FEBS Letters
Volume 584, Issue 12 , Pages 2496-2503, 18 June 2010

The curious case of aging plasticity in honey bees

Edited by Jan Rydström

  • Daniel Münch

      Affiliations

    • Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Aas, Norway
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Fax: +47 64 96 59 01.
    • ,
  • Gro V. Amdam

      Affiliations

    • Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Aas, Norway
    • School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 874501, AZ 85287-4501 Tempe, United States of America

Received 1 March 2010; received in revised form 29 March 2010; accepted 7 April 2010. published online 12 April 2010.

Abstract 

As in all advanced insect societies, colony-organization in honey bees emerges through a structured division of labor between essentially sterile helpers called workers. Worker bees are sisters that conduct all social tasks except for egg-laying, for example nursing brood and foraging for food. Curiously, aging progresses slowly in workers that engage in nursing and even slower when bees postpone nursing during unfavorable periods. We, therefore, seek to understand how senescence can emerge as a function of social task performance. The alternative utilization of a common yolk precursor protein (vitellogenin) in nursing and somatic maintenance can link behavior and aging plasticity in worker bees. Beneficial effects of vitellogenin may also be mediated by inhibitory action on juvenile hormone and insulin-like signaling.

Abbreviations: HPG, hypopharyngeal glands, IIS, insulin/insulin-like signaling, ILP, insulin-like peptide, IRS, insulin receptor substrate, QTL, quantitative trait loci

Keywords: Senescence, Social behavior, Care-giving, Sibling, Vitellogenin, Insulin-like signaling

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PII: S0014-5793(10)00276-0

doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2010.04.007

FEBS Letters
Volume 584, Issue 12 , Pages 2496-2503, 18 June 2010

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