AsianScientist (Sep. 23, 2011) – A new study explains the famous caste system that dominates honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies, with a select few bee larvae destined for royalty, while the rest remain mere workers.
Previous research by Masaki Kamakura, an entomologist at the Biotechnology Research Center in Toyoma, Japan, pinpointed a 57kDa protein called royalactin as a key factor in differentiation of honeybee larvae into queens. Royalactin was shown to activate the p70 S6 kinase which results in increased body and ovary sizes and reduced development time.
In a recent issue of the Journal of Proteome Research, a team of Chinese and Ethiopian scientists led by Dr. Jianke Li explored the innermost biological makings of queen bees and worker bees.
Schoolchildren are taught that the one queen bee in a colony develops from larvae that are almost exclusively fed royal jelly; other larvae – fed royal jelly for just three days and mostly nectar, pollen, and honey thereafter – develop into female workers or male drones.
“The female queen is large and specializes in reproduction whereas workers are small and engage in colony-maintaining activities,” the scientists said. “Their life spans also vary, with the queen living for 1 to 2 years and the workers living only 6 to 7 weeks.”
To understand the biochemical factors at the basis of the fascinating caste system in honeybee colonies, the scientists studied the mitochondria of the honeybees.
The findings of the study reveal major differences during early stages of life in the activity of proteins in the mitochondria. The differences include changes in the amounts of protein produced in cells and the activity of those proteins.
The article can be found at: Begna D et al. (2011) Mitochondrial Proteins Differential Expression during Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Queen and Worker Larvae Caste Determination.
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Source: American Chemical Society.
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