Phenotypically distinct female castes in honey bees are defined by alternative chromatin states during larval development.

ABSTRACT: The capacity of the honey bee to produce three phenotypically distinct organisms (two female castes; queens and sterile workers, and haploid male drones) from one genotype represents one of the most remarkable examples of developmental plasticity in any phylum. The queen-worker morphological and reproductive divide is environmentally controlled during post-embryonic development by differential feeding. Previous studies implicated metabolic flux acting via epigenetic regulation, in particular DNA methylation and microRNAs, in establishing distinct patterns of gene expression underlying caste-specific developmental trajectories. We produce the first genome-wide maps of chromatin structure in the honey bee at a key larval stage in which developmental canalization into queen or worker is virtu

SUBMITTER: Wojciechowski M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6169885 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature