Li Yunchang, Zhang Xiaojing, Xia Zhenyu, Hao Yue
Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China.
Insects. 2025 May 26;16(6):563. doi: 10.3390/insects16060563.
10-Hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), a major fatty acid (FA) component of royal jelly, is synthesized in the mandibular glands (MGs) of worker honeybees. Despite its well-documented nutritional and therapeutic significance, the biosynthetic pathway and regulatory mechanisms of 10-HDA production remain largely unresolved. In this study, the molecular basis of 10-HDA biosynthesis and regulation in the MGs of newly emerged bees (NEBs), nurse bees (NBs), and forager bees (FBs) were investigated using RNA sequencing and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). A five-step biosynthetic pathway for 10-HDA was proposed, and cross-species analysis of and revealed the conserved expression patterns of 15 key enzymes involved. Functional validation via RNA interference (RNAi) demonstrated that knockdown of acyl-CoA Delta(11) desaturase (, LOC551527), a key enzyme in FA desaturation, led to a 50% reduction in 10-HDA levels. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis further identified transcriptional regulators Kay and Drep-2 as potential modulators of 10-HDA metabolism. This study provides the first comprehensive mechanistic model of 10-HDA biosynthesis in honeybee MGs and highlights the labor-specific regulation of FA metabolism. These findings offer promising genetic targets for improving the royal jelly quality through genetic technology.
10-羟基-2-癸烯酸（10-HDA）是蜂王浆的主要脂肪酸（FA）成分，由工蜂的下颌腺（MGs）合成。尽管其营养和治疗意义已得到充分证明，但10-HDA产生的生物合成途径和调控机制仍 largely 未得到解决。在本研究中，使用RNA测序和加权基因共表达网络分析（WGCNA）研究了新出现的蜜蜂（NEBs）、哺育蜂（NBs）和采集蜂（FBs）的MGs中10-HDA生物合成和调控的分子基础。提出了10-HDA的五步生物合成途径，跨物种分析揭示了15种关键酶的保守表达模式。通过RNA干扰（RNAi）进行的功能验证表明，敲低FA去饱和关键酶酰基辅酶A Delta(11)去饱和酶（，LOC551527）会导致10-HDA水平降低50%。蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用（PPI）网络分析进一步确定转录调节因子Kay和Drep-2为10-HDA代谢的潜在调节因子。本研究提供了蜜蜂MGs中10-HDA生物合成的第一个全面机制模型，并突出了FA代谢的劳动特异性调节。这些发现为通过基因技术提高蜂王浆质量提供了有前景的遗传靶点。
