Identification of differentially expressed genes in queen and worker castes of Melipona quadrifasciata / Identificação de genes diferencialmente expressos nas castas da rainha e operaria de Melipona quadrifasciata

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2005

RESUMO

Caste polyphenism is a multifaceted phenomenon, most evident in the marked differences in reproductive capacity and longevity between queens and workers. In the present study, the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides was chosen to investigate differences in gene expression between newly emerged adult queens and workers. This study has focused on newly emerged adults since this stage represents the endpoint of post-embryonic development and the starting point for caste-specific task performance.Initially, the methodology of differential display reverse transcription (DDRT)-PCR was employed and the differential expression for 14 M. quadrifasciata genes could be detected between queens and workers. The differences in the expression profile of the castes were further analysed through two subtractive cDNA libraries: one representing the genes that are overexpressed in workers, when compared with queens and the other representing genes which are overexpressed in queens.Although the total number of sequence does not allow a comprehensive picture of the caste transcriptomes, there seems to exist a predominance of genes involved in transcriptional regulation and metabolism in the queen ESTs, versus a much broader spectrum of categories in the worker ESTs. Another group representing sequences with unknown function displayed significant matches only with the Apis database and, therefore, may contain candidates for further investigations on processes specific to social bees or caste development in general.In addition, this study addressed the question of whether queens induced by treatment with juvenile hormone (JH) during the larval phase display genes with similar expression levels as naturally produced queens. Remarkably, our preliminary data suggest that the artificial queen does not present the same transcriptome of a natural queen, indicating that JH may not induce all aspects of the differentiation process

ASSUNTO(S)

abelha - comportamento social e organização abelha genetica - expressão social behavior and organization inseto - sociedades bees gene expression

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

Documentos Relacionados