Uncovering the Changing Gene Expression Profile of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Worker Larvae Transplanted to Queen Cells.

ABSTRACT: The reproductive division of labor, based on caste differentiation in social insects, is of great significance in evolution. Generally, a healthy bee colony consists of a queen and numerous workers and drones. Despite being genetically identical, the queen and workers exhibit striking differences in morphology, behavior, and lifespan. The fertilized eggs and larvae selectively develop into queen and worker bees depending on the local nutrition and environment. Bee worker larvae that are transplanted within 3 days of age to queen cells of a bee colony can develop into queens with mature ovaries. This phenomenon is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms of caste differentiation. In this study, we transplanted worker larvae (Apis mellifera) at the age of 1 (L1), 2 (L2), and

SUBMITTER: Yin L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6207841 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature