Seasonal Dynamics in the Chemistry and Structure of the Fat Bodies of Bumblebee Queens

0454154 - ÚOCHB 2016 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Votavová, A. - Tomčala, Aleš - Kofroňová, Edita - Kudzejová, Michaela - Šobotník, J. - Jiroš, Pavel - Komzáková, O. - Valterová, Irena
Seasonal Dynamics in the Chemistry and Structure of the Fat Bodies of Bumblebee Queens.
PLoS ONE. Roč. 10, č. 11 (2015), e0142261/1-e0142261/14. ISSN 1932-6203. E-ISSN 1932-6203
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-04291S
Institutional support: RVO:61388963
Keywords : transmission electron microscopy * triacylglycerols * phospholipids * fatty acid composition * glycogen
Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation
Impact factor: 3.057, year: 2015
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0142261

Here, we report on changes in the ultrastructure and lipid composition of the peripheral fat body of Bombus terrestris queens in relation to seasonal changes in the queens' activity. Six life stages are defined and evaluated in particular: pharate, callow, before and after hibernation, egg-laying, and senescence. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that adipocytes undergo changes related to the life phase. Triacylglycerols appeared to be the main energy source during hibernation, while the amount of glycogen before and after hibernation remained unchanged. The fat body cell membranes do not undergo substantial changes concerning phospholipid composition in relation to overwintering. This finding supports the hypothesis that the cold-adaptation strategy of bumblebee queens is more likely to be based on polyol accumulation than on the restructuring of lipid membranes.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0254861