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Social organization in highly eusocial bees relies upon two important processes: caste differentiation in female larvae, and age polyethism in adult workers. Juvenile Hormone (JH) is a key regulator of both processes. Here we investigated the expression of two genes involved in JH metabolism -  mfe  (biosynthesis) and  jhe  (degradation) - in the context of social organization in the stingless bee  Melipona interrupta . We found evidence that the expression of  mfe  and  jhe  genes is related to changes in JH levels during late larval development, where caste determination occurs. Also, both  mfe  and  jhe  were upregulated when workers engage in intranidal tasks, but only  jhe  expression was downregulated at the transition from nursing to foraging activities. This relation is different than expected, considering recent reports of lower JH levels in foragers than nurses in the closely related species  Melipona scutellaris . Our findings suggest that highly eusocial bees have different mechanisms to regulate JH and, thus, to maintain their level of social organization.

genetics and molecular biology

Expression of methyl farnesoate epoxidase (mfe) and juvenile hormone esterase (jhe) genes and their relation to social organization in the stingless bee Melipona interrupta (Hymenoptera: Apidae)