Long-Lived Termite Queens Exhibit High Cu/Zn-Superoxide Dismutase Activity

Figure 4

Mn-SOD activity and gene expression in R. speratus queens and nonreproductive individuals. (a) Queens () had higher Mn-SOD activity than soldiers (; ) but not workers (; ) or nymphs (; ). (b) Queens () did not have higher levels of RsSOD2 gene expression than workers (; ), soldiers (; ), or nymphs (; ). We used pooled samples, as described in Table S1, for several replications. White and black bars indicate nonreproductive individuals and queens, respectively. Error bars represent SEM. Significance was measured by unpaired t-test followed by Holm’s adjustment (). W: workers; S: soldiers; N: nymphs; Q: queens.

(a)

(b)