Kucharski R, Maleszka J, Foret S, Maleszka R
Molecular Genetics and Evolution, ARC Centre for the Molecular Genetics of Development, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia.
Science. 2008 Mar 28;319(5871):1827-30. doi: 10.1126/science.1153069. Epub 2008 Mar 13.
Fertile queens and sterile workers are alternative forms of the adult female honeybee that develop from genetically identical larvae following differential feeding with royal jelly. We show that silencing the expression of DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3, a key driver of epigenetic global reprogramming, in newly hatched larvae led to a royal jelly-like effect on the larval developmental trajectory; the majority of Dnmt3 small interfering RNA-treated individuals emerged as queens with fully developed ovaries. Our results suggest that DNA methylation in Apis is used for storing epigenetic information, that the use of that information can be differentially altered by nutritional input, and that the flexibility of epigenetic modifications underpins, profound shifts in developmental fates, with massive implications for reproductive and behavioral status.
可育蜂王和不育工蜂是成年雌性蜜蜂的两种不同形态，它们由基因相同的幼虫在接受不同喂养（蜂王浆）后发育而成。我们发现，在新孵化的幼虫中沉默DNA甲基转移酶Dnmt3（表观遗传全局重编程的关键驱动因子）的表达，会对幼虫的发育轨迹产生类似蜂王浆的影响；大多数经Dnmt3小干扰RNA处理的个体发育成为具有完全发育卵巢的蜂王。我们的研究结果表明，蜜蜂中的DNA甲基化用于存储表观遗传信息，该信息的使用可因营养输入而发生不同改变，并且表观遗传修饰的灵活性支撑着发育命运的深刻转变，这对生殖和行为状态具有重大影响。
