Identification and analysis of the genes that regurate the bahavior of the honeybee

蜜蜂是一种社会性昆虫，群体中殖民地成员之间进行着许多微妙的交流，如“舞蹈语言”。然而，这种高度先进的蜜蜂行为的分子基础在很大程度上是未知的。蘑菇体（MB）被认为是感觉整合和记忆的主要中心，与其他昆虫相比，它具有发育良好的特征。因此，MB的功能和结构的复杂性增加可能是由于高度先进类型的蜜蜂幼虫。在此，我们通过差异显示方法寻找在MB中优先表达的基因作为调控蜜蜂行为的候选基因，并获得了以下结果.构成MB的固有细胞又分为两类：大型和小型凯尼恩细胞。在大型Kenyon细胞中特异性表达的基因，称为M5，以及在大型Kenyon细胞中特异性表达的基因，称为M5。 ...更多信息 在小型Kenyon细胞中，首次发现了一种名为Ks的细胞。这些基因的cDNA不包含显著的长开放阅读框，表明M5和Ks基因转录物作为非翻译RNA起作用。对蛹脑中M5基因转录本的原位杂交分析表明，蜜蜂MB是由四个克隆单位组成的四重结构，每个克隆单位包含两个表达不同基因的不同区域。对这些基因产物功能的进一步分析将揭示蜜蜂行为所依赖的MB内部结构的细分.我们发现，参与细胞内钙信号转导的蛋白质的基因的表达在蜜蜂的MB上调。相反，在果蝇中，据报道这些基因在大脑皮层中无处不在地表达。神经细胞的钙信号转导系统参与记忆和学习的建立。因此，这似乎是可能的钙信号功能的增强有助于提高蜜蜂的MB的sinaptic可塑性。这些发现从昆虫的比较神经生物学的角度来看是重要的。少

Honeybee is a social insect and many exquisite communications are performed among the colony members such as "dance launguage". However, the molecular basis that underlies such highly advanced types of honeybee behavior is largely unknown. The mushroom bodies (MB), which are supposed to be a main center of the senssory integration and memory, are characteristically well-developed in comparison with those of other insects. Thus, the increased complexity of the function and structure of the MB might be due to the highly advanced types of honeybee bahavior. Here, we searched for genes that are expressed preferentially in the MB by the differential display method as candidate genes that regulate the honeybee behavior, and obtained the following results.1. The intrinsic ceuron cells that consist the MB are subdivided into two classes : the large-and small-type Kenyon cells. A gene which is expressed specifically in the large-type Kenyon cells, termed M5, and a gene which is expressed specif … More ically in the small-type Kenyon cells, termed Ks, are identified for the first time. cDNAs for these genes did not contain significant long open reading frames, suggesting that the M5 and Ks gene transcripts function as non-translated RNAs. In situ hybridization analysis of the M5 gene transcripts in the pupal brain revealed that the honeybee MB is a quadruple structure consisting of four clonal units, each of wich contains two distinct areas that express different genes. Furthure analysis of the functions of these gene products will reveal the subdivision of the inner structure of the MB that uinderlie the honeybee behavior.2. We showed that the expression of the genes for proteins involved in the intracellular calcium signal transduction was up-regulated in the MB of the honeybee. In contrast, in Drosophila, these genes were reported to be expressed ubiquitously thoroughout the brain cortex. Calcium signal transduction system of the neural cell has been reported to be involved in the estabrishment of memory and learning. Thus, it seems possible that the enhancement of the function of the calcium signaling contributes to the enhanced sinaptic plasticity of the MB of the honeybee. These findinG will be inportant from the perspective of comparative neurobiology of the insect. Less