Insights into the dynamics of hind leg development in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) queen and worker larvae - A morphology/differential gene expression analysis

Autor(es)

Santos, Carolina Goncalves ^[1] ; Hartfelder, Klaus ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

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

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY; v. 38, n. 3, p. 263-277, 2015.
• Citações Web of Science: 5

Resumo

Phenotypic plasticity is a hallmark of the caste systems of social insects, expressed in their life history and morphological traits. These are best studied in bees. In their co-evolution with angiosperm plants, the females of corbiculate bees have acquired a specialized structure on their hind legs for collecting pollen. In the highly eusocial bees (Apini and Meliponini), this structure is however only present in workers and absent in queens. By means of histological sections and cell proliferation analysis we followed the developmental dynamics of the hind legs of queens and workers in the fourth and fifth larval instars. In parallel, we generated subtractive cDNA libraries for hind leg discs of queen and worker larvae by means of a Representational Difference Analysis (RDA). From the total of 135 unique sequences we selected 19 for RT-qPCR analysis, where six of these were confirmed as differing significantly in their expression between the two castes in the larval spinning stage. The development of complex structures such as the bees’ hind legs, requires diverse patterning mechanisms and signaling modules, as indicated by the set of differentially expressed genes related with cell adhesion and signaling pathways. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 04/08868-0 - Consolidação do Centro de Microscopia Funcional do Campus da USP/ Ribeirão Preto
• Beneficiário: Roy Edward Larson
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa Equipamentos Multiusuários
• Processo FAPESP: 12/01808-9 - Regulação transcricional do desenvolvimento de castas em abelhas melíferas, Apis mellifera L.
• Beneficiário: Klaus Hartmann Hartfelder
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 08/09505-0 - Genes diferencialmente expressos no desenvolvimento das pernas posteriores de rainhas e operárias de Apis mellifera
• Beneficiário: Carolina Gonçalves Santos
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado