Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) and its receptor (AKHR) are crucial for energy homeostasis in insects, while their identification and functional characterization are controversial in bee species since the transition of energy storage from the solitary to the eusocial groups. As the primitively eusocial bee species, the bumble bee is an ideal organism for the evolution analysis of AKH and AKHR. In this current study, the identification and characterization of AKH of Bombus lantschouensis (Bomla_AKH) and its receptor (Bomla_AKHR) in queens exhibit that both Bomla_AKH and Bomla_AKHR are highly conserved with their counterparts in Bombus terrestris and Bombus impatiens. Notably, the alternative splicing that takes place with Bomla_akhr results in two putative proteins representing the amino and carboxyl fragments of Bomla_AKHR, respectively. Furthermore, the Bomla_akh expresses in the brain (with corpora cardiaca and corpora allata), while the Bomla_akhr expresses in the fat body and/or ovary depending on the specific development phase. Although the detailed mechanisms remain to be clarified, we can infer that the two putative proteins encoded by the splice mutant might participate in the functional regulation of Bomla_akhr in response to diverse demands in different tissues. The functional characterization and subcellular localization shows that the activation of Bomla_AKHR is AKH dose-dependent. Unfortunately, the response is too weak to do further signaling analysis, which might be due to the poor cytomembrane localization. Meanwhile, the activation mechanisms of Bomla_AKHR might be different from AKHRs of other insect species.

脂肪动力学激素 (AKH) 及其受体 (AKHR) 对昆虫的能量稳态至关重要，而自从能量储存从单独群体过渡到群居群体以来，它们的鉴定和功能表征在蜜蜂物种中存在争议。作为原始社会性蜜蜂物种，大黄蜂是进行AKH和AKHR进化分析的理想生物。在当前的研究中，蜂王中Bombus lantschouensis ( Bomla_ AKH) 的 AKH 及其受体 ( Bomla _AKHR) 的鉴定和表征表明Bomla _AKH 和Bomla _AKHR 与其在熊蜂和凤仙蜂蜂中的对应物高度保守. 值得注意的是，与Bomla _akhr发生的可变剪接导致两种推定的蛋白质分别代表 Bomla _AKHR 的氨基和羧基片段。此外，Bomla _ akh在大脑中表达（心脏语料库和语料库 allata），而Bomla _ akhr在脂肪体和/或卵巢中表达，具体取决于特定的发育阶段。尽管详细机制仍有待阐明，但我们可以推断由剪接突变体编码的两种推定蛋白可能参与了Bomla _ akhr的功能调节响应不同组织的不同需求。功能表征和亚细胞定位表明Bomla _AKHR的激活是 AKH 剂量依赖性的。不幸的是，反应太弱而无法进行进一步的信号分析，这可能是由于细胞膜定位不佳所致。同时， Bomla _AKHR的激活机制可能不同于其他昆虫物种的 AKHR。