Differential gene expression profiling in mucus glands of honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones during sexual maturation

Expression génique différentielle dans les glandes à mucus des mâles d'abeilles (Apis mellifera) au cours de la maturation sexuelle

Nínive Aguiar Colonello-Frattini , Klaus Hartfelder

The mating sign that each drone leaves when mating with a queen essentially consists of mucus gland proteins. We employed a Representational Difference Analysis (RDA) methodology to identify genes that are differentially expressed in mucus glands during sexual maturation of drones. The RDA library for mucus glands of newly emerged drones was more complex than that of 8 day-old drones, with matches to 20 predicted genes. Another 26 reads matched to the Apis genome but not to any predicted gene. Since these ESTs were located within ORFs they may represent novel honey bee genes, possibly fast evolving mucus gland proteins. In the RDA library for mucus glands of 8 day-old drones, most reads corresponded to a capsid protein of deformed wing virus, indicating high viral loads in these glands. The expression of two genes encoding venom allergens, acid phosphatase-1 and hyaluronidase, in drone mucus glands argues for their homology with the female venom glands, both associated with the reproductive system.

Mots clés: male accessory gland; Representational Difference Analysis; honeybee; reproduction; deformed wing virus<br>---<br>Apis mellifera; glande accessoire; mâle; virus de l'aile déformée

Domaines: Zoologie des invertébrés; Biodiversité; Ecologie, Environnement; Science des productions animales

Nínive Aguiar Colonello-Frattini, Klaus Hartfelder. Differential gene expression profiling in mucus glands of honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones during sexual maturation. Apidologie, 2009, 40 (4), ⟨10.1051/apido/2009009⟩. ⟨hal-00891980⟩