. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2007 Nov 1.

Published in final edited form as: Nature. 2006 Oct 26;443(7114):931–949. doi: 10.1038/nature05260

Table 3.

Gene family size differences with possible effects on honeybee lifestyle

Family	Function	Family compared with Drosophila	Possible lifestyle effects
Major royal jelly	Brood feeding	Larger	Brood care; caste development⁹²
Insulin/insulin-like growth factors	Ageing, fertility, many others	Variable for different subfamilies	Unique reversal of typical lifespan/fertility trade off
Cuticular proteins	Cuticle stability	Smaller	Protected hive environment allows simpler cuticle
Odorant receptors	Olfaction	Larger	Enhanced pheromone communication; odour-based kin recognition; generalist flower feeder
Gustatory receptors	Gustation	Smaller	Brood feeding; mutualistic flower feeder reduces threat of toxic food
Immunity	Infectious disease protection	Smaller	Paradox: high pathogen load due to sociality
Detoxification genes	Defence against xenobiotics	Smaller	Managed environment; specialized lifestyle