Vitellogenin regulates hormonal dynamics in the worker caste of a eusocial insect

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Author(s):	Guidugli‚ K.R. ; Nascimento‚ A.M. ; Amdam‚ G.V. ; Barchuk‚ A.R. ; Omholt‚ S. ; Simões‚ Z.L.P. ; Hartfelder‚ K. Total Authors: 7
Document type:	Journal article
Source:	FEBS Letters; v. 579, n. 22, p. 4961-4965, 2005.
Abstract
Functionally sterile honey bee workers synthesize the yolk protein vitellogenin while performing nest tasks. The subsequent shift to foraging is linked to a reduced vitellogenin and an increased juvenile hormone (JH) titer. JH is a principal controller of vitellogenin expression and behavioral development. Yet, we show here that silencing of vitellogenin expression causes a significant increase in JH titer and its putative receptor. Mathematically, the increase corresponds to a dynamic dose-response. This role of vitellogenin in the tuning of the endocrine system is uncommon and may elucidate how an ancestral pathway of fertility regulation has been remodeled into a novel circuit controlling social behavior. (c) 2005 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

FAPESP's process:	99/00719-6 - Africanized honeybees: an integrated analysis of the africanization process of Apis mellifera, focusing on determinants in fertility of drones, queens and workers
Grantee:	Zilá Luz Paulino Simões
Support Opportunities:	Research Projects - Thematic Grants