Figure 1. The transcription factor ultraspiracle (usp) influences honey bee behavioral maturation.

A) Knockdown of usp mRNA in the fat bodies of 3-day-old bees, 72 h after injection with dsUSP or control dsRNA (ds-pUC). qPCR; n = 10 bees; t-test: * P<0.05. B) usp RNAi does not knock down usp mRNA in the heads of these same bees. C) Knockdown of USP protein in the fat bodies 48, 72 and 96 h after injection was confirmed by immunoblotting with an antibody specific to honey bee USP (Figure S3). D) usp RNAi delays the age at onset of foraging. Pooled results from 9 independent trials. Cox Proportional Hazards: P = 0.03. Numbers in legend indicate how many bees were measured for each group.