Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of honeybee brains identifies vitellogenin as caste differentiation-related factor
Wenxin Zhang,
Liangliang Wang,
Yinjiao Zhao,
Yufei Wang,
Chaoyang Chen,
Yu Hu,
Yuanxiang Zhu,
Hao Sun,
Ying Cheng,
Qinmiao Sun,
Jian Zhang,
Dahua Chen
Affiliations
Wenxin Zhang
Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
Liangliang Wang
Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
Yinjiao Zhao
School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
Yufei Wang
Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
Chaoyang Chen
Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
Yu Hu
Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
Yuanxiang Zhu
Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
Hao Sun
Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
Ying Cheng
Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
Qinmiao Sun
State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Institute of Stem Cells and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Corresponding author
Jian Zhang
School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China; Corresponding author
Dahua Chen
Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China; State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Corresponding author
Summary: The honeybee (Apis mellifera) is a well-known eusocial insect. In honeybee colonies, thousands of sterile workers, including nurse and forager bees, perform various tasks within or outside the hive, respectively. The queen is the only fertile female and is responsible for reproduction. The queen and workers share similar genomes but occupy different caste statuses. We established single-cell transcriptomic atlases of brains from queens and worker subcastes and identified five major cell groups: Kenyon, optic lobe, olfactory projection, glial, and hemocyte cells. By dividing Kenyon and glial cells into multiple subtypes based on credible markers, we observed that vitellogenin (vg) was highly expressed in specific glial-cell subtypes in brains of queens. Knockdown of vg at the early larval stage significantly suppressed the development into adult queens. We demonstrate vg expression as a ''molecular signature'' for the queen caste and suggest involvement of vg in regulating caste differentiation.
