How a queen becomes a queen.

[FRAMEshift]

http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20101103/3286/bees-reveal-nature-nuture-secrets.htm

"In the bees, more than 550 genes are differentially marked between the brain of the queen and the brain of the worker, which contributes to their profound divergence in behaviour. This study provides the first documentation of extensive molecular differences that may allow honey bees to generate different reproductive and behavioural outcomes as a result of differential feeding with royal jelly."

These results are also important because the same enzyme works in human brains.  This is a landmark study of how the environment affects DNA expression.

[b reeves]

That is interesting, I wonder if that is the same Australian University that had the study of Rams that exhibited gay tendencies and they found the ewe mother to those rams had hormone levels that could cause an abnormal Gene expression, this study sounds like the next step in the same line

[zzen01]

Uhh, spends too much time in Frisco.  :shock:

[FRAMEshift]

No queens in Iowa then?

[Tommyt]

Rosie O'Donnell bees for everyone

Need a Puke Icon

Tom

[tecumseh]

a frameshift snip..
This is a landmark study of how the environment affects DNA expression.

tecumseh:
epigenetic?

[Bee Happy]

I didn't read the whole article, just interesting that strictly nutrition during development has that much of an impact on the DNA molecule in bees. (and to what extent in humans?)

[FRAMEshift]

a frameshift snip..
This is a landmark study of how the environment affects DNA expression.

tecumseh:
epigenetic?

Just means a modification in the DNA sequence that takes place in one individual outside of the normal genetic inheritance mechanism.  It's not a "mutation" unless it happens in a germ line cell, but it affects the expression of the genes in that individual.  As I read this, the enzyme that controls adding a methyl group to some of the DNA components is affected by the environment (in this case, feeding royal jelly.) 

This is why any worker can become a queen.  The genes are the same to start and it's something in the royal jelly that causes changes in the DNA of the worker that is going to be a queen.

[FRAMEshift]

I didn't read the whole article, just interesting that strictly nutrition during development has that much of an impact on the DNA molecule in bees. (and to what extent in humans?)

Yeah, the same enzyme that works in bees also is present in humans, so this opens up a whole new area of study for how humans develop.

[tecumseh]

thanks frameshift...

to my layman understanding epigenetics is gene expression that takes place due to different in environmental conditions.  the environment difference here being nutrition at the early larval stage.  so this would seem to apply???

[Bee Happy]

I've seen "information" of bizarre behavior in genetics - problem is it was just a mention in a quantum video of turning an early embryo from one creature into another by shooting (parts) of the light spectrum through the "another"
(so basically I was presented with a concluded premise without a larger picture of the steps to reach the conclusion)
Not saying I believe it, but more that it was a very interesting bit of information and I wish I could see any number of confirmations/information surrounding those experiments - so I can have a better picture of it.

[FRAMEshift]

Not sure what you are saying Bee Happy.  If you shoot xrays in large amounts into an embryo, you can induce point mutations. Most of those will be lethal.  If you induce multiple mutations at the same time, odds are very high that the embryo would die.  Not much chance (like no chance at all) that you could create a different living creature this way. 

The methylation mechanism caused by royal jelly is something else.  It is a controlled process that has evolved to make certain changes.  It is not random like xrays.

[Bee Happy]

Not sure what you are saying Bee Happy.  If you shoot xrays in large amounts into an embryo, you can induce point mutations. Most of those will be lethal.  If you induce multiple mutations at the same time, odds are very high that the embryo would die.  Not much chance (like no chance at all) that you could create a different living creature this way. 

The methylation mechanism caused by royal jelly is something else.  It is a controlled process that has evolved to make certain changes.  It is not random like xrays.

I should stress more that I'm not asserting the video I got it from got the information right.

(so basically I was presented with a concluded premise without a larger picture of the steps to reach the conclusion)

I'm not sure what I'm saying either - especially since it was just a blurb in a video about where reality starts - essentially - I dont think it was x-rays. (I looked for some more substantive info on the claim and found nothing - we are talking about someone's you-tube video essay)

what I was meaning is it seems the whole study of why and how DNA mutates or organizes seems to be some really interesting stuff.

[CapnChkn]

I'm by no means a geneticist, I grasp the basics.  As I understand Epigenetics, it has more to do with how nutrition affects later generations rather than how it affects development in a species.

Here's the only article I've ever read about it, changed everything I knew about genetics.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1951968,00.html

[tecumseh]

the cap'in writes:
I'm by no means a geneticist, I grasp the basics.

tecumseh:
same here and thanks for the link.