Title: | "Brain, physiological and behavioral modulation induced by immune stimulation in honeybees (Apis mellifera): a potential mediator of social immunity?" |
Author(s): | Alaux C; Kemper N; Kretzschmar A; Le Conte Y; |
Address: | "INRA, UR406 Abeilles et Environnement, Site Agroparc, 84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France. cedric.alaux@avignon.inra.fr" |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.bbi.2012.04.004 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1090-2139 (Electronic) 0889-1591 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Social removal is often an adaptive response for preventing the entry and spread of parasitic infection between kin members of a group. Social isolation via removal or the switching of social tasks has also been observed in insect societies; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We tested in honeybees the role of the immune system in physiological and behavioral modulation. Forager bees are often located in the outer area of the colony, and thus have reduced contacts with individuals of high importance, who are located in the inner area of the colony (e.g. queen and brood). We thus expected that an immune challenge would induce a forager profile. This was confirmed by measuring brain (foraging and malvolio gene expression), physiological (hypopharyngeal glands size) and behavioral (queen attendance) parameters of nurse/forager profiles after a treatment with an immune-activator (lipopolysaccharides). Our results support the idea that the interplay between the brain and immune system may be an important regulatory factor of social immunity in insects" |
Keywords: | "Aging/physiology Animals Bees/*immunology Behavior, Animal/drug effects/*physiology Brain Chemistry/drug effects/genetics/*physiology Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases Drosophila Proteins/genetics Exocrine Glands/anatomy & histology/physiology Gene Exp;" |
Notes: | "MedlineAlaux, Cedric Kemper, Nele Kretzschmar, Andre Le Conte, Yves eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Netherlands 2012/05/01 Brain Behav Immun. 2012 Oct; 26(7):1057-60. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2012.04.004. Epub 2012 Apr 20" |