神经肽调控工蜂哺育和采集行为的分子机制研究

工蜂的哺育行为和采集行为是蜜蜂重要的社会行为，同时也是蜂群生产性能高低的直接反映。申请者前期的研究表明神经肽在调控工蜂哺育行为和采集行为中发挥重要作用，但其调控机理尚不明确。本研究以在哺育和采集行为方面存在显著差异的中华蜜蜂、意大利蜜蜂、蜂王浆高产蜜蜂为研究对象，首先通过神经肽组定量比较，明确参与哺育和采集行为调控的关键神经肽；然后，在细胞水平上利用受体信号通路检测技术，解析相关神经肽受体信号转导机制；最后，在活体水平上通过RNAi及神经肽注射补偿等手段改变神经肽及其受体蛋白的表达量，监测该过程中工蜂哺育和采集行为的变化并分析工蜂大脑mRNA和蛋白质表达谱变化情况，探明神经肽信号调控的下游蛋白及信号通路；从而系统阐释神经肽调控工蜂哺育和采集行为的分子机制，为深入理解蜜蜂社会行为的神经调控机理以及分子改造和利用提供理论基础。

Nursing behavior of nurse bees and foraging behavior of forager bees are important social behaviors of honey bee workers, which are also direct reflections of the production capacity of bee products. Our previously results showed that neuropeptides play vital roles in regulating nursing and foraging behaviors of honeybee workers. However, the regulatory mechanism is still largely unknown. In this program, we will take Chinese bees, Italian bees, and high royal jelly producing bees as research objects, which have significant difference in nursing and foraging behaviors. Firstly, to identify neuropeptides that has direct correlation with the regulation of nursing and foraging behaviors by quantitative neuropeptidome comparison. Secondly, to reveal the signal transduction mechanism of neuropeptide receptor by using receptor signaling pathway detection technology in cultured cell lines. Finally, down-regulate the expression of neuropeptides and their receptors via dsRNA combined with the dosage compensation in vivo, monitoring the behavior change of worker bees and analyze changes in gene and protein expression of the brain, illustrating the downstream proteins and signal pathways regulated by neuropeptide signals, and thus to achieve a clear insight into the molecular mechanism of neuropeptide regulation of honeybee behavior. This study will contribute new knowledge to our understanding of the neuropeptide regulation of social behavior, and is potentially useful for better utilizing this honeybee species to promote beekeeping industry development.