@article{ScheinerKulikovskajaThamm2014,
  author    = {Scheiner, Ricarda and Kulikovskaja, Leonora and Thamm, Markus},
  title     = {The honey bee tyramine receptor AmTYR1 and division of foraging labour},
  series = {The journal of experimental biology},
  volume    = {217},
  journal   = {The journal of experimental biology},
  number    = {8},
  publisher = {Company of Biologists Limited},
  address   = {Cambridge},
  issn      = {0022-0949},
  doi       = {10.1242/jeb.098475},
  pages     = {1215 -- 1217},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Honey bees display a fascinating division of labour among foragers. While some bees solely collect pollen, others only collect nectar. It is assumed that individual differences in sensory response thresholds are at the basis of this division of labour. Biogenic amines and their receptors are important candidates for regulating the division of labour, because they can modulate sensory response thresholds. Here, we investigated the role of the honey bee tyramine receptor AmTYR1 in regulating the division of foraging labour. We report differential splicing of the Amtyr1 gene and show differential gene expression of one isoform in the suboesophageal ganglion of pollen and nectar foragers. This ganglion mediates gustatory inputs. These findings imply a role for the honey bee tyramine receptor in regulating the division of foraging labour, possibly through the suboesophageal ganglion.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ThammScheiner2014,
  author    = {Thamm, Markus and Scheiner, Ricarda},
  title     = {PKG in honey bees: spatial expression, amfor gene expression, sucrose responsiveness, and division of labor},
  series = {The journal of comparative neurology},
  volume    = {522},
  journal   = {The journal of comparative neurology},
  number    = {8},
  publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {0021-9967},
  doi       = {10.1002/cne.23500},
  pages     = {1786 -- 1799},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Division of labor is a hallmark of social insects. In honey bees, division of labor involves transition of female workers from one task to the next. The most distinct tasks are nursing (providing food for the brood) and foraging (collecting pollen and nectar). The brain mechanisms regulating this form of behavioral plasticity have largely remained elusive. Recently, it was suggested that division of labor is based on nutrition-associated signaling pathways. One highly conserved gene associated with food-related behavior across species is the foraging gene, which encodes a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKG). Our analysis of this gene reveals the presence of alternative splicing in the honey bee. One isoform is expressed in the brain. Expression of this isoform is most pronounced in the mushroom bodies, the subesophageal ganglion, and the corpora allata. Division of labor and sucrose responsiveness in honey bees correlate significantly with foraging gene expression in distinct brain regions. Activating PKG selectively increases sucrose responsiveness in nurse bees to the level of foragers, whereas the same treatment does not affect responsiveness to light. These findings demonstrate a direct link between PKG signaling in distinct brain areas and division of labor. Furthermore, they demonstrate that the difference in sensory responsiveness between nurse bees and foragers can be compensated for by activating PKG. Our findings on the function of PKG in regulating specific sensory responsiveness and social organization offer valuable indications for the function of the cGMP/PKG pathway in many other insects and vertebrates. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:1786-1799, 2014. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.},
  language  = {en}
}