http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1002779;jsessionid=53022B7D6B423256481C731CCB600CCF

Gustatory Perception and Fat Body Energy Metabolism Are Jointly Affected by
Vitellogenin and Juvenile Hormone in Honey Bees

Abstract Top<http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1002779;jsessionid=53022B7D6B423256481C731CCB600CCF#top>

Honey bees (*Apis mellifera*) provide a system for studying social and
food-related behavior. A caste of workers performs age-related tasks: young
bees (nurses) usually feed the brood and other adult bees inside the nest,
while older bees (foragers) forage outside for pollen, a protein/lipid
source, or nectar, a carbohydrate source. The workers' transition from
nursing to foraging and their foraging preferences correlate with
differences in gustatory perception, metabolic gene expression, and
endocrine physiology including the endocrine factors vitellogenin (Vg) and
juvenile hormone (JH). However, the understanding of connections among
social behavior, energy metabolism, and endocrine factors is incomplete. We
used RNA interference (RNAi) to perturb the gene network of Vg and JH to
learn more about these connections through effects on gustation, gene
transcripts, and physiology. The RNAi perturbation was achieved by single
and double knockdown of the genes *ultraspiracle* (*usp*) and *vg*, which
encode a putative JH receptor and Vg, respectively. The double knockdown
enhanced gustatory perception and elevated hemolymph glucose, trehalose,
and JH. We also observed transcriptional responses in insulin like peptide
1 (*ilp1*), the adipokinetic hormone receptor (*AKHR*), and cGMP-dependent
protein kinase (*PKG*, or “foraging gene” *Amfor*). Our study demonstrates
that the Vg–JH regulatory module controls changes in carbohydrate
metabolism, but not lipid metabolism, when worker bees shift from nursing
to foraging. The module is also placed upstream of *ilp1*,*AKHR*, and *PKG* for
the first time. As insulin, adipokinetic hormone (AKH), and PKG pathways
influence metabolism and gustation in many animals, we propose that honey
bees have conserved pathways in carbohydrate metabolism and conserved
connections between energy metabolism and gustatory perception. Thus,
perhaps the bee can make general contributions to the understanding of
food-related behavior and metabolic disorders.

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