PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Cleptoparasitism, also known as brood parasitism, is a widespread strategy among bee species in which the parasite lays eggs into the nests of the host species. Even though this behavior has significant ecological implications for the dynamics of several species, little is known about the molecular pathways associated with cleptoparasitism. To shed some light on this issue, we used gene expression data to perform a comparative analysis between two solitary neotropical bees: Coelioxoides waltheriae, an obligate parasite, and their specific host Tetrapedia diversipes. We found that ortholog genes involved in signal transduction, sensory perception, learning, and memory formation were differentially expressed between the cleptoparasite and the host. We hypothesize that these genes and their associated molecular pathways are engaged in cleptoparasitism-related processes and, hence, are appealing subjects for further investigation into functional and evolutionary aspects of cleptoparasitism in bees.
摘要：
Cleptoparasitism,也被称为寄生寄生，是蜜蜂物种中的一种普遍策略，其中寄生虫将卵产入宿主物种的巢中。尽管这种行为对几种物种的动态具有重大的生态意义，关于与交寄生虫症相关的分子途径知之甚少。为了阐明这个问题，我们使用基因表达数据对两种孤生新热带蜜蜂进行了比较分析：Coelioxoideswaltheriae，一种专性寄生虫，以及他们的特定宿主四角字。我们发现直系同源基因参与信号转导，感官知觉，学习,和记忆形成在cleptoparasite和宿主之间差异表达。我们假设这些基因及其相关的分子途径参与了与化学寄生虫相关的过程，因此，有吸引力的研究对象进一步研究蜜蜂的盲寄生症的功能和进化方面。
