Mitochondrial capacity, oxidative damage and hypoxia gene expression are associated with age-related division of labor in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers

Author(s)

Cervoni, Mario S. ^[1] ; Cardoso-Junior, Carlos A. M. ^[1] ; Craveiro, Giovana ^[1] ; Souza, Anderson de O. ^[2] ; Alberici, Luciane C. ^[2] ; Hartfelder, Klaus ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, Dept Biol Celular & Mol, Av Bandeirantes 3900, BR-14049900 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Ciencias Farmaceut Ribeirao Preto, Dept Fis & Quim, Av Cafe S-N, BR-14040903 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of Experimental Biology; v. 220, n. 21, p. 4035-4046, NOV 1 2017.
• Web of Science Citations: 6

Abstract

During adult life, honey bee workers undergo a succession of behavioral states. Nurse bees perform tasks inside the nest, and when they are about 2-3 weeks old they initiate foraging. This switch is associated with alterations in diet, and with the levels of juvenile hormone and vitellogenin circulating in hemolymph. It is not clear whether this behavioral maturation involves major changes at the cellular level, such as mitochondrial activity and the redox environment in the head, thorax and abdomen. Using highresolution respirometry, biochemical assays and RT-qPCR, we evaluated the association of these parameters with this behavioral change. We found that tissues from the head and abdomen of nurses have a higher oxidative phosphorylation capacity than those of foragers, while for the thorax we found the opposite situation. As higher mitochondrial activity tends to generate more H2O2, and H2O2 is known to stabilize HIF-1 alpha, this would be expected to stimulate hypoxia signaling. The positive correlation that we observed between mitochondrial activity and hif-1 alpha gene expression in abdomen and head tissue of nurses would be in line with this hypothesis. Higher expression of antioxidant enzyme genes was observed in foragers, which could explain their low levels of protein carbonylation. No alterations were seen in nitric oxide (NO) levels, suggesting that NO signaling is unlikely to be involved in behavioral maturation. We conclude that the behavioral change seen in honey bee workers is reflected in differential mitochondrial activities and redox parameters, and we consider that this can provide insights into the underlying aging process. (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: 16/23509-4 - Identification of neuroprotective myokines released by human skeletal muscle at low and high intensity contractions: role of mitochondrial bioenergetics and oxidative stress
• Grantee: Luciane Carla Alberici
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants