Expression of two ecdysteroid-regulated genes, Broad-Complex and E75, in the brain and ovary of the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.)

Abstract

We previously demonstrated that two ecdysteroid-regulated genes, Mblk-1/E93 and E74, are expressed selectively in Kenyon cell subtypes in the mushroom bodies of the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) brain. To further examine the possible involvement of ecdysteroid-regulated genes in brain function as well as in oogenesis in the honeybee, we isolated cDNAs for two other ecdysteroid-regulated genes, Broad-Complex (BR-C) and E75, and analyzed their expression in the worker brain as well as in the queen abdomen. In situ hybridization revealed that BR-C, like Mblk-1/ E93, is expressed selectively in the large-type Kenyon cells of the mushroom bodies in the worker brain, whereas E75 is expressed in all mushroom body neuron subtypes, suggesting a difference in the mode of response to ecdysteroid among Kenyon cell subtypes. In the queen ovary, both BR-C and E75 are expressed preferentially in the follicle cells that surround egg cells at the late stage, suggesting their role in oogenesis. These results suggest that BR-C and E75 are involved in the regulation of brain function as well as in reproductive physiology in the adult honeybee.