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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 12, 2025

Detection of Phospholipase C Activity in the Brain Homogenate from the Honeybee

Detection of Phospholipase C Activity in the Brain Homogenate from the Honeybee

Published on: September 14, 2018

The pigment-dispersing factor neuronal network systematically grows in developing honey bees.

Katharina Beer¹, Stephan Härtel², Charlotte Helfrich-Förster¹

¹Department of Neurobiology and Genetics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.

The Journal of Comparative Neurology

|November 21, 2021

Summary

The developing pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) network in honey bees shows distinct larval and metamorphic changes. This study maps the intricate PDF neuronal development crucial for circadian rhythms.

Keywords:

Apis mellifera circadian clock immunohistochemistry larval and pupal development neuroanatomy

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Last Updated: Oct 12, 2025

Detection of Phospholipase C Activity in the Brain Homogenate from the Honeybee

Detection of Phospholipase C Activity in the Brain Homogenate from the Honeybee

Published on: September 14, 2018

Obtaining Specimens with Slowed, Accelerated and Reversed Aging in the Honey Bee Model

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Published on: August 29, 2013

Preparation of Single-cohort Colonies and Hormone Treatment of Worker Honeybees to Analyze Physiology Associated with Role and/or Endocrine System

Preparation of Single-cohort Colonies and Hormone Treatment of Worker Honeybees to Analyze Physiology Associated with Role and/or Endocrine System

Published on: September 6, 2016

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Chronobiology
Insect Biology

Background:

The neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) is vital for insect circadian clocks.
Honey bee PDF neurons exhibit unique arborization patterns compared to other insects.
Previous studies highlight PDF's role but lack detail on its developmental trajectory in bees.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the developmental process of the PDF neuronal network in the honey bee brain.
To characterize the formation and changes in PDF-expressing neurons from larval to adult stages.
To compare the developing bee PDF network with known structures in other insects.

Main Methods:

Immunohistochemistry to visualize PDF-expressing neurons in different developmental stages (larval instars, metamorphosis, adult).
Detailed morphological analysis of PDF neuron projections and arborizations.
Comparative analysis with PDF networks in other insect species.

Main Results:

The first PDF neurons appear in the third larval instar, forming a dense network resembling the accessory medulla (AME) and projecting to the lateral superior protocerebrum.
In the last larval instar, larger PDF neurons emerge, projecting to the distal medulla and medial protocerebrum, with a developing PDF knot in the medulla serpentine layer.
During metamorphosis, the larval AME-like structure fades, a new PDF fiber hub forms anterior to the lobula, and the overall PDF neuronal network complexity increases.

Conclusions:

The honey bee PDF network undergoes significant developmental remodeling from larval to adult stages.
The developing PDF network shows both conserved and divergent features compared to other insects, particularly in accessory medulla development.
Understanding this development provides insights into the evolution and function of circadian clock networks in insects.