Identification of genes expressed preferentially in the honeybee mushroom bodies by combination of differential display and cDNA microarray1<FN ID="FN1"><NO>1</NO>Nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank database under the accession numbers AB072427, AB072428 and AB072429.</FN>

To clarify the molecular basis underlying the neural function of the honeybee mushroom bodies (MBs), we identified three genes preferentially expressed in MB using cDNA microarrays containing 480 differential display-positive candidate cDNAs expressed locally or differentially, dependent on caste/aggressive behavior in the honeybee brain. One of the cDNAs encodes a putative type I inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP₃) 5-phosphatase and was expressed preferentially in one of two types of intrinsic MB neurons, the large-type Kenyon cells, suggesting that IP₃-mediated Ca²⁺ signaling is enhanced in these neurons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]