Memory consolidation in honey bees is enhanced by down-regulation of and changes its alternative splicing.

Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule () gene encodes a cell adhesion molecule required for neuronal wiring. A remarkable feature of arthropod is massive alternative splicing generating thousands of different isoforms from three variable clusters of alternative exons. expression and diversity arising from alternative splicing have been studied during development, but whether they exert functions in adult brains has not been determined.

Dynamically expressed single ELAV/Hu orthologue elavl2 of bees is required for learning and memory.

Changes in gene expression are a hallmark of learning and memory consolidation. Little is known about how alternative mRNA processing, particularly abundant in neuron-specific genes, contributes to these processes. Prototype RNA binding proteins of the neuronally expressed ELAV/Hu family are candidates for roles in learning and memory, but their capacity to cross-regulate and take over each other's functions complicate substantiation of such links.

Thiamethoxam exposure deregulates short ORF gene expression in the honey bee and compromises immune response to bacteria.

Maximizing crop yields relies on the use of agrochemicals to control insect pests. One of the most widely used classes of insecticides are neonicotinoids that interfere with signalling of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, but these can also disrupt crop-pollination services provided by bees. Here, we analysed whether chronic low dose long-term exposure to the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam alters gene expression and alternative splicing in brains of Africanized honey bees, Apis mellifera, as adaptation to altered neuronal signalling.

Muscle function and homeostasis require cytokine inhibition of AKT activity in .

ligands are secreted signals that act via a GP130-like receptor, , to activate JAK/STAT signalling in . Like many mammalian cytokines, can be activated by infection and other stresses and can promote insulin resistance in target tissues. However, the importance of this effect in non-inflammatory physiology is unknown.

Acute thiamethoxam toxicity in honeybees is not enhanced by common fungicide and herbicide and lacks stress-induced changes in mRNA splicing.

Securing food supply for a growing population is a major challenge and heavily relies on the use of agrochemicals to maximize crop yield. It is increasingly recognized, that some neonicotinoid insecticides have a negative impact on non-target organisms, including important pollinators such as the European honeybee Apis mellifera. Toxicity of neonicotinoids may be enhanced through simultaneous exposure with additional pesticides, which could help explain, in part, the global decline of honeybee colonies.

Srrm234, but not canonical SR and hnRNP proteins, drive inclusion of exon 9 variable exons.

Alternative splicing of pre-mRNA is a major mechanism to diversify protein functionality in metazoans from a limited number of genes. The () gene, which is important for neuronal wiring and phagocytosis of bacteria, can generate up to 38,016 isoforms by mutually exclusive alternative splicing in four clusters of variable exons. However, it is not understood how a specific exon is chosen from the many variables and how variable exons are prevented from being spliced together.

Plasmid-based gap-repair recombineered transgenes reveal a central role for introns in mutually exclusive alternative splicing in Down Syndrome Cell Adhesion Molecule exon 4.

Alternative splicing is a key feature of human genes, yet studying its regulation is often complicated by large introns. The Down Syndrome Cell Adhesion Molecule (Dscam) gene from Drosophila is one of the most complex genes generating vast molecular diversity by mutually exclusive alternative splicing. To resolve how alternative splicing in Dscam is regulated, we first developed plasmid-based UAS reporter genes for the Dscam variable exon 4 cluster and show that its alternative splicing is recapitulated by GAL4-mediated expression in neurons.

The Photolyase/Cryptochrome Family of Proteins as DNA Repair Enzymes and Transcriptional Repressors.

Light is a very important environmental factor that governs many cellular responses in organisms. As a consequence, organisms possess different kinds of light-sensing photoreceptors to regulate their physiological variables and adapt to a given habitat. The cryptochrome/photolyase family (CPF) includes photoreceptors that perform different functions in different organisms.