Autophagy Is Required to Sustain Increased Intestinal Cell Proliferation during Phenotypic Plasticity Changes in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

ABSTRACT: Tissue phenotypic plasticity facilitates rapid adaptation of organisms to biotic and/or abiotic pressure. The reproductive capacity of honey bee workers (Apis mellifera) is plastic and responsive to pheromones produced by broods and the queen. Egg laying workers (ELWs), which could reactivate their ovaries and lay haploid eggs upon queen lost, have been commonly discussed from many aspects. However, it remains unclear whether midgut homeostasis in ELWs is affected during plastic changes. Here, we found that the expression of nutrition- and autophagy-related genes was up-regulated in the midguts of ELWs, compared with that in nurse workers (NWs) by RNA-sequencing. Furthermore, the area and number of autophagosomes were increased, along with significantly increased cell death in the midguts

SUBMITTER: Guo Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9916008 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature