TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kaya-Zeeb, Sinan
A1  - Engelmayer, Lorenz
A1  - Straßburger, Mara
A1  - Bayer, Jasmin
A1  - Bähre, Heike
A1  - Seifert, Roland
A1  - Scherf-Clavel, Oliver
A1  - Thamm, Markus
T1  - Octopamine drives honeybee thermogenesis
JF  - eLife
N2  - In times of environmental change species have two options to survive: they either relocate to a new habitat or they adapt to the altered environment. Adaptation requires physiological plasticity and provides a selection benefit. In this regard, the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) protrudes with its thermoregulatory capabilities, which enables a nearly worldwide distribution. Especially in the cold, shivering thermogenesis enables foraging as well as proper brood development and thus survival. In this study, we present octopamine signaling as a neurochemical prerequisite for honeybee thermogenesis: we were able to induce hypothermia by depleting octopamine in the flight muscles. Additionally, we could restore the ability to increase body temperature by administering octopamine. Thus, we conclude that octopamine signaling in the flight muscles is necessary for thermogenesis. Moreover, we show that these effects are mediated by β octopamine receptors. The significance of our results is highlighted by the fact the respective receptor genes underlie enormous selective pressure due to adaptation to cold climates. Finally, octopamine signaling in the service of thermogenesis might be a key strategy to survive in a changing environment.
KW  - honeybee
KW  - octopamine
KW  - thermogenesis
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-301327
VL  - 11
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kaya-Zeeb, Sinan
A1  - Delac, Saskia
A1  - Wolf, Lena
A1  - Marante, Ana Luiza
A1  - Scherf-Clavel, Oliver
A1  - Thamm, Markus
T1  - Robustness of the honeybee neuro-muscular octopaminergic system in the face of cold stress
JF  - Frontiers in Physiology
N2  - In recent decades, our planet has undergone dramatic environmental changes resulting in the loss of numerous species. This contrasts with species that can adapt quickly to rapidly changing ambient conditions, which require physiological plasticity and must occur rapidly. The Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) apparently meets this challenge with remarkable success, as this species is adapted to numerous climates, resulting in an almost worldwide distribution. Here, coordinated individual thermoregulatory activities ensure survival at the colony level and thus the transmission of genetic material. Recently, we showed that shivering thermogenesis, which is critical for honeybee thermoregulation, depends on octopamine signaling. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the thoracic neuro-muscular octopaminergic system strives for a steady-state equilibrium under cold stress to maintain endogenous thermogenesis. We can show that this applies for both, octopamine provision by flight muscle innervating neurons and octopamine receptor expression in the flight muscles. Additionally, we discovered alternative splicing for AmOARβ2. At least the expression of one isoform is needed to survive cold stress conditions. We assume that the thoracic neuro-muscular octopaminergic system is finely tuned in order to contribute decisively to survival in a changing environment.
KW  - honeybees
KW  - thermogenesis
KW  - cold stress
KW  - octopamine
KW  - octopamine receptors
KW  - gene expression
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-288753
SN  - 1664-042X
VL  - 13
ER  -