Transcriptome analysis reveals nutrition‐ and age‐related patterns of gene expression in the fat body of pre‐overwintering bumble bee queens

Many diapausing insects undergo a nutrient storage period prior to their entry into diapause. Bumble bee queens diapause as adults in the winter preceding their spring nest initiation period. Before diapause, they sequester glycogen and lipids, which they metabolize during the overwintering period. We used RNA sequencing to examine how age and nectar diet (specifically, the concentration of sucrose in nectar) impact gene expression in the pre-overwintering bumble bee queen fat body, the “liver-like” organ in insects with broad functions related to nutrient storage and metabolism. We found that diet on its own, and in combination with age, impacts the expression of genes involved in detoxification. Age was also a strong driver of gene expression, especially at earlier ages (up to 3 days). In addition to these molecular correlates of diet and age, we also found a putative molecular signature of diapause entry or preparation in adult queens in the oldest age group (12 days) fed the most su...

多数滞育昆虫在进入滞育状态前，都会经历一段营养储备阶段。熊蜂蜂王以成虫形态，在春季筑巢周期前的冬季进入滞育。滞育前，它们会储存糖原与脂质，并在越冬期间对这些储能物质进行代谢利用。本研究通过RNA测序技术，探究了日龄与花蜜日粮（具体为花蜜中蔗糖浓度）如何影响越冬前熊蜂蜂王脂肪体（fat body）的基因表达——脂肪体是昆虫中兼具营养储存与代谢等多种核心功能的“类肝脏”器官。研究发现，单独的日粮因素以及日粮与日龄的联合作用，均会影响解毒相关基因的表达水平。日龄同样是调控基因表达的重要驱动因子，尤其在较早日龄（至多3日龄）时该效应尤为显著。除上述与日粮和日龄相关的分子特征外，我们还在饲喂最高浓度蔗糖（原文未完整）的12日龄老龄熊蜂蜂王中，观测到了与滞育启动或准备相关的潜在分子标记特征。