| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Total Authors: 2
|
| Affiliation: | [1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, Dept Genet, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Biol, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 2
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | PLoS One; v. 11, n. 3 MAR 8 2016. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 4 |
| Abstract | |
Hexamerins are insect storage proteins abundantly secreted by the larval fat body into the haemolymph. The canonical role of hexamerins consists of serving as an amino acid reserve for development toward the adult stage. However, in Apis mellifera, immunofluorescence assays coupled to confocal laser-scanning microscopy, and high-throughput sequencing, have recently shown the presence of hexamerins in other organs than the fat body. These findings have led us to study these proteins with the expectation of uncovering additional functions in insect development. We show here that a honeybee hexamerin, HEX 110, localizes in the cytoplasm and nucleus of ovarian cells. In the nucleus of somatic and germline cells, HEX 110 colocalized with a nucleolar protein, fibrillarin, suggesting a structural or even regulatory function in the nucleolus. RNase A provoked the loss of HEX 110 signals in the ovarioles, indicating that the subcellular localization depends on RNA. This was reinforced by incubating ovaries with pyronin Y, a RNA-specific dye. Together, the colocalization with fibrillarin and pyronin Y, and the sensitivity to RNase, highlight unprecedented roles for HEX110 in the nucleolus, the nuclear structure harbouring the gene cluster involved in ribosomal RNA production. However, the similar patterns of HEX 110 foci distribution in the active and inactive ovaries of queens and workers preclude its association with the functional status of these organs. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 11/03171-5 - Causal analysis of Apis mellifera development: regulatory genes and hierachical networks of gene expression in the specification of tissue and organs |
| Grantee: | Zilá Luz Paulino Simões |
| Support Opportunities: | Research Projects - Thematic Grants |
| FAPESP's process: | 12/16040-9 - Hexamerins of Apis mellifera: interaction between subunits, juvenile hormone and nuclear structures and proteins |
| Grantee: | Juliana Ramos Martins |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |