| Title: | Dopamine receptor activation by honey bee queen pheromone |
| Address: | "Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cub.2009.05.051 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-0445 (Electronic) 0960-9822 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) is produced by honey bee queens and used to regulate the behavior and physiology of their nestmates. QMP has recently been shown to block aversive learning in young worker bees, an effect that can be mimicked by treating bees with one of QMP's key components, homovanillyl alcohol (HVA). Although the mechanisms underlying this blockade remain unclear, HVA has been found to lower brain dopamine levels and to alter intracellular levels of cAMP in brain centers involved in learning and memory. These findings led to the hypothesis that HVA targets dopamine pathways in the brain, which are known to play a critical role in the formation of aversive olfactory memories. Here, we investigate the possibility that HVA interacts directly with dopamine receptors in the bee. We show that HVA selectively activates the D2-like dopamine receptor AmDOP3 but has neither agonist nor antagonist activity on the D1-like receptors AmDOP1 or AmDOP2 nor agonist activity on the octopamine receptor AmOA1. These results suggest a direct molecular mechanism by which queen pheromone can modulate dopamine signaling pathways. They also implicate the dopamine receptor AmDOP3 in HVA-induced blockade of aversive learning in young worker bees" |
| Keywords: | "3, 4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid/*analogs & derivatives/metabolism Analysis of Variance Animals Bees/metabolism/*physiology Behavior, Animal/*physiology *Hierarchy, Social Immunoenzyme Techniques Learning/physiology Luciferases Pheromones/*metabolism Recept;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineBeggs, Kyle T Mercer, Alison R eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2009/06/16 Curr Biol. 2009 Jul 28; 19(14):1206-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.05.051. Epub 2009 Jun 11" |
