Caste specific modulation of juvenile hormone titers in Apis mellifera

The titers of JH III were studied in the larval and pupal stages of the two female honey bee castes, the queen and the worker. Whereas the early larval stages, L3 and L4, had to be pooled, all the last instar larvae, pupae, and newly hatched adults, were titered individually. The queen stages produce two-fold higher JH III titers in comparison with the worker stages. Both have relatively high titers during the early larval instars, decreasing from an average of 450 pmol/g at L3 to about 20 pmol/g in the queen and 75 pmol/g at L3 to 5 pmol/g at L5 in the worker. Both castes build up another JH III peak at the end of their spinning phase when entering the pharate pupa stage, with about 200 pmol/g in the queen and 60 pmol/g in the worker. No JH III was found in the pupal stage; the queen only develops a new JH III titer in the late pupal stage.     

低温胁迫下意大利蜜蜂预蛹的差异表达基因趋势分析

【目的】蜜蜂是典型的具有发育狭温性的全变态昆虫。本研究以对低温最敏感的意大利蜜蜂Apis mellifera ligustica预蛹为研究对象,通过低温胁迫不同时间的差异表达基因(differentially expressed genes, DEGs)趋势分析,探讨低温胁迫对蜜蜂发育影响的关键基因。【方法】对3日龄意大利蜜蜂封盖子预蛹进行20℃低温胁迫18 h(T18)和36 h(T36),以未经低温胁迫的预蛹为对照(CK),通过Illumina HiSeq~(TM)平台进行转录组学测定。利用Short Time-series Expression Miner(STEM)软件对2个处理组与对照组比较共有的差异表达基因进行趋势分析,再进一步对显著富集趋势模式中富集的差异表达基因进行GO分类和KEGG pathway分析。利用RT-qPCR对随机挑选的5个DEGs的表达模式进行验证。【结果】对检测到1 062个T18 vs CK和T36 vs CK共有的DEGs进行趋势分析,发现3个显著的基因表达模式,包括2个上调表达模式(Profile 6,有539个基因;Profile 7,有271个基因),1个下调表达模式(Profile 1,有183个基因)。对3个显著富集趋势模式DEGs分别进行GO富集分析和KEGG pathway分析,在Profile 6中找到同时富集在FoxO信号通路和寿命调节信号通路上的胰岛素样肽基因ILP和叉头蛋白O基因FoxO持续上调,说明低温胁迫会影响蜜蜂预蛹蜕皮激素信号传递;在Profile 7中CREB结合蛋白基因CBP持续上调,蜜蜂预蛹受到低温胁迫会影响细胞发育;在Profile 1中细胞色素P450基因CYP450 306a1 (phm)和WNT1显著下调,说明化蛹时受到低温胁迫会影响蜕皮激素的合成。通过RT-qPCR分析挑选的5个基因的表达结果和高通量测序结果一致。【结论】通过对蜜蜂响应低温胁迫的差异表达基因趋势分析发现,蜜蜂胰岛素和蜕皮激素共同调控的FoxO可能是低温胁迫抑制蜜蜂化蛹的一个关键基因。本研究为探索低温胁迫影响蜜蜂发育变态的分子调控机制奠定了基础。     

中华蜜蜂精巢和卵巢差异表达基因分析

[目的]在蜂群中,雄蜂与蜂王都有着发育完全的性腺,但两者达到性成熟的时间却是不同步的.本研究旨在探究中华蜜蜂Apis cerana cerana雄蜂与蜂王生殖腺的基因表达差异.[方法]利用Illumina测序技术对中华蜜蜂雄蜂精巢与蜂王卵巢转录组差异表达基因(differentially expressed genes...     

转录组分析揭示溶藻弧菌感染早期大黄鱼的免疫应答特征

为探究大黄鱼(Larimichthys crocea)抗溶藻弧菌(Vibrio alginolyticus)感染的免疫应答机制, 研究通过转录组测序及生物信息学分析的手段, 在转录组水平分析了溶藻弧菌感染24h后大黄鱼头肾中基因表达水平的变化, 共获得1903个差异表达基因(Differentially expressed genes, DEGs), 其中641个上调表达基因, 1262个下调表达基因。通过Gene Ontology(GO)和Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)富集分析发现, 一些先天性免疫相关基因, 包括补体(C1qbp、C1QL2和C7)、热休克蛋白(hspd1、hspa4、hspa5和hspa9)、抗菌肽(Hepcidin-1)、C型凝集素受体(Clec4e和MR1)、己糖激酶(hex1)、精氨酸酶(Arg-II)和线粒体翻译延伸因子(TUFM)等基因表达水平均显著上调; 而许多与获得性免疫相关基因, 包括T、B淋巴细胞增殖分化(FcR5和CCL17)、T细胞调控(TCRα、TCRβ、CD3ε、CD3γδ、CD3ζ、ZAP-70和ITK)及免疫球蛋白参与抗原识别(Ighv 5A、Ighv 914和Ighv XIG14)等基因表达水平均显著下调。结果表明, 在感染早期, 大黄鱼先天性免疫在抵御溶藻弧菌感染中发挥重要作用, 而此时获得性免疫受到了抑制。     

Ergatoid queen development in the ant Myrmecina nipponica: modular and heterochronic regulation of caste differentiation

Caste polyphenism in social insects provides us with excellent opportunities to examine the plasticity and robustness underlying developmental pathways. Several ant species have evolved unusual castes showing intermediate morphologies between alate queens and wingless workers. In some low-temperature habitats, the ant Myrmecina nipponica produces such intermediate reproductives (i.e. ergatoids), which can mate and store sperm but cannot fly. To gain insight into the developmental and evolutionary aspects associated with ergatoid production, we conducted morphological and histological examinations of the post-embryonic development of compound eyes, gonads and wings during the process of caste differentiation. In compound eyes, both the queen-worker and ergatoid-worker differences were already recognized at the third larval instar. In gonads, queen-worker differentiation began at the larval stage, and ergatoid-worker differentiation began between the prepupal and pupal stages. Wing development in ergatoids was generally similar to that in workers throughout post-embryonic development. Our results showed that the developmental rate and timing of differentiation in body parts differed among castes and among body parts. These differences suggest that the rearrangement of modular body parts by heterochronic developmental regulation is responsible for the origination of novel castes, which are considered to be adaptations to specific ecological niches.     

蜜蜂蜂王与工蜂级型分化研究进展

蜜蜂ApismekiferaL .是典型的社会性昆虫 ,蜂王和工蜂都是由受精卵发育而来的二倍体成蜂 ,但是在形态、生理、行为等方面有明显的差异 ,属于不同的级型。蜂王和工蜂的级型分化的关键时期发生在幼虫的 4龄末至 5龄止。分化是由分化基因调控的 ,幼虫期食物的质和量是分化的外部决定因子。JH对两级型中卵巢的分化有非常重要的调控作用。蜜蜂脑或其它组织中可能有分泌调控CA的咽侧体调节激素 ,它们通过对CA中JH的合成和分泌的调控而参与了分化的调控。章鱼胺等生物胺也参与了分化调控过程。     

草地贪夜蛾雄性成虫和5龄幼虫的转录组比较分析

【目的】草地贪夜蛾Spodoptera frugiperda是一种新近入侵我国的重要害虫。本研究旨在对草地贪夜蛾雄性成虫和5龄幼虫两个不同发育阶段的转录组进行比较分析。【方法】利用高通量测序技术对草地贪夜蛾雄性成虫和5龄幼虫进行转录组测序和数据组装,并对转录组数据进行功能注释和比较分析。【结果】经de novo组装共获得209 002条转录本,平均长度为687.55 bp,N50为982 bp。共有46 198条(57.43%) unigene在至少一个数据库中获得功能注释,其中1 713条(2.13%) unigene在所有数据库中均能获得注释。在GO数据库中获得205 269条unigene的注释,主要包括68个功能分类;在KEGG数据库中共有3 408条unigene得到注释,涉及277个代谢通路。共鉴定到424个嗅觉相关的基因,并且在雄性成虫和5龄幼虫之间的表达存在差异。通过比较转录组分析,在雄性成虫中鉴定到9 162个上调和6 399个下调差异表达基因(DEGs);功能富集分析发现在上调DEGs中涉及信息素以及信号转导的代谢通路显著富集,而下调DEGs中涉及解毒相关的通路显著富集。【结论】这些转录组数据为探究草地贪夜蛾的生长发育、嗅觉相关功能基因以及候选分子靶标提供资源信息。     

家蚕5龄幼虫精巢和卵巢microRNA芯片及转录组比较分析

【目的】本研究旨在通过对家蚕Bombyx mori 5龄幼虫精巢和卵巢组织微小RNA (microRNA, miRNA)基因芯片及转录组进行分析,找到参与家蚕性腺发育相关的miRNA分子及可能的靶基因。【方法】采用新一代高通量测序平台对家蚕5龄幼虫精巢和卵巢(分别定义为Test和Control)进行miRNA基因芯片检测及转录组测序分析,根据P＜0.05且log₂(fold change, FC)≥2的标准,通过比较筛选出Test vs Control的差异表达miRNA;根据q≤0.05且|log₂(fold change)|≥1的标准,通过比较筛选出Test vs Control的差异表达基因 (differentially expressed genes, DEGs);随机选取8个上调和12个下调差异表达miRNA,对其表达及其预测的5个靶基因进行qRT-PCR验证;对DEGs以及差异表达miRNA的靶基因进行KEGG通路富集分析。【结果】从精巢和卵巢样本中(Test vs Control)分别鉴定出68个差异表达miRNA和3 991个DEGs,其中上调和下调miRNA分别为36和32个,上调和下调DEGs分别为2 033和1 958个。差异表达miRNA的qRT PCR验证结果均与芯片数据一致。KEGG通路富集分析结果显示DEGs在新陈代谢及核糖体的信号通路显著富集。对差异表达miRNA在DEGs中的可能靶基因进行预测,结果找到了4组表达趋势相反的miRNA与靶基因：分别是bmo-miR-2774a与LOC101745556;bmo-miR-92b与LOC101735954以及bmo-miR-3266与LOC733130和LOC778467;1组表达趋势一致的miRNA与靶基因：bmo-miR-3321与LOC101744895。5个靶基因的qRT-PCR验证结果与转录组测序结果一致。【结论】本研究获得了家蚕5龄幼虫精巢和卵巢转录组及miRNA芯片数据,筛选并验证了4组差异表达和1组一致表达miRNA及潜在靶基因,为探究家蚕精巢和卵巢发育差异奠定了基础。     

Mitochondrial structure and dynamics as critical factors in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) caste development

The relationship between nutrition and phenotype is an especially challenging question in cases of facultative polyphenism, like the castes of social insects. In the honey bee, Apis mellifera, unexpected modifications in conserved signaling pathways revealed the hypoxia response as a possible mechanism underlying the regulation of body size and organ growth. Hence, the current study was designed to investigate possible causes of why the three hypoxia core genes are overexpressed in worker larvae. Parting from the hypothesis that this has an endogenous cause and is not due to differences in external oxygen levels we investigated mitochondrial numbers and distribution, as well as mitochondrial oxygen consumption rates in fat body cells of queen and worker larvae during the caste fate-critical larval stages. By immunofluorescence and electron microscopy we found higher densities of mitochondria in queen larval fat body, a finding further confirmed by a citrate synthase assay quantifying mitochondrial functional units. Oxygen consumption measurements by high-resolution respirometry revealed that queen larvae have higher maximum capacities of ATP production at lower physiological demand. Finally, the expression analysis of mitogenesis-related factors showed that the honey bee TFB1 and TFB2 homologs, and a nutritional regulator, ERR, are overexpressed in queen larvae. These results are strong evidence that the differential nutrition of queen and worker larvae by nurse bees affects mitochondrial dynamics and functionality in the fat body of these larvae, hence explaining their differential hypoxia response.     

Correlations between spatiotemporal changes in gene expression and apoptosis underlie wing polyphenism in the ant Pheidole morrisi

Wing polyphenism, which is the ability of a single genome to produce winged and wingless castes in a colony in response to environmental cues, evolved just once and is a universal feature of ants. The gene network underlying wing polyphenism, however, is conserved in the winged castes of different ant species, but is interrupted at different points in the network in the wingless castes of these species. We previously constructed a mathematical model, which predicts that a key gene brinker (brk) mediates the development and evolution of these different "interruption points" in wingless castes of different ant species. According to this model, brk is upregulated throughout the vestigial wing discs of wingless ant castes to reduce growth and induce apoptosis. Here, we tested these predictions by examining the expression of brk, as well as three other genes up- and downstream of brk-decapentaplegic (dpp), spalt (sal), and engrailed (en)-in the winged reproductive and wingless soldier castes in the ant Pheidole morrisi. We show that expression of these genes is conserved in the wing disc of winged castes. Surprisingly, however, we found that brk expression is absent throughout development of the vestigial soldier forewing disc. This absence is correlated with abnormal growth of the soldier forewing disc as revealed by En expression and morphometric analyses. We also discovered that dpp and sal expression change dynamically during the transition from larval-to-prepupal development, and is spatiotemporally correlated with the induction of apoptosis in soldier forewing disc. Our results suggest that, contrary to our predictions, brk may not be a key gene in the network for suppressing wings in soldiers, and its absence may function to disrupt the normal growth of the soldier forewing disc. Furthermore, the dynamic changes in network interruptions we discovered may be important for the induction of apoptosis, and may be a general feature of gene networks that underlie polyphenism.     

DNA base modifications in honey bee and fruit fly genomes suggest an active demethylation machinery with species- and tissue-specific turnover rates

Well-known epigenetic DNA modifications in mammals include the addition of a methyl group and a hydroxyl group to cytosine, resulting in 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) respectively. In contrast, the abundance and the functional implications of these modifications in invertebrate model organisms such as the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) are not well understood. Here we show that both adult honey bees and fruit flies contain 5mC and also 5hmC. Using a highly sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) technique, we quantified 5mC and 5hmC in different tissues of adult honey bee worker castes and in adult fruit flies. A comparison of our data with reports from human and mouse shed light on notable differences in 5mC and 5hmC levels between tissues and species.     

Representational Difference Analysis (RDA) reveals differential expression of conserved as well as novel genes during caste-specific development of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) ovary

In highly eusocial insects, such as the honey bee, Apis mellifera, the reproductive bias has become embedded in morphological caste differences. These are most expressively denoted in ovary size, with adult queens having large ovaries consisting of 150-200 ovarioles each, while workers typically have only 1-20 ovarioles per ovary. This morphological differentiation is a result of hormonal signals triggered by the diet change in the third larval instar, which eventually generate caste-specific gene expression patterns. To reveal these we produced differential gene expression libraries by Representational Difference Analysis (RDA) for queen and worker ovaries in a developmental stage when cell death is a prominent feature in the ovarioles of workers, whereas all ovarioles are maintained and extend in length in queens. In the queen library, 48% of the gene set represented homologs of known Drosophila genes, whereas in the worker ovary, the largest set (59%) were ESTs evidencing novel genes, not even computationally predicted in the honey bee genome. Differential expression was confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR for a selected gene set, denoting major differences for two queen and two worker library genes. These included two unpredicted genes located in chromosome 11 (Group11.35 and Group11.31, respectively) possibly representing long non-coding RNAs. Being candidates as modulators of ovary development, their expression and functional analysis should be a focal point for future studies.     

Developmental regulation of caste-specific characters in social-insect polyphenism

Phenotypes of organisms are not determined completely genetically, but vary according to environmental factors (phenotypic plasticity). Some organisms express several discrete adaptive phenotypes (polyphenism). Social insects possess a few types of individuals (castes) in their colonies, to which specific tasks are allocated. Here, I review studies on caste polyphenism in ants and termites, in terms of the developmental mechanisms of caste-specific characters, such as alate wings and soldier mandibles. In ants, the developmental fate of caste is probably determined by the pattern-formation genes in the early stage of postembryonic development, but apoptotic degeneration occurs in the wing primordia of future workers. As apoptotic wing degeneration has been observed in two phylogenetically distant groups of ants, this phenomenon is suggested to be conserved in many ant species. On the other hand, all termite species possess distinct sterile soldiers with specific morphologies suitable for defense. Recent studies using molecular techniques isolated genes related to soldier differentiation and analyzed the expression profiles of those genes in order to understand the mechanism of caste differentiation and the link between molecular and social evolution. In this review, I focus on these studies, in terms of the alteration of body plan in response to environmental signals, and discuss the evolutionary process of the interaction between ontogeny and environment.     

Differential expressions of nuclear proteomes between honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Queen and Worker Larvae: a deep insight into caste pathway decisions

Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) possess individuals (castes) in their colonies, to which specific tasks are allocated. Owing to a difference in nutrition, the young female larvae develop into either a fertile queen or a sterile worker. Despite a series of investigations on the underlying mechanisms of honeybee caste polyphenism, information on proteins and enzymes involved in DNA and RNA regulation in the nucleus is still missing. The techniques of nuclear protein enrichment, two-dimensional electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics were applied to understand the nuclear proteome changes in response to changes in environmental settings (nutrition and time) during the early developmental stages at the third (72 h), fourth (96 h), and fifth (120 h) instars of the two caste intended larvae. A total of 120 differentially expressed nuclear proteins were identified in both caste intended larvae during these developmental stages. The third, fourth and fifth instars of queen prospective larvae expressed 69%, 84%, and 68% of the proteins that had altered expression, respectively. Particularly, the prospective queen larvae up-regulated most of the proteins with nuclear functions. In general, this changing nuclear proteome of the two caste intended larvae over the three developmental stages suggests variations in DNA and RNA regulating proteins and enzymes. These variations of proteins and enzymes involved in DNA and RNA regulation in response to differential nutrition between the two caste intended larvae lead the two caste larvae to pursue different developmental trajectories. Hence, this first data set of the nuclear proteome helps us to explore the innermost biological makings of queen and worker bee castes as early as before the 72 h (3rd instar). Also, it provides new insights into the honeybee's polymorphism at nuclear proteome level and paves new ways to understand mechanisms of caste decision in other eusocial insects.