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Abstract：
The honeybee, Apis cerana cerana (Ac), is an important pollinator and has adapted to the local ecological environment with relevant coloration. The cuticle coloration of the brown (br) mutant is brown instead of black in wild-type individuals. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and characterize the gene responsible for the br mutation. Genome resequencing with allele segregation measurement using Euclidean distance followed by Lowess regression analysis revealed that the color locus linked to the mutation was located on chromosome 11. A 2-base deletion on exon 4 was identified in the g7628 (yellow) gene after genome assembly and sequence cloning. In addition, the cuticle color of the abdomen of worker bees changed from black to brown when a defect was induced in the yellow gene using short interfering RNA (siRNA); however, the survival rate did not decrease significantly. These results indicate that the yellow gene participated in the body pigmentation, and its defect was responsible for the br mutation. This study promotes the understanding of the molecular basis of body coloration in honeybees, enriching the molecular mechanisms underlying insect pigmentation.
摘要：
蜜蜂,中华蜜蜂（Ac），是重要的传粉者，并以相关的颜色适应了当地的生态环境。在野生型个体中,棕色(br)突变体的角质层着色为棕色而不是黑色。因此,本研究旨在鉴定和表征负责br突变的基因。使用欧几里得距离进行等位基因分离测量的基因组重新测序，然后进行Lowess回归分析，发现与突变相关的颜色基因座位于11号染色体上。基因组组装和序列克隆后，在g7628（黄色）基因中鉴定出外显子4上的2个碱基缺失。此外,当使用短干扰RNA（siRNA）在黄色基因中诱导缺陷时，工蜂腹部的角质层颜色从黑色变为棕色；但是，生存率没有明显下降。这些结果表明，黄色基因参与了人体色素沉着，它的缺陷是br突变的原因。这项研究促进了对蜜蜂身体着色的分子基础的理解，丰富了昆虫色素沉着的分子机制。
