Juvenile hormone and colony conditions differentially influence cytochrome P450 gene expression in the termite Reticulitermes flavipes

In lower termites, the worker caste is a totipotent immature stage that is capable of differentiating into other adult caste phenotypes. We investigated the diversity of family 4 cytochrome P450 (CYP4) genes in Reticulitermes flavipes workers, with the specific goal of identifying P450s potentially...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Insect molecular biology 2006-12, Vol.15 (6), p.749-761
Main Authors: Zhou, X, Song, C, Grzymala, T.L, Oi, F.M, Scharf, M.E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Base Sequence
caste determination
cytochrome P-450
Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System - genetics
DNA, Complementary - metabolism
gene expression
gene expression regulation
Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic - drug effects
genes
Genes, Insect
Insect Proteins - chemistry
Introns - genetics
Isoptera - drug effects
Isoptera - enzymology
juvenile hormone
juvenile hormones
Juvenile Hormones - pharmacology
Molecular Sequence Data
monooxygenase
phenotype
phenotypic plasticity
pheromones
Phylogeny
polyphenism
Protein Biosynthesis - drug effects
quantitative polymerase chain reaction
Reticulitermes flavipes
Sequence Alignment
tissue distribution
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Summary:In lower termites, the worker caste is a totipotent immature stage that is capable of differentiating into other adult caste phenotypes. We investigated the diversity of family 4 cytochrome P450 (CYP4) genes in Reticulitermes flavipes workers, with the specific goal of identifying P450s potentially involved in regulating caste differentiation. Seven novel CYP4 genes were identified. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed the tissue distribution of expression for the seven CYP4s, as well as temporal expression changes in workers in association with a release from colony influences and during juvenile hormone (JH)-induced soldier caste differentiation. Several fat-body-related CYP4 genes were differentially expressed after JH treatment. Still other genes changed expression in association with removal from colony influences, suggesting that primer pheromones and/or other colony influences impact their expression. These findings add to a growing database of candidate termite caste-regulatory genes, and provide explicit evidence that colony factors influence termite gene expression.
ISSN:0962-1075
1365-2583
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2583.2006.00675.x