Social exploitation of vitellogenin
Social exploitation of vitellogenin
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.0333979100
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发表时间：
2003-02-18
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Omholt, SW
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Amdam, GV;Norberg, K;Omholt, SW
卵黄蛋白原是所有卵生动物产生的雌性特异性卵黄糖脂蛋白前体。卵黄蛋白原的表达受激素控制，通常在卵黄沉积前直接合成。在蜜蜂中，卵黄蛋白原不仅由生殖蜂王合成，而且也由功能不育的工蜂合成。在夏季，工蜂群由一群蜂巢蜜蜂组成，执行多种任务，包括在巢内哺乳，以及一群专门收集花蜜，花粉，水和粪便的觅食者。卵黄蛋白原是由蜜蜂大量合成的。当蜂巢蜜蜂发展成为觅食者时，它们的保幼激素滴度增加，这导致它们停止生产卵黄蛋白原。卵黄蛋白原合成和保幼激素之间的这种反比关系与昆虫的正常情况相反，其潜在的近似过程和生活史原因仍然不清楚。在这里，我们记录了卵黄蛋白原的替代用途，表明它是由蜜蜂产生的蛋白质皇家果冻的来源，蜜蜂使用果冻来喂养幼虫，蜂王，工蜂和雄蜂。这一发现表明，一个育雏工人阶级和一个专门的觅食类在一个先进的真社会性昆虫社会的进化一直是由蛋黄蛋白的替代利用。
Vitellogenin is a female-specific glucolipoprotein yolk precursor produced by all oviparous animals. Vitellogenin expression is under hormonal control, and the protein is generally synthesized directly before yolk deposition. In the honeybee (Apis melfifera), vitellogenin is not only synthesized by the reproductive queen, but also by the functionally sterile workers. In summer, the worker population consists of a hive bee group performing a multitude of tasks including nursing inside the nest, and a forager group specialized in collecting nectar, pollen, water, and propolis. Vitellogenin is synthesized in large quantities by hive bees. When hive bees develop into foragers, their juvenile hormone titers increase, and this causes cessation of their vitellogenin production. This inverse relationship between vitellogenin synthesis and juvenile hormone is opposite to the norm in insects, and the underlying proximate processes and life-history reasons are still not understood. Here we document an alternative use of vitellogenin by showing that it is a source for the proteinaceous royal jelly that is produced by the hive bees, Hive bees use the jelly to feed larvae, queen, workers, and drones. This finding suggests that the evolution of a brood-rearing worker class and a specialized forager class in an advanced eusocial insect society has been directed by an alternative utilization of yolk protein.