The paper is under a PPV web.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature10093.html

Abstract
The honeybee (*Apis mellifera*) forms two female castes: the queen and the
worker. This dimorphism depends not on genetic differences, but on ingestion
of royal jelly, although the mechanism through which royal jelly regulates
caste differentiation has long remained unknown. Here I show that a 57-kDa
protein in royal jelly, previously designated as royalactin, induces the
differentiation of honeybee larvae into queens. Royalactin increased body
size and ovary development and shortened developmental time in honeybees.
Surprisingly, it also showed similar effects in the fruitfly (*Drosophila
melanogaster*). Mechanistic studies revealed that royalactin activated p70
S6 kinase, which was responsible for the increase of body size, increased
the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase, which was involved in the
decreased developmental time, and increased the titre of juvenile hormone,
an essential hormone for ovary development. Knockdown of epidermal growth
factor receptor (Egfr) expression in the fat body of honeybees and
fruitflies resulted in a defect of all phenotypes induced by royalactin,
showing that Egfr mediates these actions. These findings indicate that a
specific factor in royal jelly, royalactin, drives queen development through
an Egfr-mediated signalling pathway.

-- 
Juanse Barros J.
APIZUR S.A.
Carrera 695
Gorbea - CHILE
+56-45-271693
08-3613310
http://apiaraucania.blogspot.com/
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