| Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The <it>Sox </it>gene family of transcriptional regulators have essential roles during development and have been extensively studied in vertebrates. The mouse, human and <it>fugu </it>genomes contain at least 20 <it>Sox </it>genes, which are subdivided into groups based on sequence similarity of the highly conserved HMG domain. In the well-studied insect <it>Drosophila melanogaster</it>, eight <it>Sox </it>genes have been identified and are involved in processes such as neurogenesis, dorsal-ventral patterning and segmentation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We examined the available genome sequences of <it>Apis mellifera, Nasonia vitripennis, Tribolium castaneum</it>, <it>Anopheles gambiae </it>and identified <it>Sox </it>family members which were classified by phylogenetics using the HMG domains. Using <it>in situ </it>hybridisation we determined the expression patterns of eight honeybee <it>Sox </it>genes in honeybee embryo, adult brain and queen ovary. <it>AmSoxB </it>group genes were expressed in the nervous system, brain and Malphigian tubules. The restricted localization of <it>AmSox21b </it>and <it>AmSoxB1 </it>mRNAs within the oocyte, suggested a role in, or that they are regulated by, dorsal-ventral patterning. <it>AmSoxC, D </it>and <it>F </it>were expressed ubiquitously in late embryos and in the follicle cells of the queen ovary. Expression of <it>AmSoxF </it>and two <it>AmSoxE </it>genes was detected in the drone testis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Insect genomes contain between eight and nine <it>Sox </it>genes, with at least four members belonging to <it>Sox </it>group B and other <it>Sox </it>subgroups each being represented by a single <it>Sox </it>gene. Hymenopteran insects have an additional <it>SoxE </it>gene, which may have arisen by gene duplication. Expression analyses of honeybee <it>SoxB </it>genes implies that this group of genes may be able to rapidly evolve new functions and expression domains, while the combined expression pattern of all the <it>SoxB </it>genes is maintained.</p>
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