title: Differential antennal proteome comparison of adult honeybee drone, worker and queen (Apis mellifera L.).
abstract: To understand the olfactory mechanism of honeybee antennae in detecting specific volatile compounds in the atmosphere, antennal proteome differences of drone, worker and queen were compared using 2-DE, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics. Therefore, 107 proteins were altered their expressions in the antennae of drone, worker and queen bees. There were 54, 21 and 32 up-regulated proteins in the antennae of drone, worker and queen, respectively. Proteins upregulated in the drone antennae were involved in fatty acid metabolism, antioxidation, carbohydrate metabolism and energy production, protein folding and cytoskeleton. Proteins upregulated in the antennae of worker and queen bees were related to carbohydrate metabolism and energy production while molecular transporters were upregulated in the queen antennae. Our results explain the role played by the antennae of drone is to aid in perceiving the queen sexual pheromones, in the worker antennae to assist for food search and social communication and in the queen antennae to help pheromone communication with the worker and the drone during the mating flight. This first proteomic study significantly extends our understanding of honeybee olfactory activities and the possible mechanisms played by the antennae in response to various environmental, social, biological and biochemical signals.
authors: Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology, Ministry of Agriculture/Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing, China.
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Fang
authors: Feifei
authors: F
authors: Song
authors: Lan
authors: L
authors: Zhang
authors: Dereje Woltedji
authors: DW
authors: Aleku
authors: Bin
authors: B
authors: Han
authors: Mao
authors: M
authors: Feng
authors: Jianke
authors: J
authors: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057506:Arthropod Antennae / Q000378:metabolism*; D001516:Bees / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D020543:Proteome / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D020543:Proteome