Project description:All T. mercedesae samples were collected from capped brood cells using a soft paintbrush and soft tweezers. Reproductive mites (Rep) were collected from brood cells containing white-eyed pupae. Protonymphs (Pro) and one deutonymphs (Deu) were sampled from brood cells containing purple-eyed pupae. Adult T. mercedesae (Adu) were collected from cells close to emerge (about one day before adult bees emerge). For each group (protonymphs, deutonymphs, adults, and reproductive mites), collected mites from all 12 colonies were randomly allocated to one of three replicates (50 mg for each replicate). All samples were rinsed with PBS and air-dried to remove many contaminates that may have been attached to the cuticle, flash-frozen using liquid nitrogen, and stored at -80°C for further processing.
Project description:Genome annotation of the chelicerate Tetranychus urticae revealed the absence of many canonical immunity genes. T. urticae either does not mount an immune response or it induces uncharacterized immune pathways. To disentangle these two hypotheses, we performed transcriptomic analysis of mites injected with bacteria vs mites injected with LB-buffer. Two types of bacteria were injected: E. coli and B. megaterium and transcriptomes were sampled 3, 6 and 12 hrs after injection. We found no consistent differential expression after bacterial infection, supporting the hypothesis that spider mites do not mount an immune response. We hypothesize that the apparent absence of inducable immunity pathways in T. urticae is a result of relaxed selective pressure due to ecological factors.
2017-03-27 | GSE64199 | GEO
Project description:Bacterial communities in Tetranychoidea mites
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:To study the underlying molecular mechanisms during the Varroa destructor life cycle, we carried out transcriptomic profiling of seven stages: young mites (collected from P8 to P9 brood cells), phoretic mites (collected on adult bees), arresting mites (collected in unsealed L5 brood cells), pre-laying mites (collected from sealed brood cells containing moving larva), laying mites (collected from sealed brood cells containing pre-pupae), post-laying mites (collected from capped brood cells containing purple-eye and white-body pupae P5), emerging mites (collected from P8 to P9 brood cells). In addition, we sampled non-reproducing mites (collected from P5 brood cells, but without offspring), males (collected from P8 to P9 brood cells), and phoretic mites artificially reared in cages with adult bees. This study was performed using Apis mellifera L. honey bee colonies naturally infested by Varroa destructor mites. Adult mites were collected from 4 unrelated colonies.