GROZINGER*, Christina M.; ROBINSON, G.E.; University of Ilinois; University of Illinois: Microarray analysis of pheromone-mediated gene expression in the honey bee brain

Pheromones regulate a wide variety of behaviors in both vertebrate and invertebrates. Honey bees are an established model organism to study pheromones: their highly complex society is predominantly regulated by chemical communication, and many of the components of different honey bee pheromones have been identified. Using recently developed honey bee cDNA microarrays, we have begun to analyze the molecular mechanisms of pheromonal regulation of honey bee behavior. Here we report on brain transcriptional responses to queen mandibular pheromone (QMP). QMP is a blend of five identified chemicals that has potent and diverse influences, with effects on brain structure, hormone systems, and several different aspects of behavior including queen rearing, foraging, and learning. We analyzed changes in gene expression in the brain caused by exposure to QMP in both one-day old and 8-9 day-old adult bees using microarrays, in both lab and field experiments. Several sets of co-regulated genes were identified, and the time course of their expression determined. These results will help identify the changes in brain architecture, neurochemical and hormonal state that lead to the dramatic alterations in behavior observed upon stimulation with pheromone.