Comparative study of the labial gland secretion in termites (Isoptera).
Labial glands are present in all castes and developmental stages of all termite species. In workers, their secretion contains a food-marking pheromone and digestive enzymes, while soldier secretion plays a defensive role. However, these functions were studied only in a limited set of species, and do not allow drawing general conclusions. Hence, we have investigated the chemical composition of the labial gland extracts from soldiers and workers in 15 termite species belonging to 6 families using an integrative approach based on proteomic and small-molecule profiling. We confirmed the presence of hydroquinone and cellulase in the labial glands of workers, and we identified new toxic compounds in soldiers and workers of several species. Our results highlight the dual role of labial gland secretion, i.e. the defensive role in soldiers and workers of several termite species, and the digestive function in workers.
Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo náměstí 2, Prague, Czech Republic.
David
D
Sillam-Dussès
Jana
J
Krasulová
Vladimír
V
Vrkoslav
Jana
J
Pytelková
Josef
J
Cvačka
Kateřina
K
Kutalová
Thomas
T
Bourguignon
Toru
T
Miura
Jan
J
Šobotník
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005088:Exocrine Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D020049:Isoptera / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
D019476:Insect Proteins