Nat Neurosci.:蜜蜂DNA甲基化模式变化与所属种群地位有关

对同一蜂巢中不同分工的蜜蜂来说，它们的DNA甲基化模式虽有所区别但又具有遗传相似性，这是本周发表在《自然—神经科学》上的一项研究所得出的结论。

<img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.bioon.com/biology/UploadFiles/201209/2012092720173634.gif" alt="" width="131" height="173" border="0" />

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蜜蜂的雌性胚胎发育为蜂王还是工蜂由其被喂养的食物所决定。Andrew Feinberg等人研究了两种特殊的工蜂：一种是保育蜂，负责喂养其他蜜蜂；另一种是采蜜蜂，负责外出为蜂巢采集食物。虽然这两种蜜蜂分工不同，但其在整个蜂群中所扮演的角色并不确定，因为保育蜂在生命晚期可以转换为采蜜蜂。

虽然不同种类蜜蜂的DNA序列并不存在系统性差别，但科学家们还是发现，采蜜蜂和保育蜂的负责调控基因表达的DNA甲基化模式存在差异。当研究人员采取手段诱使采蜜蜂转化为保育蜂，其甲基化模式也随之发生相应改变。

该发现表明DNA甲基化和蜜蜂群体之间存在某种密切联系，同时也例证了基因组中除DNA序列之外的改变是如何调控行为的.
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doi:10.1038/nn.3218
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<br/><strong>Reversible switching between epigenetic states in honeybee behavioral subcastes </strong><br/>


Brian R Herb, Florian Wolschin, Kasper D Hansen, Martin J Aryee, Ben Langmead, Rafael Irizarry, Gro V Amdam &amp; Andrew P Feinberg

In honeybee societies, distinct caste phenotypes are created from the same genotype, suggesting a role for epigenetics in deriving these behaviorally different phenotypes. We found no differences in DNA methylation between irreversible worker and queen castes, but substantial differences between nurses and forager subcastes. Reverting foragers back to nurses reestablished methylation levels for a majority of genes and provides, to the best of our knowledge, the first evidence in any organism of reversible epigenetic changes associated with behavior.

<br/>来源：中国科学报

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