University of Arizona researchers showed that an important protein in the insulin signaling pathway plays an important role in creating classes (castes) among bees. A female bee either becomes a queen or a worker bee. Queens are larger and live longer than workers. Queen, fertile and worker bees are essentially sterile. The queen has only one role (laying eggs), but the workers take care of the hive, the queen, the larvae, and provide food.
Florain Walschin , research assistant professor at the University of Arizona School of Biological Sciences said: The amazing thing is that female honeybees (both worker and queen) come from the same genome. But how does one become a queen and the other a worker?
The workers determine their fate by the food they give to the larvae. The amount and composition of food that larvae receive determines whether they become queens or workers. Of course, this is a point that everyone knew for years. But what exactly happens inside the cell was not completely clear. The researchers realized that the way of sending insulin signals plays an important role in this case. Insulin is a hormone present in humans and many animals, and insulin-like peptides have also been discovered in bees. Insulin drives glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into the cells to be used there. Researchers prevented the secretion of an important protein in this path of sending signals in bee larvae. This protein is the key ingredient of the insulin receptor (It is called insulin receptor substrate and is related to growth, development and reproduction in mice. The researchers fed the modified larvae the queen’s food, but the larvae turned into worker bees, not queens. This intermediate substance ( IRS ) is only one of the components of the process that determines the final fate of a bee. Several other molecules such as DNA methyltransferase, juvenile hormone and another protein called TOR also play a role in this matter. Researchers are currently trying to investigate the internal interaction of several of the above factors.
Honey bees play an important role in the economy, especially in terms of pollination of agricultural products, production of honey, wax and royal jelly. Understanding bee biology in maintaining this industry and dealing with problems such as hive disintegration disorder ( CCD ).) is important. Bees have provided an important model system that can add to our understanding of our own biology, helping scientists use it in studies of aging, the researchers say. Apparently, other than the bee, there is no more suitable model for this type of research
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