中华蜜蜂上颚腺的组织结构及其胚后发育

Tissue structure and postembryonic development of the mandibular glands in the Chinese honeybee,Apis cerana cerana(Hymenoptera:Apidae)

【目的】上颚腺(mandibular gland)是昆虫重要的外分泌腺,它产生的化学物质在昆虫的种内信息交流中起重要的作用。本研究目的在于了解中华蜜蜂Apis cerana cerana上颚腺的组织结构以及胚后发育特点。【方法】本研究通过组织形态学、BrdU免疫组织化学等技术,对中华蜜蜂上颚腺的结构和发育过程进行了比较研究。【结果】中华蜜蜂的上颚腺在不同级型间差异显著,蜂王的面积最大,工蜂较小,而雄蜂退化。上颚腺出现在末龄幼虫到预蛹阶段,细胞分裂活动的高峰期发生在蛹发育的第1天,随后分裂细胞数减少,并一直持续到蛹发育的第6天结束。在上颚腺发育早期,由分泌细胞分化的内膜就已经出现,并一直保持到成虫。【结论】本研究为昆虫上颚腺的发育和功能研究提供了理论基础。

[ Aim] Insect mandibular glands are exocrine organs that produce chemical substances known as pheromones which play an important role in intra-specific communication of insects. Our study aimed to understand the anatomical organization and postembryonic development of the mandibular glands in the Chinese honeybee, Apis cerana cerana. [ Methods ] The structure and developmental process off the mandibular glands were comparatively studied by using histological, morphometrical and immunohistochemical （BrdU incorporation） methods. [ Results ] The results showed that the mandibular glands presented caste-specific polymorphism, the largest in queens , then in workers, and the smallest in drones. The mandibular glands appeared during metamorphosis from the last instar larva to prepupa, and extensive proliferation in the mandibular glands could be detected only on the 1st day of pupal development. Proliferative nuclei disappeared on the 6th day of pupal development. Intima was divided from the secretory cell during early development of the mandibular glands, and kept to adults. [ Conclusion] This study provides an essential foundation for studying the development and function of insect mandibular glands.