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. 2011 Sep;197(9):939-48.
doi: 10.1007/s00359-011-0654-5. Epub 2011 May 31.

cGMP modulates responses to queen mandibular pheromone in worker honey bees

Brendon L Fussnecker  1 , Alexander M McKenzie, Christina M Grozinger
Affiliations

cGMP modulates responses to queen mandibular pheromone in worker honey bees

Brendon L Fussnecker et al. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2011 Sep.

Abstract

Responses to social cues, such as pheromones, can be modified by genotype, physiology, or environmental context. Honey bee queens produce a pheromone (queen mandibular pheromone; QMP) which regulates aspects of worker bee behavior and physiology. Forager bees are less responsive to QMP than young bees engaged in brood care, suggesting that physiological changes associated with behavioral maturation modulate response to this pheromone. Since 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) is a major regulator of behavioral maturation in workers, we examined its role in modulating worker responses to QMP. Treatment with a cGMP analog resulted in significant reductions in both behavioral and physiological responses to QMP in young caged workers. Treatment significantly reduced attraction to QMP and inhibited the QMP-mediated increase in vitellogenin RNA levels in the fat bodies of worker bees. Genome-wide analysis of brain gene expression patterns demonstrated that cGMP has a larger effect on expression levels than QMP, and that QMP has specific effects in the presence of cGMP, suggesting that some responses to QMP may be dependent on an individual bees' physiological state. Our data suggest that cGMP-mediated processes play a role in modulating responses to QMP in honey bees at the behavioral, physiological, and molecular levels.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(a) 8-Br-cGMP treatment reduces the response to QMP in a retinue assay. One day old bees were treated for 8 days with one of four treatments: 50% sucrose and solvent slide (NN), 50% sucrose and QMP slide (NQ), 500 μM 8-Br-cGMP and solvent slide (GN), and 500 μM 8-Br-cGMP and QMP slide (GQ). There was a significant effect for both QMP and cGMP treatment. Asterisks denote days in which a significant difference in treatment was observed. (b) Retinue responses of bees collected for microarray analysis. These bees were treated as for 1a. Significant differences in retinue response between the NQ group and three other treatment groups were observed on days 7, 9, and 10. There was a significant effect of QMP (p=0.0012), but not cGMP treatment (p=0.2629). Asterisks denote days in which a significant difference between the NQ and GQ treatment groups was observed
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. 8-Br-cGMP reduces effect of QMP exposure on Vg levels
One day old bees were treated during the microarray experiment for 9 days with 50% sucrose and a solvent slide (NN), 50% sucrose with a QMP slide (NQ), 500μM 8-Br-cGMP with a solvent slide (GN), or 500μM 8-Br-cGMP with a QMP slide (GQ). 8-Br-cGMP treatment signicantly reduced Vg expression levels in the fat bodies in GQ treatment compared to the NQ treatment (ANOVA, Tukey HSD). Number of individual abdomens used is shown at the base of each bar. Different letters denote significant differences (p<0.05)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Hierarchical clustering analysis
Hierarchical clustering analysis using the significantly regulated genes shows that treatment with 8-Br-cGMP had a greater global effect on gene expression levels than QMP. Red and blue colors represent fold increase and decrease relative to the mean expression across all four treatment groups
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Principal components analysis of brain expression patterns
The first principal component accounts for 43% of the variation and shows a substantial effect of 8-Br-cGMP treatment. The second principal component explains 30% of the variation and demonstrates that the NQ group is markedly different from the NN group, demonstrating the effect of QMP on brain gene expression. Lastly, the third principal component comprises 27% of the variation and shows the effect of the interaction between the QMP and 8-Br-cGMP treatments
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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