Abstract
DNA methylation has been proposed to play critical roles in caste fate and behavioral plasticity in bumblebees, however, there is little information on its regulatory mechanisms. Here, we identified six important genes mediating the modification of DNA methylation and determined their expression patterns in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. There is a complete functional DNA methylation system, including four DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1a, DNMT1b, DNMT2, and DNMT3), a DNA demethylase (Ten-eleven translocation), and a methyl-CpG-binding domain protein in B. terrestris. Most of these genes were highly expressed in fat bodies and gonads but lowly expressed in antennae and brains of bumblebee adults. Besides, these genes exhibited caste-specific expression patterns in bumblebees, with higher transcription levels in queens than workers and drones. Whereas their expression levels showed no remarkable difference in queenright and queenless workers. These results suggested potential roles of DNA methylation-related genes in caste differentiation in bumblebees.
Highlights
DNA methylation is a prominent epigenetic modification that plays essential roles in gene imprinting, X-chromosome inactivation, gene silencing and other significant biological processes[9,10]
By comparing domain structures of these genes, we found that DNMT1a and DNMT1b proteins had the same domain structures (Fig. 1)
Our results revealed that there is a complete DNA methylation system in B. terrestris, similar with other social insects, aphids, and locusts (Fig. 3)
Summary
DNA methylation is a prominent epigenetic modification that plays essential roles in gene imprinting, X-chromosome inactivation, gene silencing and other significant biological processes[9,10]. Another study indicated that there are 2399 genes showed significant differences of methylation in larval heads between queens and workers. Some of these genes are related to juvenile hormone and insulin pathways, which regulate caste determination in honeybees[16]. We characterized six key genes related to DNA methylation and determined their expression patterns in B. terrestris to lay the foundation for elucidating epigenetic mechanisms of caste differentiation in bumblebees
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