蜜蜂脑部多巴胺调控舞蹈行为的作用机制研究

Honey bee dance language is the only symbolic animal language discovered in invertebrates. Studies on the substrates of neurotransmitters and the primary mechanisms, which regulate honey bee dance language, can contribute to enhance our understanding of the material basis and molecular mechanisms of the complex social behaviors of bees. The proposed study will exam the anatomy of whole honey bee brain, the contents of dopamine (DA), and using honey bee samples of different dancing status to evaluate the possible impacts of different DA contains on dance language. The distributions of DA and corresponding receptors in honey bee brain will exam by the technology of brain transparency and immunocytochemistry. In addition, transcriptome sequencing technology will be employed for identical samples to test the differences of gene expression profiles in the brains, and the genes closely associated with dancing language be selected. Our hypotheses are that honey bees begin to perform dance when the DA levels exceed a certain threshold after foraging, and the DA level decreases during the dance. The dance will continue till the DA level drops to a lower threshold. Understanding the DA neurotransmitter signal pathway and molecular mechanisms can facilitate the development of neural and molecular bases underlying honey bee’s complex behavior regulating honey bee dance behavior. The investigations of dance-related regulation mechanisms of neurotransmitter, receptors and imperative genes may provide references and enlightenments for the molecular bases of human languages and its evolution. Therefore, investigations on the DA neurotransmitter signal pathway that regulates dance language in honey bees has significant scientific implications.

蜜蜂舞蹈语言是至今发现的唯一具有象征意义的无脊椎动物语言，研究调控蜜蜂采集后舞蹈语言的神经递质及关键基因的分子机制，有助于深入了解蜜蜂复杂社会行为的物质基础和分子机制。本研究通过对蜜蜂全脑解剖，检测定点采集跳舞蜂不同状态脑部多巴胺（DA）对舞蹈语言的影响；采用脑部透明化技术和小分子抗体标定，分析DA及其受体在蜜蜂脑部的分布；测定定点采集回巢跳舞蜂不同状态脑部差异表达基因，筛选与舞蹈语言密切相关的基因。验证我们的猜想：蜜蜂在采集后其脑部的DA含量达到一定阈值便表现跳舞行为，跳舞过程中DA被代谢降低至一定值便停止跳舞。聚焦这一猜想，研究DA信号通路调控舞蹈行为的分子机制，探明跳舞相关的神经递质调控机制及其相关受体和关键基因，将有力推动蜜蜂复杂行为神经和分子基础研究的发展，为人类语言的分子基础和进化研究提供借鉴和启迪。因此，探索蜜蜂脑部DA信号通路调控舞蹈行为的研究具有重要的科学意义。

蜜蜂舞蹈语言相关的分子机制研究，有助于我们深入揭示复杂社会行为的物质基础和分子机制。本研究通过检测定点采集跳舞蜂不同状态脑部生物胺神经递质（多巴胺等）的变化，检测分析多巴胺及其受体在蜜蜂脑部的变化；测定定点采集回巢跳舞蜂不同状态脑部差异表达基因，筛选与舞蹈语言密切相关的基因；检测23日龄不同饥饿时长（饥饿1h、2h和4h蜜蜂，喂饱的蜜蜂）蜜蜂对糖水的敏感性、学习和记忆能力，行为实验结束后，分别将蜜蜂瞬间冻毙在液氮中，解剖蜜蜂脑，检测各组蜜蜂脑部多巴胺含量；使用多巴胺受体拮抗剂、激动剂及其溶剂（N,N-Dimethylformamide, DMF）对蜜蜂进行药物处理，检测其采集飞行时间和采集频率，分析多巴胺对采集积极性的影响。结果发现，蜜蜂采集后跳舞行为受到以多巴胺为基础的“食物欲望”（Food Wanting）系统的驱动，这种“食物欲望”受个体需求（饥饿）和社会需求调控。研究结果揭示蜜蜂具有与哺乳动物（包括人类）类似的依赖多巴胺信号通路的“食物欲望”系统，为其他生物乃至人类“欲望”系统的神经分子基础研究提供比较借鉴和新的线索，具有重要的科学意义。