Detoxification and stress response genes expressed in a western North American bumble bee, Bombus huntii (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Hunt bumble bee (Bombus huntii Greene, Hymenoptera: Apidae) is a holometabolous, social insect important as a pollinator in natural and agricultural ecosystems in western North America. Bumble bees spend a significant amount of time foraging on a wide variety of flowering plants, and this activity exposes them to both plant toxins and pesticides, posing a threat to individual and colony survival. Little is known about what detoxification pathways are active in bumble bees, how the expression of detoxification genes changes across life stages, or how the number of detoxification genes expressed in B. huntii compares to other insects.

Results

We found B. huntii expressed at least 584 genes associated with detoxification and stress responses. The expression level

SUBMITTER: Xu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3878831 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature