Project description:<p>With the global prevalence of <em>Varroa</em> mites, more and more beekeepers resort to confining the queen bee in a queen cage to control mite infestation or to breed superior and robust queen bees. However, the impact of such practices on the queen bee remains largely unknown. Therefore, we subjected the queen bees to a 21-d egg-laying restriction treatment (from the egg stage to the emergence of adult worker bees) and analyzed the queen bees' ovarian metabolites and gut microbiota after 21 d, aiming to assess the queen bee's quality and assist beekeepers in better hive management. Our findings revealed a significant reduction in the relative expression levels of Vg and Hex110 genes in the ovaries of egg-laying-restricted queen bees compared to unrestricted egg-laying queens. The diversity of gut microbiota in the queen bee exhibited a notable decrease, accompanied by corresponding changes in the core bacterial species of the microbial community. Following egg-laying restriction, the activity of the queen bee's ovaries decreased, while the metabolism of glycerophospholipids remained or stored more lipid molecules, awaiting environmental changes for the queen bee to resume egg-laying promptly. Furthermore, we observed that <em>Bombella</em> in the queen bee's gut may regulate the queen's ovarian metabolism through tryptophan metabolism. These findings provide novel insights into the interplay among queen egg-laying, gut microbiota, and ovarian metabolism.</p>
Project description:We explored the impact of coumaphos and fluvalinate, the two most abundant and frequently detected pesticides in the hive, on genome-wide gene expression patterns of honey bee workers. We found significant changes in 1118 transcripts, including genes involved in detoxification, behavioral maturation, immunity, and nutrition. Our results demonstrate that pesticide exposure can substantially impact expression of genes involved in several core physiological pathways in honey bee workers.
Project description:Experimental infection of (2 days old) adult honey bee workers (30 bees per replicates, 3 replicates per treatments, from 3 different colonies (one colony per cage for each treatment)) with 10^9 genome equivalent of Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV) in 10µl of sugar solution and/or 10^5 fresh Nosema ceranae spores (control bees were given a similar bee extract in PBS, without pathogen). Bees were kept in cages of 30 bees in incubator (30°C/50%RH). At day 13 p.i., bees were flash frozen, and stored at -80°C.
Project description:This experiment examines gene expression profiles in the brains of adult honey bee workers (Apis mellifera) performing different behavioral tasks in the hive. The different behavioral groups examined were nurse, comb builder, guard, undertaker, and forager. The comb builder, guard, and undertaker behavioral groups perform their respective tasks over a relatively short time scale (typically 1 day), while nursing and foraging are longer duration (lasting > 1 week). The purpose of this study was to examine whether behaviors that persist over different time scales are associated with differences in the extent of gene expression changes in the brain.
Project description:Honey bees move through a series of in-hive tasks (“nursing”) to outside tasks (“foraging”) that coincident with an intense increase in metabolic activity. Social context can cause worker bees to speed up, or slow down this process and foragers may revert back to their earlier in hive tasks accompanied by reversion to earlier physiological states. To determine if the transcriptional profile of forager bees can revert, or if the effects of flight on gene expression are irreversible, we used whole-genome microarrays. Brain tissue and flight muscle exhibited independent patterns of expression during behavioral transitions, with patterns of expression in the brain reflecting both age and behavior, while flight muscle exhibited primarily age-related patterns of expression. Our data suggest that the transition from little to no flight (nurse) to intense flight (forager), rather than the amount of flight has a major effect on gene expression. Following behavioral reversion there was a partial reversion in gene expression but some aspects of forager expression patterns, such as those for genes involved in immune function, remained. These data suggest an epigenetic control and energy balance role in honey bee functional senescence.
Project description:Apis mellifera workers in temperate climates display two castes; short lived summer bees that engage in nursing, hive maintenance and foraging, and long lived winter bees (diutinus bees) which remain within the hive and are essential for thermoregulation. Label free quantitative proteomic analysis was conducted on A. mellifera workers sampled in June and December to compare the proteomes of summer and winter bees. Proteomic analysis was completed on head, abdominal and venom sac samples which revealed an elevated level of protein abundance in summer bees but and a decrease in protein abundance in winter bees. Head and abdominal samples displayed an increase in cuticular proteins in summer samples whereas an increase in xenobiotic proteins was observed in winter samples. Several carbohydrate metabolism pathways which have been linked to energy production and longevity in insects were observed to be increased in abundance in winter samples in comparison to summer samples. Proteomic analysis of the venom sacs an increased abundance and expression of bee venom associated proteins in comparison to winter workers. These data provides an insight into the adaptions of A. mellifera workers in summer and winter and may aid in future treatment and disease studies on honeybee colonies.