Molecular determinants of caste differentiation in the highly eusocial honeybee Apis mellifera.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In honeybees, differential feeding of female larvae promotes the occurrence of two different phenotypes, a queen and a worker, from identical genotypes, through incremental alterations, which affect general growth, and character state alterations that result in the presence or absence of specific structures. Although previous studies revealed a link between incremental alterations and differential expression of physiometabolic genes, the molecular changes accompanying character state alterations remain unknown.

Results

By using cDNA microarray analyses of >6,000 Apis mellifera ESTs, we found 240 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between developing queens and workers. Many genes recorded as up-regulated in prospective workers appear to be unique to A. mellifera

SUBMITTER: Barchuk AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1929063 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature