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The primary aim of this study was to identify reference genes and workers of particular role and ages that would be suitable for exploring genetic/epigenetic variations in constitutive expression of a gene encoding antimicrobial peptide defensin1 in worker heads using real-time PCR. This peptide is an integral component of larval food and honey and has potential to act against some brood pathogens. Expression levels of distinct genes may vary in worker heads due to genetic factors, age of bee, and particular role of a worker that depends on its age or colony needs. Prerequisite for exploring the variations in defensin1 expression was therefore to identify such workers in which correlated expression of defensin1 and suitable reference genes occurs. Selection process was done by carefully designed quantitative real-time PCR procedure in two colonies showing different age-related division of labor. Expression of ten candidate reference genes, defensin1 and amylase, as a marker of forager bees, was assessed in pooled head samples of workers aged 2 to 30 days. Correlated and moreover stable expression of defensin1 and six candidate genes was detected in nursing bees in both colonies. The suitable reference genes were therefore selected on the basis of their expression stability. This was evaluated by geNorm and NormFinder algorithms in pooled head samples and through plotted Cq data in head samples of individual nurse bees. As the best reference genes were selected: psa1, tctp1, cyclophilin, gapdh and mrjp4 (in this order). They are suitable for aforementioned defensin1 expression studies and also for studies of other genes expressed in heads of nurses. In addition, an amylase expression-based procedure for reliable distinguishing nurses from foragers was elaborated.

Identification and validation of reference genes for real time PCR expression studies in heads of nurse honeybees