Larval salivary glands are a source of primer and releaser pheromone in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.)

Conte, Yves Le; Bécard, Jean‐Marc; Costagliola, Guy; Vaublanc, Gérard de; Maâtaoui, Mohamed El; Crauser, Didier; Plettner, Erika; Slessor, K. N.

doi:10.1007/s00114-006-0089-y

Cited by 40 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…This proposition builds on previous work by Omholt (Omholt, 1988), who suggested that the nurse load of young honeybee workers affects longevity: a low nurse load can increase lifespan whereas a high nurse load has the opposite effect. In addition to consuming colony resources, however, larval brood secrete a primer brood pheromone, a blend of 10 fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters (Le Conte et al, 1994) produced by the salivary glands (Le Conte et al, 2006). This pheromone affects worker brain gene expression (Alaux et al, 2009), gland physiology (Pankiw et al, 2008) and behavior (Pankiw, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brood pheromone suppresses physiology of extreme longevity in honeybees (Apis mellifera)

Smedal

Brynem

Kreibich

et al. 2009

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYHoneybee (Apis mellifera) society is characterized by a helper caste of essentially sterile female bees called workers. Workers show striking changes in lifespan that correlate with changes in colony demography. When rearing sibling sisters (brood), workers survive for 3-6 weeks. When brood rearing declines, worker lifespan is 20 weeks or longer. Insects can survive unfavorable periods on endogenous stores of protein and lipid. The glyco-lipoprotein vitellogenin extends worker bee lifespan by functioning in free radical defense, immunity and behavioral control. Workers use vitellogenin in brood food synthesis, and the metabolic cost of brood rearing (nurse load) may consume vitellogenin stores and reduce worker longevity. Yet, in addition to consuming resources, brood secretes a primer pheromone that affects worker physiology and behavior. Odors and odor perception can influence invertebrate longevity but it is unknown whether brood pheromone modulates vitellogenin stores and survival. We address this question with a 2-factorial experiment where 12 colonies are exposed to combinations of absence vs presence of brood and brood pheromone. Over an age-course of 24 days, we monitor the amount of vitellogenin stored in workers' fat body (adipose tissue). Thereafter, we track colony survival for 200 days. We demonstrate that brood rearing reduces worker vitellogenin stores and colony long-term survival. Yet also, we establish that the effects can result solely from exposure to brood pheromone. These findings indicate that molecular systems of extreme lifespan regulation are integrated with the sensory system of honeybees to respond to variation in a primer pheromone secreted from larvae. Supplementary material available online at

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brood pheromone suppresses physiology of extreme longevity in honeybees (Apis mellifera)

Smedal

Brynem

Kreibich

et al. 2009

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Two examples of releaser pheromones in termites are the trail pheromone (Z,Z,E)-3,6,8-dodecatrien-1-ol (Matsumura, 1968) and the phagostimulatory pheromone hydroquinone (Reinhard et al, 2002). Three examples of primer pheromones from the honey bee are worker behavioral maturation inhibitory pheromone (ethyl oleate; Leoncini et al, 2004), brood pheromone (fatty acid esters; LeConte et al, 2006), and queen mandibular pheromone (5 carboxylate and aromatic components; Grozinger et al, 2007). Although no primer pheromones have been identified in termites, JH has been proposed as a possible termite primer pheromone (Henderson, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Soldier-Derived Terpenes on Soldier Caste Differentiation in the Termite Reticulitermes flavipes

et al. 2009

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-Primer pheromones play key roles in regulating division of labor, which is one of the most fundamental and defining aspects of insect sociality. Primer pheromones are chemical messengers that transmit hormone-like messages among colony members; in recipients these messages can either induce or suppress phenotypic caste differentiation. Here, we investigated soldier-caste-derived chemicals as possible primer pheromones in the lower termite Reticulitermes flavipes, a species for which no primer pheromones have yet been identified. We determined that soldier head extracts (SHE), when provided to totipotent workers along with the insect morphogenetic juvenile hormone (JH), significantly enhanced soldier caste differentiation. When applied alone, however, SHE had no impacts on caste differentiation, survivorship, or any other aspect of worker biology. These findings support that soldier-derived chemicals serve as primer pheromones which enhance the action of the endogenous morphogenetic hormone JH.Thus, SHE chemicals apparently have no effect when received under natural conditions by non-receptive individuals with presumably low JH titers. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis identified two terpenes as the most plentiful components of R.flavipes SHE. Through GC-MS and NMR analyses, these terpenes were identified as γ-cadinene and its corresponding aldehyde, γ-cadinenal. Validative bioassays with commercially available cadinene confirmed its activity. However, several other previously identified terpenes were also significantly active. These findings reveal a novel primer pheromone-like function for soldier-derived terpenes in termites, and further suggest convergent evolution of terpene functions in enhancing JH-dependent soldier caste differentiation.

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“…The esters are present in different amounts and proportions as a function of caste and larval age . Thus, nurses can recognize the various needs of larvae and provide them with optimal care (Le Conte et al, 2006). Four esters, methyl linolenate, methyl linoleate, methyl oleate, and methyl palmitate, induce the worker bees to cap the cell with a thin cover of wax .…”

Section: Interactions Between Adults and Broodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They found that methyl stearate increases the acceptance of the queen cells, methyl linoleate enhances the amount of royal jelly deposited by the worker, and methyl palmitate increases the weight of the larvae. In addition to releaser effects on various aspects of brood care, BP also has primer effects (Le Conte et al, 2001Conte et al, , 2006. Methyl palmitate and ethyl oleate increase the activity of the hypopharyngeal glands, which produce proteinaceous material that is fed by nurse bees to larvae (Mohammedi et al, 1996;Le Conte et al, 2001).…”

Section: Interactions Between Adults and Broodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical communication in the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.): a review

Trhlin¹,

Rajchard²

2011

Vet. Med.

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An important area of physiology of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) is chemical communication between individuals and castes in the swarm, which maintains its integrity and function. The highly complex social organization of honeybees is mediated through pheromones. Releaser pheromones cause rapid changes in the behaviour of the recipient, while primer pheromones have relatively slow and long-term effects on the physiology and behaviour of the recipient. Queen retinue pheromone (QRP) is a blend of the nine compounds (9-oxo-(E)-2-decenoic acid, (R)-and (S)-9-hydroxy-(E)-2-decenoic acid, methyl p-hydroxybenzoate, 4-hydroxy-3-methyoxyphenylethanol, methyl oleate, coniferyl alcohol, palmityl alcohol, and linolenic acid) and acts as a releaser pheromone by attracting worker bees to the queen. QRP also acts as a primer pheromone by physiologically inhibiting the ovary development of worker bees. An essential component of QRP, 9-oxo-(E)-2-decenoic acid, acts as a long-distance sex pheromone. Defensive behaviour of honeybees is induced and modulated by alarm pheromones. The essential alarm pheromone component is isopentyl acetate (IPA). The unsaturated derivative of IPA, 3-methyl-2-buten-1-yl acetate, was found in colonies of Africanized honeybees. The Nasanov gland of worker bees produces a pheromone (a blend of nerol, geraniol, (E)-and (Z)-citral, nerolic acid, geranic acid and (E,E)-farnesol) that acts as an attracting signal. This pheromone is used for aggregation (during swarming). Adult worker bees also produce a substance, ethyl oleate, that has a priming effect. Ethyl oleate is produced by adult forager bees and acts as a chemical inhibitory factor to delay age at onset of foraging (the presence of older worker bees causes a delayed onset of foraging in younger individuals). Chemical cues on the surface of larvae called a brood pheromone (ethyl and methyl esters of palmitic, linoleic, linolenic, stearic, and oleic acids, E-β-ocimene) are important in the communication between brood and worker bees. This pheromone modulates the feeding behaviour of worker bees, inhibits the activation of the worker ovary, induces worker bees to cap brood cells, increases the activity of the hypopharyngeal glands of nurse bees and modulates the behavioural maturation of worker bees.

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Larval salivary glands are a source of primer and releaser pheromone in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.)

Cited by 40 publications

References 7 publications

Brood pheromone suppresses physiology of extreme longevity in honeybees (Apis mellifera)

Brood pheromone suppresses physiology of extreme longevity in honeybees (Apis mellifera)

Effects of Soldier-Derived Terpenes on Soldier Caste Differentiation in the Termite Reticulitermes flavipes

Chemical communication in the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.): a review

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