Summary of Um enxame ordenado

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In the YouTube video "Um enxame ordenado," researchers discuss the crucial role of honeybees in pollinating various plant species and their complex social organization. The Biology of Bee Development Laboratory at USP in Ribeirão Preto is dedicated to understanding how genetics influence honeybee behavior. The laboratory's international research network sequenced the genome of Apis mellifera in 2006 and can now analyze a large number of genes from a single bee, providing insights into their physiology and behavior. Honeybees have two main castes: queens and workers, which originate from the same egg but develop differently based on their diet. The queen has an exceptional reproductive system, while the worker bee has an incomplete one. The genome, including non-coding regions, plays a significant role in determining which genes are expressed and when, influencing proteins and genetic networks. Research comparing the genomes of healthy and diseased bees has identified possible differences, leading to opportunities for preservation and conservation projects.

• 00:00:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "Um enxame ordenado," the speakers discuss the role of honeybees in pollinating various plant species and their complex social organization. The researchers at the Biology of Bee Development Laboratory at USP in Ribeirão Preto have dedicated themselves to understanding how genetics influence the behavior of honeybees. The laboratory, located in the Department of Genetics, brings together a national network of researchers, many of whom were trained in Ribeirão Preto. The international research network participated in a consortium that sequenced the genome of Apis mellifera in 2006. Today, they can analyze a large number of genes from a single bee, providing insights into important aspects of their physiology and behavior. Honeybees live in societies, which exhibit varying degrees of complexity, from primitive to eusocial species. The process of sociality did not develop in a single way but emerged multiple times during evolution. Honeybees have two main castes: queens and workers. The queens and workers originate from the same egg but develop differently based on their diet. If an egg receives only royal jelly, a product of the worker bees' glands, it will develop into a queen. If it receives royal jelly and other nutrients, it will develop into a worker. The diet can sensitize genes or gene networks, resulting in two highly specialized but distinct organisms. The queen is a complete individual, capable of being fertilized and laying eggs, with an exceptional reproductive system that can produce up to 2,000 eggs per day for more than two years. The worker bee, on the other hand, has an incomplete reproductive system, as it cannot be fertilized. However, under specific conditions, it can activate its ovaries and lay unfertilized eggs. The worker bee has a corbicula, a region devoid of hairs that is not present in queens. The queens do not collect pollen, so this region of their legs is covered in hairs, while the workers have hairs carrying a specialized cerdas with a direct connection to the central nervous system, which signals to the worker when the corbicula is full, prompting it to return to the hive and deposit the pollen. The Genome Expressed has two important aspects: proteins that perform various functions within a cell, including interaction between cells and metabolic regulation, and the regulatory aspect, which was previously called "junk DNA" because we didn't know what it meant. However, genome sequencing of metazoans and animals and plants reveals a large quantity of non-coding regions.
• 00:05:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "Um enxame ordenado," the speaker discusses the importance of understanding proteins and the differences between the genomes of healthy and diseased bees. Initially, the focus was on the sequenced coding regions of proteins, as 99% of the chimpanzee and human genomes are similar in this regard. However, the remaining non-coding parts of the genome are significant as they determine which genes are expressed at what times. These genes include regulators such as microRNAs, which are behind the genetic networks that give organisms specific capabilities. When studying bees, researchers discovered that non-coding genes characterize the oval of a queen and worker bees. This research, which began with the manifestation of colony loss in the United States, compared the genomes of healthy and diseased bees to identify possible differences between the two. This research, similar to translational medicine, involves the interaction between basic researchers and those in applied fields, such as medicine or apiculture, and utilizes tools such as genome sequencing and cell isolation from cancer to transfer knowledge to practical applications. This expanded knowledge of bee genetics and behavior will undoubtedly create opportunities for preservation and conservation projects for these animals.