Molecular basis of the disruption in the reproduction-longevity trade-off syndrome in the social insect model organism Apis mellifera
Description: The paradigm of the trade-off between reproduction and longevity is broken in social insects, with their highly fertile and long-lived queens and sterile and short-lived workers. Its well-annotated genome and a complete epigenetic system make the species Apis mellifera a model organism for the understanding of mechanisms behind the breakdown of this paradigm. In this project we put the focus on two tissue types, the fat body and the ovaries. We will investigate parameters of the oxidative metabolism (mitochondrial activity, ROS, hypoxia response) in larval and adult bees. As a key metabolic enzyme we will pharmacologically manipulate AMPK activity and assess the effects at the transcriptome level. The role of DNA methylation will be investigated via expression analysis of the DNMTs encoding genes, followed by bisulfite sequencing of the corresponding tissues of adult bees. Questions concerning the differential fertility of queens and workers will be addressed through functional analyses of two genes, lncov1 and tudor, in the formation of the two caste-specific ovary phenotypes. Finally, from a more general perspective we will consider evolutionary aspects related to the exceptional ovary phenotypes of A. mellifera by comparative histological and molecular analyses of the testes of three species of social bees that differ in their reproductive systems. By combining such experimental approaches we expect to gain insights into critical points that may explain the breakdown of the reproduction-longevity paradigm in social insects. (AU)
Funding type: grant
Funder scheme: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
Start date: 2017-08-01
End date: 2019-07-31
Investigator: Klaus Hartmann Hartfelder
Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP)
Funded outputs count: 9
Funder award ID: 17/09128-0
OpenAlex ID: G4611424660