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(Reference retrieved automatically from Google Scholar through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

A member of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) superfamily is a target of the ecdysone response in honey bee (Apis mellifera) caste development

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Author(s):
Guidugli‚ K.R. ; Hepperle‚ C. ; Hartfelder‚ K.
Total Authors: 3
Document type: Journal article
Source: Apidologie; v. 35, n. 1, p. 37-48, 2004.
Abstract

Many aspects in caste polyphenism result from hormonally controlled differential gene expression. A DDRT-PCR screen for ecdysteroid-regulated genes in ovaries revealed a set of ESTs coding for metabolic enzymes. For a cDNA encoding a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) we obtained the complete coding sequence (246 amino acids), revealing the protein motifs typical of insect SDRs. Its initially high expression in early fifth-instar larvae vanished in prepupae. Expression levels in worker larvae were higher than in queen larvae, suggesting negative regulation by the caste-specific ecdysteroid titer. This finding was confirmed by in vitro exposure of competent worker ovaries to makisterone A. In contrast to whole body RNA extracts, two SDR transcripts were detected in the ovaries. Both had their expression downregulated by makisterone A. Hormonal regulation and tissue-specific expression pattern makes this SDR an interesting enzyme for comparative molecular studies on social insect caste polyphenisms. (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