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Juvenile hormone and colony conditions differentially influence cytochrome P450 gene expression in the termite Reticulitermes flavipes*
Author(s) -
Zhou X.,
Song C.,
Grzymala T. L.,
Oi F. M.,
Scharf M. E.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
insect molecular biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.955
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2583
pISSN - 0962-1075
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2006.00675.x
Subject(s) - biology , juvenile hormone , reticulitermes , gene , phenotype , gene expression , genetics , caste , cytochrome p450 , rhinotermitidae , insect , zoology , ecology , endocrinology , metabolism , linguistics , philosophy
In lower termites, the worker caste is a totipotent immature stage that is capable of differentiating into other adult caste phenotypes. We investigated the diversity of family 4 cytochrome P450 (CYP4) genes in Reticulitermes flavipes workers, with the specific goal of identifying P450 s potentially involved in regulating caste differentiation. Seven novel CYP4 genes were identified. Quantitative real‐time PCR revealed the tissue distribution of expression for the seven CYP4 s, as well as temporal expression changes in workers in association with a release from colony influences and during juvenile hormone (JH)‐induced soldier caste differentiation. Several fat‐body‐related CYP4 genes were differentially expressed after JH treatment. Still other genes changed expression in association with removal from colony influences, suggesting that primer pheromones and/or other colony influences impact their expression. These findings add to a growing database of candidate termite caste‐regulatory genes, and provide explicit evidence that colony factors influence termite gene expression.