What is vitellogenin? One or more answers are possible.
- It is a protein that helps to slow the ageing of the workers.
- It is not involved in the mechanisms of bee immunity.
- It is synthesised mainly in the fat body of the bee.
- It has no link with the hypopharyngeal glands or with the brood food.
- It influences the type of foraging, in particular the tendency to collect pollen.
- It plays no role in the longevity of the queen.
- It takes part in the regulation of the social life of the colony.
Show answer
Correct answer: 1 + 3 + 5 + 7.
Vitellogenin contributes to longevity, is synthesised in the fat body, influences certain foraging behaviours and takes part in the social regulation of the colony.
Why?
Vitellogenin is a large storage and regulation protein. In the bee, it is produced mainly in the fat body, then circulates in the haemolymph.
It is abundant in winter bees and in young nurse bees. It contributes to resistance to oxidative stress, to certain immune functions and to the longevity of the workers.
It is also involved in the regulation of behaviour. High levels of vitellogenin are associated with a later transition to foraging and with an increased tendency to collect pollen rather than nectar.
What to understand
Vitellogenin is not only a protein linked to reproduction. In the honey bee, it has acquired important functions in the social organisation of the colony.
It acts in interaction with juvenile hormone. In simplified terms, a high vitellogenin is associated with the internal tasks, the nurse bees and the winter bees, while a fall in vitellogenin often accompanies the transition to the external tasks.
Vitellogenin is also linked to the hypopharyngeal glands and to the production of larval food. It would therefore be wrong to say that it has no link with the brood food.
Key points
Vitellogenin is produced mainly in the fat body and circulates in the haemolymph.
It contributes to longevity, to physiological resistance and to certain immune mechanisms of bees.
It takes part in the division of labour in the colony, in particular the transition between internal tasks and foraging.
Further reading
► Vitellogenin and the keys to the colony