scholarly journals Evolution of the Yellow/Major Royal Jelly Protein family and the emergence of social behavior in honey bees

2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 1385-1394 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Drapeau ◽  
S. Albert ◽  
R. Kucharski ◽  
C. Prusko ◽  
R. Maleszka
Author(s):  
Rika Raffiudin ◽  
Nurul Insani Shullia ◽  
Adelia Ulfie Damayanti ◽  
Dian Tri Wahyudi ◽  
Tia Vina Febiriani ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-128
Author(s):  
Georgios Goras ◽  
Chrysoula Tananaki ◽  
Sofia Gounari ◽  
Elissavet Lazaridou ◽  
Dimitrios Kanelis ◽  
...  

Abstract We investigated the rearing of drone larvae grafted in queen cells. From the 1200 drone larvae that were grafted during spring and autumn, 875 were accepted (72.9%) and reared as queens. Drone larvae in false queen cells received royal jelly of the same composition and of the same amounts as queen larvae. Workers capped the queen cells as if they were drones, 9-10 days after the egg laying. Out of 60 accepted false queen cells, 21 (35%) were capped. The shape of false queen cells with drone larvae is unusually long with a characteristically elongate tip which is probably due to the falling of larvae. Bees start the destruction of the cells when the larvae were 3 days old and maximised it before and after capping. Protecting false queen cells in the colony by wrapping, reversing them upside down, or placing in a horizontal position, did not help. The only adult drones that emerged from the false queen cells were those protected in an incubator and in push-in cages. Adult drones from false queen cells had smaller wings, legs, and proboscis than regular drones. The results of this study verify previous reports that the bees do not recognise the different sex of the larvae at least at the early stage of larval development. The late destruction of false queen cells, the similarity in quality and quantity of the produced royal jelly, and the bigger drone cells, allow for the use of drone larvae in cups for the production of royal jelly.


Insects ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Winkler ◽  
Frank Sieg ◽  
Anja Buttstedt

One of the first tasks of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) during their lifetime is to feed the larval offspring. In brief, young workers (nurse bees) secrete a special food jelly that contains a large amount of unique major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs). The regulation of mrjp gene expression is not well understood, but the large upregulation in well-fed nurse bees suggests a tight repression until, or a massive induction upon, hatching of the adult worker bees. The lipoprotein vitellogenin, the synthesis of which is regulated by the two systemic hormones 20-hydroxyecdysone and juvenile hormone, is thought to be a precursor for the production of MRJPs. Thus, the regulation of mrjp expression by the said systemic hormones is likely. This study focusses on the role of 20-hydroxyecdysone by elucidating its effect on mrjp gene expression dynamics. Specifically, we tested whether 20-hydroxyecdysone displayed differential effects on various mrjps. We found that the expression of the mrjps (mrjp1–3) that were finally secreted in large amounts into the food jelly, in particular, were down regulated by 20-hydroxyecdysone treatment, with mrjp3 showing the highest repression value.


PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenchao Yang ◽  
Yuanyuan Tian ◽  
Mingfeng Han ◽  
Xiaoqing Miao

In the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, queens and workers have different longevity although they share the same genome. Queens consume royal jelly (RJ) as the main food throughout their life, including as adults, but workers only eat worker jelly when they are larvae less than 3 days old. In order to explore the effect of RJ and the components affecting longevity of worker honey bees, we first determined the optimal dose for prolonging longevity of workers as 4% RJ in 50% sucrose solution, and developed a method of obtaining long lived workers. We then compared the effects of longevity extension by RJ 4% with bee-collected pollen from rapeseed (Brassica napus). Lastly, we determined that a water soluble RJ protein obtained by precipitation with 60% ammonium sulfate (RJP60) contained the main component for longevity extension after comparing the effects of RJ crude protein extract (RJCP), RJP30 (obtained by precipitation with 30% ammonium sulfate), and RJ ethanol extract (RJEE). Understanding what regulates worker longevity has potential to help increase colony productivity and improve crop pollination efficiency.


2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (5-10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai Shihah Abdullah ◽  
Nasuruddin Abdullah

Bee hive products such as honey bees, honey, royal jelly and pollen are widely consumed as a health supplement. There has been several cases of allergic reactions to bee hive products reported worldwide. Consumption of bee hive products is common among Malaysians, but the degree of its sensitization is not known. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of skin test reactivity to Apis mellifera, domesticated locally and the bee hive products such as honey bees, honey, royal jelly and pollen among a group of volunteers. Four types of honey collected from different locations with different plant sources; one sample of imported honey from Australia, one sample of royal jelly, four different sources of bee pollen, and honey bee derivatives were used to prepare allergen extracts for skin testing. 2522 volunteers were skin tested to these allergen extracts. 271 (10.75%) of the subjects had a positive skin prick test result to at least one honey bee derivative or bee hive product allergen. Individuals with skin test positivity to honey bee are most likely to be sensitized to bee pollen followed by honey and royal jelly. Skin test reactivity to honey bee and bee hive products is prevailed to be high in Malaysia. This study has proven that bee hive products sensitization individuals are mostly to be also sensitized to honey bees. Therefore, is recommended these allergens to be included in the skin prick panel


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiro Matsui ◽  
Akiko Yukiyoshi ◽  
Shima Doi ◽  
Hiroyuki Sugimoto ◽  
Hideo Yamada ◽  
...  

Biochemistry ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 1645-1655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel C. Mandacaru ◽  
Luis H. F. do Vale ◽  
Siavash Vahidi ◽  
Yiming Xiao ◽  
Owen S. Skinner ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 103 (44) ◽  
pp. 16352-16357 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sinha ◽  
X. Ling ◽  
C. W. Whitfield ◽  
C. Zhai ◽  
G. E. Robinson

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