The Experts below are selected from a list of 255 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Guohong Chen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells
Frontiers in genetics, 2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Zhang Huanxin, Chen Yuyong, Guohong ChenAbstract:Abstract The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 d. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1)was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross-talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus enriching the understanding of bee caste differentiation.
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Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells
Frontiers Media S.A., 2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Huanxin Zhang, Yuyong Chen, Guohong ChenAbstract:The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 days. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1) was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 is an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus, amplifying the understanding of caste differentiation in bees
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Image_1_Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells.TIFF
2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Huanxin Zhang, Yuyong Chen, Guohong ChenAbstract:The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 days. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1) was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 is an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus, amplifying the understanding of caste differentiation in bees.
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Data_Sheet_4_Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells.xlsx
2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Huanxin Zhang, Yuyong Chen, Guohong ChenAbstract:The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 days. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1) was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 is an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus, amplifying the understanding of caste differentiation in bees.
Francis L. W. Ratnieks - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Direct introduction of mated and virgin Queens using smoke : a method that gives almost 100% acceptance when hives have been Queenless for 2 days or more
Journal of Apicultural Research, 2008Co-Authors: J Antonio Perez-sato, William O. H. Hughes, Martin H. Kärcher, Francis L. W. RatnieksAbstract:SummaryWe compared the acceptance of virgin and mated Queens introduced into Queenless hives using either artificial Queen Cells or direct introduction accompanied by smoke. In Experiment 1, virgin Queens aged 3–4 days were introduced into 5-frame hives than had been deQueened 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 days previously. Acceptance increased significantly with the length of time a colony had been Queenless, and direct introduction gave significantly greater success than artificial Queen Cells (between 31% and 100% acceptance vs. 8% to 92% for direct and cell introduction respectively, depending on the period of Queenlessness). In Experiment 2, virgin and mated Queens were introduced into 2-frame observation hives that had been deQueened 1, 2, 3 and 4 days previously. The probability of acceptance was significantly higher for mated Queens than virgins, for direct introduction versus artificial Queen Cells, and for longer Queenless periods. Accordingly, the probability of a Queen being balled by the workers decline...
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Improved technique for introducing four-day old virgin Queens to mating hives that uses artificial and natural Queen Cells for introduction
Journal of Apicultural Research, 2007Co-Authors: Juan Antonio Perez-sato, William O. H. Hughes, Margaret J. Couvillon, Francis L. W. RatnieksAbstract:We compared the acceptance of 4-day old virgin Queens introduced into mating nucleus hives using natural and artificial Queen Cells versus a wooden 3-hole mailing cage, a standard introduction method. The Queen cell methods gave high acceptance (95% and 93% for natural and artificial, respectively) even though the Queen was released from the Queen cell approximately 10 minutes after being introduced into the mating hive. By contrast, success using mailing cages was significantly lower (47% and 73%) when the Queen was released from her cage after I hour or 48 hours, respectively. The equal success rates of the reused and artificial Queen Cells suggests that high success is not due to chemicals present in natural Queen Cells transferring to the Queens. To further investigate why Queen Cells give higher introduction success than cages, we introduced virgin Queens into Queenless observation hives. Workers attacked only I of 12 Queens leaving a Queen cell whereas 5 out of 6 Queens leaving a cage were attacked.
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Absence of nepotism toward imprisoned young Queens during swarming in the honey bee
Behavioral Ecology, 2004Co-Authors: Nicolas Châline, Stephen J. Martin, Francis L. W. RatnieksAbstract:Nepotism is an important potential conflict in animal societies. However, clear evidence of nepotism in the rearing of Queens in social insects is limited and controversial. In the honey bee, Apis mellifera, multiple mating by Queens leads to the presence of many patrilines within each colony. When the colonies reproduce through swarming, workers rear a number of new Queens, only a few of which will ultimately head a colony. Workers can potentially increase their inclusive fitness by nepotistically favoring full-sister over half-sister Queens during the Queen rearing and elimination process. Most studies have focused on interactions between workers and immature Queens (eggs and larvae) or adult Queens who have exited their Queen Cells. However, adult Queens often remain in their Queen Cells for up to 1 week after emerging from their pupa. In this situation, workers prevent the Queens from emerging, feed them, and protect them from other emerged Queens. This stage in Queen rearing is therefore one in which nepotism could occur. The current study is the first to investigate the kinship between workers and adult Queens who have not emerged from their Queen Cells. We observed the full suite of behaviors expected during this phase of colony reproduction. Although there was no evidence for nepotism in the worker--Queen interactions, there was a nonrandom distribution across patrilines of the workers interacting with the Queen Cells. In addition, in one colony we found differential treatment of fostered (nonkin)-Queen Cells. Copyright 2005.
Robi F A Moritz - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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how honeybees defy gravity with royal jelly to raise Queens
Current Biology, 2018Co-Authors: Anja Uttsted, Carme I Muresa, Hauke Lilie, Gerd Hause, Christia Ihling, Stefanh Schulze, Markus Pietzsch, Robi F A MoritzAbstract:Summary The female sex in honeybees ( Apis spp. ) comprises a reproductive Queen and a sterile worker caste. Nurse bees feed all larvae progressively with a caste-specific food jelly until the prepupal stage. Only those larvae that are exclusively fed a large amount of royal jelly (RJ) develop into Queens [1]. RJ is a composite secretion of two specialized head glands: the mandibular glands, which produce mainly fatty acids [2], and the hypopharyngeal glands, which contribute proteins, primarily belonging to the major royal jelly protein (MRJP) family [3]. Past research on RJ has focused on its nutritional function and overlooked its central role with regard to the orientation of the larva in the royal brood cell. Whereas workers are reared in the regular horizontal Cells of the comb, the Queen Cells are specifically built outside of the normal comb area to accommodate for the larger Queen [4, 5]. These Cells hang freely along the bottom of the comb and are vertically oriented, opening downward [6]. Queen larvae are attached by their RJ diet to the cell ceiling. Thus, the physical properties of RJ are central to successful retention of larvae in the cell. Here, we show that the main protein of RJ (MRJP1) polymerizes in complex with another protein, apisimin, into long fibrous structures that build the basis for the high viscosity of RJ to hold Queen larvae on the RJ surface.
Ling Yin - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells
Frontiers in genetics, 2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Zhang Huanxin, Chen Yuyong, Guohong ChenAbstract:Abstract The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 d. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1)was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross-talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus enriching the understanding of bee caste differentiation.
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Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells
Frontiers Media S.A., 2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Huanxin Zhang, Yuyong Chen, Guohong ChenAbstract:The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 days. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1) was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 is an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus, amplifying the understanding of caste differentiation in bees
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Image_1_Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells.TIFF
2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Huanxin Zhang, Yuyong Chen, Guohong ChenAbstract:The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 days. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1) was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 is an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus, amplifying the understanding of caste differentiation in bees.
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Data_Sheet_4_Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells.xlsx
2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Huanxin Zhang, Yuyong Chen, Guohong ChenAbstract:The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 days. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1) was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 is an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus, amplifying the understanding of caste differentiation in bees.
Lin Niu - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells
Frontiers in genetics, 2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Zhang Huanxin, Chen Yuyong, Guohong ChenAbstract:Abstract The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 d. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1)was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross-talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus enriching the understanding of bee caste differentiation.
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Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells
Frontiers Media S.A., 2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Huanxin Zhang, Yuyong Chen, Guohong ChenAbstract:The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 days. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1) was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 is an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus, amplifying the understanding of caste differentiation in bees
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Image_1_Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells.TIFF
2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Huanxin Zhang, Yuyong Chen, Guohong ChenAbstract:The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 days. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1) was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 is an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus, amplifying the understanding of caste differentiation in bees.
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Data_Sheet_4_Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells.xlsx
2018Co-Authors: Ling Yin, Kang Wang, Lin Niu, Huanxin Zhang, Yuyong Chen, Guohong ChenAbstract:The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a Queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the Queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into Queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to Queen Cells of a bee colony can develop into Queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and 3 days (L3) into Queen Cells until the age of 4 days. Subsequently, genetic changes in these larvae were evaluated. The results revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in L1 vs. L3 was more than that in L1 vs. L2. Furthermore, many of the genes that were downregulated are mostly involved in metabolism, body development, reproductive ability, and longevity, indicating that these functions decreased with the age of transplantation of the larvae. Moreover, these functions may be critical for worker larvae to undergo the developmental path to become Queens. We also found that the DEGs of L1 vs. L2 and L1 vs. L3 were enriched in the MAPK, FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, TGF-beta Hedgehog Toll and Imd, and Hippo signaling pathways. Gene ontology analysis indicated that some genes are simultaneously involved in different biological pathways; through these genes, the pathways formed a mutual regulatory network. Casein kinase 1 (CK 1) was predicted to participate in the FoxO, Wnt, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. The results suggest that these pathways cross talked through the network to modify the development of larvae and that CK 1 is an important liaison. The results provide valuable information regarding the regulatory mechanism of environmental factors affecting Queen development, thus, amplifying the understanding of caste differentiation in bees.
