PREFERENTIAL EXPRESSION OF THE GENE FOR A PUTATIVE INOSITOL 1,4,5-TRISPHOSPHATE RECEPTOR HOMOLOG IN THE MUSHROOM BODIES OF THE BRAIN OF THEWORKER HONEYBEE APIS-MELLIFERA L

A gene expressed preferentially in the mushroom bodies of the brain of the worker honeybee Apis mellifera L. was identified by the different ial display method and its cDNA was isolated. The cDNA fragment of 534 bp (clone Al) contained an open reading frame encoding 177 amino acid residues having 78, 72, 70, 59 and 55% sequence identities with the i nositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptors of Drosophila melanogaster , Xenopus Laevis and humans (types 1, 2 and 3), respectively, suggesti ng that it encodes a putative IP3 receptor homologue of the honeybee. In situ hybridization revealed that the gene encoding clone Al was exp ressed preferentially in the mushroom bodies and not in the optic lobe s, antennal lobes and central bodies; in the mushroom body, it was exp ressed strongly in the large type Kenyon cells and weakly in the small type Kenyon cells. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction an alysis showed that the gene was expressed strongly in the head and wea kly in the antennae, legs, thorax, and abdomen. These results suggest that the Al gene product plays a crucial role in neural transmission i n the mushroom bodies of the worker bee brain. (C) 1998 Academic Press .