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Sexually dimorphic neural circuits are essential for reproductive behaviour. The molecular basis of sexual dimorphism in the silkworm moth ( Bombyx mori) brain, however, is unclear. We conducted cDNA subtraction screening and identified nervous wreck ( Bmnwk), a synaptic growth regulatory gene, whose expression is higher in the male brain than in the female brain of the silkworm. Bmnwk was preferentially expressed in the brain at the late pupae and adult stages. In situ hybridization revealed that Bmnwk is highly expressed in the optic lobe of the male moth brain. These findings suggest that Bmnwk has a role in the development and/or maintenance of the optic lobe in the male silkworm brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transcription factor FoxP2 is related to acoustic communication in vertebrates and, although widely expressed in various tissues, its mutations cause a speech disorder in humans and disrupt vocalization in mice. In honeybee colonies, workers transmit information about a food location using ‘dance communication’, which is a form of acoustic communication. We identified a honeybee FoxP2-homologue, AmFoxP, and investigated its expression in the honeybee brain to elucidate its possible role in dance communication. The relative abundance of AmFoxP mRNA in the worker brain increased during the first 4 days of adult life. In situ hybridization revealed AmFoxP expression around the optic lobes, central complex, dorsal lobes, and protocerebral lobes, which was not dependent on the caste or division of labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]