Hacking the solitary bee connecting hormonal dynamics with underlying molecular mechanisms during development


Meeting Abstract

P2-90  Friday, Jan. 6 15:30 – 17:30  Hacking the solitary bee: connecting hormonal dynamics with underlying molecular mechanisms during development AGOSTO, LM*; HELM, BR; HOLTHUSEN, J; TORSON, AS; YOCUM, GD; GREENLEE, KJ; BOWSHER, JH; University of Central Florida, Orlando FL; North Dakota State University, Fargo ND; USDA-ARS Animal Metabolism-Agricultural Chemicals Reserach, Fargo ND; North Dakota State University, Fargo ND; USDA-ARS Insect Genetics and Biochemistry, Fargo ND; North Dakota State University, Fargo ND; North Dakota State University, Fargo ND bryan.r.helm@ndsu.edu

Insects—especially holometabolous—undergo a complex metamorphosis in form and function from the immature to mature stage of their life cycle. Physiologically, metamorphosis is regulated by hormones, primarily juvenile hormone and ecdysone, which control different aspects of the metamorphic processes. However, much of our understanding of metamorphosis is based upon studies focusing on just a few model organisms, and connections between the physiological dynamics and their underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly described. Here, we simultaneously characterize the developmental physiology and corresponding molecular mechanisms of larval to adult metamorphosis in the alfalfa leaf cutter bee, Megachile rotundata. We measured the hemolymph titer of juvenile hormone III (JHIII) using a recently established UHPLC-MS/MS protocol. From these same individuals, we quantified the expression of genes that regulate JHIII synthesis, degradation, and reception in target tissues. While we did not directly assay ecdysone quantities in hemolymph for this study, we quantified expression of genes that regulate its synthesis and reception. This research integrates molecular mechanisms with overarching patterns in hormones controlling insect metamorphosis.

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