TY  - JOUR
A1  - Scheiner, Ricarda
A1  - Kulikovskaja, Leonora
A1  - Thamm, Markus
T1  - The honey bee tyramine receptor AmTYR1 and division of foraging labour
JF  - The journal of experimental biology
N2  - 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.
KW  - Splicing
KW  - Tyramine
KW  - Gene expression
KW  - Pollen
KW  - Nectar
KW  - Biogenic amines
Y1  - 2014
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.098475
SN  - 0022-0949
SN  - 1477-9145
VL  - 217
IS  - 8
SP  - 1215
EP  - 1217
PB  - Company of Biologists Limited
CY  - Cambridge
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Thamm, Markus
A1  - Scheiner, Ricarda
T1  - PKG in honey bees: spatial expression, amfor gene expression, sucrose responsiveness, and division of labor
JF  - The journal of comparative neurology
N2  - 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.
KW  - protein kinase G
KW  - cyclic GMP
KW  - division of labor
KW  - sucrose responsiveness
Y1  - 2014
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.23500
SN  - 0021-9967
SN  - 1096-9861
VL  - 522
IS  - 8
SP  - 1786
EP  - 1799
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -