Functional analysis of novel honey bee neuropeptide genes using Drosophila

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Social behavior occurs across animal taxa and in a spectrum of organization, from aggregation behaviors in C. elegans to the exquisitely organized colonies of social insects. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a highly social insect, which shows many important behaviors in common with humans, such as parental care of young and a symbolic dance language. With the recent sequencing of the honey bee genome, it is now easier to conduct molecular studies. The honey bee has a rich repertoire of behaviors, yet molecular and genetic manipulation techniques are still immature. An alternative approach to this problem is to take advantage of the experimental techniques of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The honey been genome contains multiple genes which appear to encode neuropeptides, but have unknown functions and appear to be novel in the honey bee. These novel neuropeptide genes will be expressed in the fruit fly and simple behaviors will be systematically tested. The hypothesis will be examined that these genes may play a role in the organization of social behavior. Humans exist in social groups and social behavior diseases, such as autism, are poorly understood. By understanding the possible role of neuropeptide genes in complex behavior in the honey bee, we may be able to understand in general terms how genes underlie complex behaviors in humans.