From the Cover: Reproductive protein protects functionally sterile honey bee workers from oxidative stress

@article{citeulike:479017, abstract = {Research on aging shows that regulatory pathways of fertility and senescence are closely interlinked. However, evolutionary theories on social species propose that lifelong care for offspring can shape the course of senescence beyond the restricted context of reproductive capability. These observations suggest that control circuits of aging are remodeled in social organisms with continuing care for offspring. Here, we studied a circuit of aging in the honey bee (Apis mellifera). The bee is characterized by the presence of a long-lived reproductive queen caste and a shorter-lived caste of female workers that are life-long alloparental care givers. We focus on the role of the conserved yolk precursor gene vitellogenin that, in Caenorhabditis elegans, shortens lifespan as a downstream element of the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling cascade. Vitellogenin protein is synthesized at high levels in honey bee queens and is abundant in long-lived workers. We establish that vitellogenin gene activity protects worker bees from oxidative stress. Our finding suggests that one mechanistic explanation for patterns of longevity in bees is that a reproductive regulatory pathway has been remodeled to extend life. This perspective is of considerable relevance to research on longevity regulation that builds largely on inference from solitary model species.}, author = {Seehuus, Siri-Christine and Norberg, Kari and Gimsa, Ulrike and Krekling, Trygve and Amdam, Gro V. }, citeulike-article-id = {479017}, journal = {PNAS}, keywords = {pleiotropy, reproduction, sociality}, month = {January}, number = {4}, pages = {962--967}, posted-at = {2006-01-24 22:12:35}, priority = {2}, title = {From the Cover: Reproductive protein protects functionally sterile honey bee workers from oxidative stress}, url = {http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/103/4/962}, volume = {103}, year = {2006} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:479017 L3 - citeulike-article-id:479017 TI - From the Cover: Reproductive protein protects functionally sterile honey bee workers from oxidative stress JF - PNAS VL - 103 IS - 4 SP - 962 EP - 967 N2 - Research on aging shows that regulatory pathways of fertility and senescence are closely interlinked. However, evolutionary theories on social species propose that lifelong care for offspring can shape the course of senescence beyond the restricted context of reproductive capability. These observations suggest that control circuits of aging are remodeled in social organisms with continuing care for offspring. Here, we studied a circuit of aging in the honey bee (Apis mellifera). The bee is characterized by the presence of a long-lived reproductive queen caste and a shorter-lived caste of female workers that are life-long alloparental care givers. We focus on the role of the conserved yolk precursor gene vitellogenin that, in Caenorhabditis elegans, shortens lifespan as a downstream element of the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling cascade. Vitellogenin protein is synthesized at high levels in honey bee queens and is abundant in long-lived workers. We establish that vitellogenin gene activity protects worker bees from oxidative stress. Our finding suggests that one mechanistic explanation for patterns of longevity in bees is that a reproductive regulatory pathway has been remodeled to extend life. This perspective is of considerable relevance to research on longevity regulation that builds largely on inference from solitary model species. KW - pleiotropy KW - reproduction KW - sociality AU - Seehuus, Siri-Christine AU - Norberg, Kari AU - Gimsa, Ulrike AU - Krekling, Trygve AU - Amdam, Gro PY - 2006/01/24/ UR - http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/103/4/962 ER -