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Updated: May 25, 2026

RNAi-mediated Double Gene Knockdown and Gustatory Perception Measurement in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Published on: July 25, 2013
Social pleiotropy and the molecular evolution of honey bee vitellogenin
Heli Havukainen1, Øyvind Halskau, Gro V Amdam
1Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003 1432 Aas, Norway.
Abstract:
In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Kent et al. (2011) describe the adaptive evolution of honey bee vitellogenin that belongs to a phylogenetically conserved group of egg yolk precursors. This glyco-lipoprotein leads a double life: it is central to egg production in the reproductive queen caste, and a regulator of social behaviour in the sterile worker caste. Does such social pleiotropy constrain molecular evolution? To the contrary; Kent et al. show that the vitellogenin gene is under strong positive selection in honey bees. Rapid change has taken place in specific protein regions, shedding light on the evolution of novel vitellogenin functions.
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