Potential costs of bacterial infection on storage protein gene expression and reproduction in queenless Apis mellifera worker bees on distinct dietary regimes

Autor(es)

Lourenco, Anete Pedro ^[1] ; Martins, Juliana Ramos ^[1] ; Guidugli-Lazzarini, Karina Rosa ^[1] ; Froes Macedo, Liliane Maria ^[1] ; Gentile Bitondi, Marcia Maria ^[2] ; Paulino Simoes, Zila Luz ^[2]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Genet, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, BR-14049900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Biol, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, BR-14049900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY; v. 58, n. 9, p. 1217-1225, SEP 2012.
• Citações Web of Science: 6

Resumo

Insects are able to combat infection by initiating an efficient immune response that involves synthesizing antimicrobial peptides and a range of other defense molecules. These responses may be costly to the organism, resulting in it exploiting endogenous resources to maintain homeostasis or support defense to the detriment of other physiological needs. We used queenless worker bees on distinct dietary regimes that may alter hemolymph protein storage and ovary activation to investigate the physiological costs of infection with Serratia marcescens. The expression of the genes encoding the storage proteins vitellogenin and hexamerin 70a, the vitellogenin receptor, and vasa (which has a putative role in reproduction), was impaired in the infected bees. This impairment was mainly evident in the bees fed beebread, which caused significantly higher expression of these genes than did royal jelly or syrup, and this was confirmed at the vitellogenin and hexamerin 70a protein levels. Beebread was also the only diet that promoted ovary activation in the queenless bees, but this activation was significantly impaired by the infection. The expression of the genes encoding the storage proteins apolipophorins-I and -III and the lipophorin receptor was not altered by infection regardless the diet provided to the bees. Similarly, the storage of apolipophorin-I in the hemolymph was only slightly impaired by the infection, independently of the supplied diet. Taken together these results indicate that, infection demands a physiological cost from the transcription of specific protein storage-related genes and from the reproductive capacity. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 05/03926-5 - Genômica funcional de Apis mellifera: busca de novos genes e redes funcionais no contexto do desenvolvimento, da diferenciação de castas e da reprodução
• Beneficiário: Zilá Luz Paulino Simões
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 03/07041-2 - Estudo dos genes codificadores dos peptideos antimicrobianos e de outros genes efetores na resposta imune em apis mellifera.
• Beneficiário: Anete Pedro Lourenço
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado