Ohashi K, Natori S, Kubo T
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Eur J Biochem. 1997 Nov 1;249(3):797-802. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1997.t01-1-00797.x.
Major proteins synthesized in the hypopharyngeal gland of the worker honeybee change from bee-milk proteins to alpha-glucosidase in accordance with the age-dependent role change of the worker bee. Previously, we showed that the gene for alpha-glucosidase is expressed specifically in the forager-bee gland [Ohashi, K., Sawata, M., Takeuchi, H., Natori, S. & Kubo, T. (1996) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 221, 380-385]. Here, we describe the isolation and analysis of cDNAs for two bee-milk 56-kDa and 64-kDa proteins. The 56-kDa protein was a glycoprotein which shared 63.2% and 56.9% amino acid sequence identities with proteins encoded by cDNA for royal-jelly-related protein 57-1 (pRJP57-1) and pRJP57-2. The 64-kDa protein cDNA was identical to pRJP57-1. Thus, these bee-milk proteins seem to form a structurally related protein family. The gene for the 64-kDa protein/RJP57-1 was expressed specifically in the nurse-bee gland, whereas that for the 56-kDa protein was expressed in both the nurse-bee and forager-bee glands. mRNAs for the 56-kDa and 64-kDa proteins were detected by in situ hybridization in a whole acinus of the nurse-bee gland, whereas mRNAs for the 56-kDa protein and alpha-glucosidase were detected in that of the forager-bee gland. Therefore, the individual secretory cells of the acinus of the hypopharyngeal gland were shown to express these genes differently with the age-dependent role change of the worker bee.
工蜂下咽腺中合成的主要蛋白质会根据工蜂随年龄变化的角色转变，从蜂王浆蛋白转变为α-葡萄糖苷酶。此前，我们发现α-葡萄糖苷酶基因在采蜜蜂的腺体中特异性表达[大桥健、泽田真、竹内浩、名取滋、久保彻（1996年）《生物化学与生物物理学研究通讯》221卷，第380 - 385页]。在此，我们描述了两种蜂王浆56 kDa和64 kDa蛋白质的cDNA的分离与分析。56 kDa蛋白质是一种糖蛋白，与蜂王浆相关蛋白57 - 1（pRJP57 - 1）和pRJP57 - 2的cDNA编码的蛋白质分别具有63.2%和56.9%的氨基酸序列同一性。64 kDa蛋白质的cDNA与pRJP57 - 1相同。因此，这些蜂王浆蛋白质似乎构成了一个结构相关的蛋白质家族。64 kDa蛋白质/RJP57 - 1的基因在哺育蜂的腺体中特异性表达，而56 kDa蛋白质的基因在哺育蜂和采蜜蜂的腺体中均有表达。通过原位杂交在哺育蜂腺体的整个腺泡中检测到了56 kDa和64 kDa蛋白质的mRNA，而在采蜜蜂腺体的腺泡中检测到了56 kDa蛋白质和α-葡萄糖苷酶的mRNA。因此，下咽腺腺泡的各个分泌细胞随着工蜂随年龄变化的角色转变而表现出不同的基因表达情况。
