Xenobiotic effects on intestinal stem cell proliferation in adult honey bee (Apis mellifera L) workers.

ABSTRACT: The causes of the current global decline in honey bee health are unknown. One major group of hypotheses invokes the pesticides and other xenobiotics to which this important pollinator species is often exposed. Most studies have focused on mortality or behavioral deficiencies in exposed honey bees while neglecting other biological functions and target organs. The midgut epithelium of honey bees presents an important interface between the insect and its environment. It is maintained by proliferation of intestinal stem cells throughout the adult life of honey bees. We used caged honey bees to test multiple xenobiotics for effects on the replicative activity of the intestinal stem cells under laboratory conditions. Most of the tested compounds did not alter the replicative activity of intestin

SUBMITTER: Forkpah C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3946715 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature