College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 5;8(1):2332. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-20831-1.
DNA methylation has been proposed to play critical roles in caste fate and behavioral plasticity in bumblebees, however, there is little information on its regulatory mechanisms. Here, we identified six important genes mediating the modification of DNA methylation and determined their expression patterns in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. There is a complete functional DNA methylation system, including four DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1a, DNMT1b, DNMT2, and DNMT3), a DNA demethylase (Ten-eleven translocation), and a methyl-CpG-binding domain protein in B. terrestris. Most of these genes were highly expressed in fat bodies and gonads but lowly expressed in antennae and brains of bumblebee adults. Besides, these genes exhibited caste-specific expression patterns in bumblebees, with higher transcription levels in queens than workers and drones. Whereas their expression levels showed no remarkable difference in queenright and queenless workers. These results suggested potential roles of DNA methylation-related genes in caste differentiation in bumblebees.
DNA 甲基化被认为在熊蜂的级型命运和行为可塑性中发挥着关键作用，但关于其调控机制的信息却很少。在这里，我们鉴定了六个重要的基因，这些基因介导 DNA 甲基化的修饰，并确定了它们在熊蜂 Bombus terrestris 中的表达模式。熊蜂具有完整的功能性 DNA 甲基化系统，包括四个 DNA 甲基转移酶（DNMT1a、DNMT1b、DNMT2 和 DNMT3）、一个 DNA 去甲基化酶（Ten-eleven translocation）和一个甲基-CpG 结合域蛋白。这些基因中的大多数在脂肪体和性腺中高度表达，但在成年熊蜂的触角和大脑中低度表达。此外，这些基因在熊蜂中表现出特定级型的表达模式，与工蜂相比，蜂王和雄蜂中的转录水平更高。而在有蜂王和无蜂王的工蜂中，它们的表达水平没有显著差异。这些结果表明 DNA 甲基化相关基因在熊蜂的级型分化中可能发挥作用。
