title: Relish regulates expression of antimicrobial peptide genes in the honeybee, Apis mellifera, shown by RNA interference.
abstract: Relationships of immune genes in adult honeybees (Apis mellifera) were investigated using RNA interference (RNAi). Quantitative RT-PCR was applied to estimate gene expression and the extent of gene silencing. Relish is a transcription factor and forms an important part of the IMD signalling pathway. The expression of the immune gene Relish was significantly reduced by RNAi (ca. 70%). The proposed regulation of antimicrobial peptide genes by Relish could be established for abaecin and hymenoptaecin. These two genes showed a reduction in gene expression to the same extent as Relish. However, the antimicrobial peptide gene defensin-1 was not affected which suggests defensin-1 is regulated by a different signalling pathway.
authors: School of Marine and Tropical Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. helge.schluns@jcu.edu.au
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Schlüns
authors: R H
authors: RH
authors: Crozier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001516:Bees / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017344:Genes, Insect; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D034622:RNA Interference; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D019476:Insect Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C080586:hymenoptaecin protein, Apis mellifera; C062933:abaecin protein, Apis mellifera