Molecular Cloning and Expression of an Estrogen Receptor-Related Receptor Gene in Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

摘要

Estrogen receptor-related receptors (ERRs) belong to a subfamily of orphan nuclear receptors where the proteins are closely related to the estrogen receptors (ERs) in structure. ERRhomologs have been found in many animals and play an important role inthe regulation of physiologic processes. In our study, the estrogen receptor-related receptor homolog gene (referred to as AmERR) was cloned from Apis mellifera Linnaeus. The full-length cDNA of the AmERR gene is 1779 bp, containing a 5'- untranslated region (5'-UTR) of 197 bp and a 3'-UTR of277 bp. The open reading frame of 1,305 bp encodes a 434-amino acid protein. Using real-time quantitative RT-PCR to study AmERR mRNA expression patterns indicated that this gene is differentially expressed during honeybee development. There is a remarkable increase of relative expression of AmERR mRNA from pupa to adult, which may indicate that the gene plays an important role in the bee's differentiation of tissues and development. A different expression in castes and abundance expression in adults of AmERR mRNA may suggest it is relevant to functions in social communities.