Graduate School of Science, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
PLoS One. 2011 Apr 26;6(4):e19301. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019301.
Honeybee foragers can transmit the information concerning the location of food sources to their nestmates using dance communication. We previously used a novel immediate early gene, termed kakusei, to demonstrate that the neural activity of a specific mushroom body (MB) neuron subtype is preferentially enhanced in the forager brain. The sensory information related to this MB neuron activity, however, remained unclear.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we used kakusei to analyze the relationship between MB neuron activity and types of foraging behavior. The number of kakusei-positive MB neurons was higher in the round dancers that had flown a short distance than in the waggle dancers that had flown a long distance. Furthermore, the amount of kakusei transcript in the MBs inversely related to the waggle-phase duration of the waggle dance, which correlates with the flight distance. Using a narrow tunnel whose inside was vertically or axially lined, we manipulated the pattern of visual input, which is received by the foragers during flight, and analysed kakusei expression. The amount of kakusei transcript in the MBs was related to the foraging frequency but not to the tunnel pattern. In contrast, the number of kakusei-positive MB neurons was affected by the tunnel patterns, but not related to foraging frequency.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that the MB neuron activity depends on the foraging frequency, whereas the number of active MB neurons is related to the pattern of visual input received during foraging flight. Our results suggest that the foraging frequency and visual experience during foraging are associated with different MB neural activities.
蜜蜂采集蜂可以通过舞蹈交流将有关食物源位置的信息传递给巢内同伴。我们之前使用一种新型的即刻早期基因，称为 kakusei，证明了特定蘑菇体（MB）神经元亚型的神经活动在采集蜂脑中优先增强。然而，与这种 MB 神经元活动相关的感觉信息仍然不清楚。
方法/主要发现：在这里，我们使用 kakusei 来分析 MB 神经元活动与采集行为类型之间的关系。与飞行了较长距离的摇摆舞者相比，飞行了较短距离的圆舞者中 kakusei 阳性 MB 神经元的数量更高。此外，MB 中的 kakusei 转录物的量与摇摆舞的摇摆阶段持续时间成反比，这与飞行距离相关。使用内部垂直或轴向排列的狭窄隧道，我们操纵了采集蜂在飞行过程中接收的视觉输入模式，并分析了 kakusei 表达。MB 中的 kakusei 转录物的量与觅食频率有关，但与隧道模式无关。相比之下，MB 中 kakusei 阳性神经元的数量受隧道模式的影响，但与觅食频率无关。
结论/意义：这些结果表明，MB 神经元活动取决于觅食频率，而活跃的 MB 神经元数量与觅食飞行过程中接收的视觉输入模式有关。我们的结果表明，觅食频率和觅食过程中的视觉体验与不同的 MB 神经活动有关。
