection was not correlated with longevity. In addition, vitellogenin gene expression was significantly positively correlated with ABPV and N. ceranae loads. The findings strongly suggest that V. destructor and DWV (but neither N. ceranae nor ABPV) reduce the life span of winter bees, thereby constituting a parsimonious possible mechanism for honeybee colony losses.

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Mars is close to venus – Female reproductive proteins are expressed in the fat body and reproductive tract of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) drones

Cited by 18 publications

References 51 publications

Gene Expression Dynamics in Major Endocrine Regulatory Pathways along the Transition from Solitary to Social Life in a Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris

Gene Expression Dynamics in Major Endocrine Regulatory Pathways along the Transition from Solitary to Social Life in a Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris

Label-free protein quantification in freshly ejaculated versus post-mating spermatophores of the noble crayfish Astacus astacus

Dead or Alive: Deformed Wing Virus and Varroa destructor Reduce the Life Span of Winter Honeybees

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