Juvenile hormone and colony conditions differentially influence cytochrome P450 gene expression in the termite Reticulitermes flavipes.
In lower termites, the worker caste is a totipotent immature stage that is capable of differentiating into other adult caste phenotypes. We investigated the diversity of family 4 cytochrome P450 (CYP4) genes in Reticulitermes flavipes workers, with the specific goal of identifying P450s potentially involved in regulating caste differentiation. Seven novel CYP4 genes were identified. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed the tissue distribution of expression for the seven CYP4s, as well as temporal expression changes in workers in association with a release from colony influences and during juvenile hormone (JH)-induced soldier caste differentiation. Several fat-body-related CYP4 genes were differentially expressed after JH treatment. Still other genes changed expression in association with removal from colony influences, suggesting that primer pheromones and/or other colony influences impact their expression. These findings add to a growing database of candidate termite caste-regulatory genes, and provide explicit evidence that colony factors influence termite gene expression.
Zhou
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X
Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-0620, USA.
Song
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C
Grzymala
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TL
Oi
F M
FM
Scharf
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ME
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000235:genetics*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D017344:Genes, Insect; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D020049:Isoptera / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology*; D007605:Juvenile Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D016415:Sequence Alignment
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D019476:Insect Proteins; D007605:Juvenile Hormones; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System