A study of aging in the honey bee brain

Ane Skjelfjord

Physical aging and frailty – what affects it besides chronological age?

Prosjektleder: Gro Amdam

The interface between the individual and the social environment
The honey bee is a key neurobiological model for understanding learning and memory formation. As a highly social invertebrate, moreover, the bee provides unique opportunities for cutting-edge research on aging and frailty because it opens up the interface between the individual and the social environment.

Aging can be controlled by social signals
Our group at UMB's Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences has over the last five years contributed to a deeper understanding of the regulation of honey bee lifespan. We have, e.g., shown that aging in worker bees is not a clear-cut function of chronological age. This is because aging can be controlled by social signals through a feedback pathway that involves the systemic hormone juvenile hormone and the gene vitellogenin. Recently, we examined if oxidative brain damage, a hallmark of aging, can be affected by social signals as well. Our preliminary data, obtained from immunohistochemical staining of 150 brains from 8-200 day-old worker bees, suggest that this is indeed the case. The proposal presented here outlines how we intend to move forward in our work to understand the pathology and social regulation of honey bee brain aging.

At the forefront in the area of honey bee longevity regulation
We will take advantage of the fact that we are at the research forefront in the area of honey bee longevity regulation; mastering techniques including immunohistochemistry, protein analysis and RNA interference. From this foundation, we will dissect the pathology of bee brain aging in collaboration with Dr. Gimsa - University of Rostock, Dr. Mandarino - Arizona State University, and the FUGE platforms MIC and PROBE (Sub-goal 1). Next, together with Dr. Scheiner - Technical University of Berlin, who is an expert in the use of the bee as a neurobiological model, we will establish how brain aging affects the bee's sensory sensitivity and cognitive abilities (Sub-goal 2). Finally, we will determine the extent of which the pathologies mapped under Sub-goals 1 and 2 can be controlled, and possibly reversed, by social signals (Sub-goal 3).

Forskdok key words: bee, aging, longevity, vitellogenin

Forskdok emneord: bie, aldring, vitellogenin

Oppdatert: 29.09.06
Utskriftsvennlig versjon : Arkiv : Tips en venn