Reduced expression of major royal jelly protein 1 gene in the mushroom bodies of worker honeybees with reduced learning ability

The learning ability of European honeybees, Apis mellifera, develops with age. However, when worker bees are isolated from their colony and are fed only sucrose solution, their learning development is hindered. This rearing method has allowed us to compare worker bees of the same age but with differ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Apidologie 2010-03, Vol.41 (2), p.194-202
Main Authors: Hojo, Masaru, Kagami, Takahiro, Sasaki, Tetsuhiko, Nakamura, Jun, Sasaki, Masami
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural sciences
Animal biology
Animal production studies
Animal productions
Apiculture
Apis mellifera
Biodiversity
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Ecology, environment
Entomology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
gene expression
genes
honey bees
hypopharyngeal glands
insect behavior
insect proteins
Insecta
Invertebrate Zoology
Invertebrates
larvae
Life Sciences
memory
mushroom bodies
Original Article
rearing
royal jelly
sucrose
Terrestrial animal productions
worker bees
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Summary:The learning ability of European honeybees, Apis mellifera, develops with age. However, when worker bees are isolated from their colony and are fed only sucrose solution, their learning development is hindered. This rearing method has allowed us to compare worker bees of the same age but with different learning abilities. In this study, we examined the influence of this rearing condition on gene expression in the mushroom body, which is the insect brain center involved in learning and memory. A differential display experiment comparing worker bees maintained in a hive with those reared in isolation showed that the expression of the major royal jelly protein (mrjp) 1 gene was reduced in the isolated worker bees. MRJP1 is synthesized in the hypopharyngeal gland and serves a nutritional function in larval and queen food. Our results suggest that mrjp1 is also important in brain function, possibly involved in the development of learning ability.
ISSN:0044-8435
1297-9678
DOI:10.1051/apido/2009075