title: Effects of juvenile hormone III on Reticulitermes flavipes: changes in hemolymph protein composition and gene expression.
abstract: Termites express polyphenism during caste differentiation that is mostly undefined at the molecular level. Using the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar, we wanted (1) to test juvenile hormone (JH) model assays for their ability to induce detectable molecular changes in worker termites and (2) to investigate hemolymph proteins and their corresponding genes during JH-induced soldier caste differentiation. Our results illustrate pronounced changes in two hemolymph proteins after JH treatment, as well as differences among several caste phenotypes. Significant increases in the expression of four genes encoding hemolymph proteins, including two vitellogenins and two hexamerins, were observed after JH exposure. These findings are the first to demonstrate such protein and gene expression changes during termite caste differentiation. These results also validate the utility of JH model assays for inducing detectable molecular changes in worker termites that have begun presoldier differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Toxicology Group, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110620, Gainesville, FL 32611-0620, USA.
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Scharf
authors.forename: Catina R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Ratliff
authors.forename: Dancia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu-Scharf
authors.forename: Xuguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Barry R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Pittendrigh
authors.forename: Gary W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Bennett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006458:Hemolymph; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D020049:Isoptera / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000378:metabolism*; D014819:Vitellogenins / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D014819:Vitellogenins; C036585:juvenile hormone III