Metabolomics,Unknown,Transcriptomics,Genomics,Proteomics

Dataset Information

Transcription profiling by array of the brains of bees showing scout and non-scout behaviour

ABSTRACT: Scouts and non-scouts (recruits) were collected by using a novelty-seekingM-^] assay. Experiment was conducted in a large outdoor screened enclosure, which enabled us to exert complete control over the location and number of food resources while at the same time studying naturalistic honey bee foraging behavior. Foragers were first trained to a color-marked training feederM-^] that contained unscented 50% sucrose solution (m/v); this initially was the only food source available to them. After 2-3 days of training, a novel feederM-^] was set up in another location in the enclosure, with different color markings and an odor cue. The training feeder was maintained, providing the bees with two possible foraging locations, a familiar and a novel. Scouts were identified as bees that switched foraging from the training feeder to the novel feeder; only bees seen foraging at the novel feeder two or more times and at least once at the training feeder were collected as scouts. Non-scouts (recruits) were collected at the end of the experiments; these were bees that continued to forage at the training feeder, and were never observed to switch to the novel feeder.

ORGANISM(S): Apis mellifera

SUBMITTER: Christopher Fields

PROVIDER: E-MTAB-491 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress

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Publications

Molecular determinants of scouting behavior in honey bees.

Liang Zhengzheng S ZS Nguyen Trang T Mattila Heather R HR Rodriguez-Zas Sandra L SL Seeley Thomas D TD Robinson Gene E GE

Science (New York, N.Y.) 20120301 6073

Little is known about the molecular basis of differences in behavior among individuals. Here we report consistent novelty-seeking behavior, across different contexts, among honey bees in their tendency to scout for food sources and nest sites, and we reveal some of the molecular underpinnings of this behavior relative to foragers that do not scout. Food scouts showed extensive differences in brain gene expression relative to other foragers, including differences related to catecholamine, glutama ...[more]

PMID: 22403390

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Project description:In this RNA-seq study, we compared the antennal transcriptomes of sexually mature drones (males) and time-trained foragers (females) of Apis mellifera collected at different times of day and different activity states. The goals of our project was to provide a more comprehensive description of gene expression differences between drone and forager antennae. Most studies on insect antennal transcriptome still focus on identifying and reporting genes involved in odorant binding and detection. In contrast, we also aimed at identifying so far unrecognised molecules, not directly involved in odorant detection, but likely playing an important role in peripheral olfactory processing. We also wanted to explore whether daily changes in gene expression and correlations between gene expression levels and behavioral activity might be a fruitful approach to identify additional genes involved in odorant reception. Apis mellifera drones perform mating flight in the afternoon around 14:00 hour (h) in Bangalore, India. During their daily mating flight activity, drones were caught at the hive entrance and color marked on the thorax. On the next day color-marked drones were collected at two different time points: 9:00 (inactive) and 14:00 h (active). Honey bee foragers can be trained to visit a food source at a specific time of the day. In this study, an A. mellifera colony was transferred in an enclosed outdoor flight cage to train the foragers to visit a feeder at a specific time of the day. A sucrose reward (1M sucrose solution) was presented either from 8:00 to 10:00 h (morning training) or from 13:00 to 15:00 h (afternoon training) for 10 consecutive days. On the 8th, 9th and 10th day of training, foragers visiting the feeder were marked on their thorax with different colors, one type of color each day, to identify the frequently visiting foragers. On the 11th day, the feeder was not presented and the foragers that had all 3 color marks were collected at 9:00 and 14:00 h. All the samples were immediately flash frozen in liquid nitrogen. Collected samples were transferred from liquid nitrogen onto dry ice and the entire antennae (i.e. scape, pedicel and flagellum) were cut off. We pooled 10 antennae from 5 bees per sample and extracted total RNA using Trizol method. Antennal transcriptomes of drones (n=3 per time point), morning-trained foragers (n=2 per time point) and afternoon-trained foragers (n=2 per time point) were sequenced at 2 different time points (9:00 h and 14:00 h).

Dataset Information

Transcription profiling by array of the brains of bees showing scout and non-scout behaviour

Publications

Molecular determinants of scouting behavior in honey bees.

Similar Datasets

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