Data from: Genetic architecture of a hormonal response to gene knockdown in honey bees

Variation in endocrine signaling is proposed to underlie the evolution and
regulation of social life histories, but the genetic architecture of
endocrine signaling is still poorly understood. An excellent example of a
hormonally influenced set of social traits is found in the honey bee (Apis
mellifera): a dynamic and mutually suppressive relationship between
juvenile hormone (JH) and the yolk precursor protein vitellogenin (Vg)
regulates behavioral maturation and foraging of workers. Several other
traits cosegregate with these behavioral phenotypes, comprising the pollen
hoarding syndrome (PHS) one of the best-described animal behavioral
syndromes. Genotype differences in responsiveness of JH to Vg are a
potential mechanistic basis for the PHS. Here, we reduced Vg expression
via RNA interference in progeny from a backcross between 2 selected lines
of honey bees that differ in JH responsiveness to Vg reduction and
measured JH response and ovary size, which represents another key aspect
of the PHS. Genetic mapping based on restriction site-associated DNA tag
sequencing identified suggestive quantitative trait loci (QTL) for ovary
size and JH responsiveness. We confirmed genetic effects on both traits
near many QTL that had been identified previously for their effect on
various PHS traits. Thus, our results support a role for endocrine control
of complex traits at a genetic level. Furthermore, this first example of a
genetic map of a hormonal response to gene knockdown in a social insect
helps to refine the genetic understanding of complex behaviors and the
physiology that may underlie behavioral control in general.