Molecular insights into the enhanced performance of royal jelly secretion by a stock of honeybee (Apis mellifera ligustica) selected for increasing royal jelly production

The genetic selection of a high royal jelly (RJ)-producing strain of bees (RJBs) from Italian bees (ITBs) has been conducted for nearly four decades in China since the 1980s. RJBs are the most important producers of RJ in the world and produce > 90% of the total output with an annual market value of > $40 million. With technological advancements in proteomics, the mechanism underpinning the high RJ production by RJBs has been explored to new depths in the last decades. Here, we give an overview that the mechanism driving the enhanced performance of RJ secretion by RJBs. First, the selection of RJBs, high-efficiency technology for RJ production, and advances in genetic characterization of RJBs are reviewed. Then, proteome and phosphoproteome characterization that decipher the augmented RJ production using honeybee organs and tissues are summarized. This may be potentially useful in gaining a complete mechanistic insight into the high performance of RJ yields in honeybees, and expands understanding of the honeybee biology.