Dataset Information

Proteomics of hygienic honey bee (A. mellifera) antenna lateralization

ABSTRACT: In other experiments, we found that hygienic honey bees show lateralized responses to odors associated with brood disease. Bees are also known to have more olfactory sensilla on their right antenna compared to their left. Following this, we performed proteomics on right and left antennae of hygienic honey bees in order to identify a molecular basis for lateralization (N = 5); however, we did not identify any significantly different proteins.

INSTRUMENT(S): impact II

ORGANISM(S): Apis Mellifera (honeybee)

TISSUE(S): Antenna

SUBMITTER: Alison McAfee

LAB HEAD: Leonard Foster

PROVIDER: PXD005242 | Pride | 2017-12-07

REPOSITORIES: Pride

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Publications

Odorant cues linked to social immunity induce lateralized antenna stimulation in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.).

McAfee Alison A Collins Troy F TF Madilao Lufiani L LL Foster Leonard J LJ

Scientific reports 20170407

Hygienic behaviour (HB) is a social immunity trait in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) whereby workers detect, uncap and remove unhealthy brood, improving disease resistance in the colony. This is clearly economically valuable; however, the molecular mechanism behind it is not well understood. The freeze-killed brood (FKB) assay is the conventional method of HB selection, so we compared odour profiles of FKB and live brood to find candidate HB-inducing odours. Surprisingly, we found that significa ...[more]

PMID: 28387332

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Project description:As a matter of fact, honeybees are vital for the pollination of more than 80 crops of agricultural interest. However, population decline has become an important global issue causing significant concerns among agricultural experts and the broader public. For this, parasites are known to be the major culprits responsible for the losses of millions of honeybee colonies so far. Among these parasites, Varroa destructor has been identified as a major cause for global losses in Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies. Hygienic behavior (HB), on the other hand, is a collective response by adult honeybees to defend against parasites and diseases that is known to involve in resistance towards Varroosis. Even with the efforts made to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying HB, it is still not understood. In our study, we have studied the proteomic correlates to HB using a honeybee line (selected for Varroa-specific HB for over a decade in Germany). We sampled individual worker bees from this line that showed HB after closer infrared video observations and compared the proteomes of their mushroom bodies and antennae with those of workers that came from the same set of colonies but didn't show the behaviour. Furthermore, we compared the pupal hemolymph for worker bees of the selected HB line and a control line using state-of-the art techniques of proteomics. We identified a total of 8609 proteins (covered >55% of the honeybee proteome) from these three honeybee tissues. This is the most comprehensive proteomic study of the honeybee HB to date, and the first to focus on individual bees expressing Varroa-specific HB. These results have significantly advanced our knowledge on the biology underlining HB to a new level. The uniquely found functional classes and pathways by the proteins identified in each tissue suggest that hygienic bees have shaped distinct proteome settings to underpin the HB. Moreover, during analysis of pupal hemolymph proteome, the HB-line has adapted a unique strategy to boost an individual and social immunity and drove pupal organogenesis via energy metabolism and protein biosynthesis. Moreover, in the mushroom bodies of different HB phenotypic worker bees, the hygienic bees have enhanced their neuronal sensitivity to promote the execution of HB by activation of synaptic vesicles and calcium channel activities. Moreover, in the antennae of two HB phenotypic worker bees, the hygienic bees have demonstrated strengthening of their sensitivity associated with olfactory senses and signal transmissions, which is important to input a strong signal to the mushroom bodies and initiate HB. In conclusion, our novel findings have significantly extended our understandings of the molecular mechanisms that underline the HB to combat Varroa infestation. Furthermore, we identified a wide array of novel markers that are useful for accelerating marker associated selection of HB to aid in the natural resistance to a parasite blamed for a global decline in honeybee health.

Project description:BACKGROUND: Social insects, such as honey bees, use molecular, physiological and behavioral responses to combat pathogens and parasites. The honey bee genome contains all of the canonical insect immune response pathways, and several studies have demonstrated that pathogens can activate expression of immune effectors. Honey bees also use behavioral responses, termed social immunity, to collectively defend their hives from pathogens and parasites. These responses include hygienic behavior (where workers remove diseased brood) and allo-grooming (where workers remove ectoparasites from nestmates). We have previously demonstrated that immunostimulation causes changes in the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of workers, which results in altered worker-worker social interactions. Thus, cuticular hydrocarbons may enable workers to identify sick nestmates, and adjust their behavior in response. Here, we test the specificity of behavioral, chemical and genomic responses to immunostimulation by challenging workers with a panel of different immune stimulants (saline, Sephadex beads and Gram-negative bacteria E. coli). RESULTS: While only bacteria-injected bees elicited altered behavioral responses from healthy nestmates compared to controls, all treatments resulted in significant changes in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. Immunostimulation caused significant changes in expression of hundreds of genes, the majority of which have not been identified as members of the canonical immune response pathways. Furthermore, several new candidate genes that may play a role in cuticular hydrocarbon biosynthesis were identified. Finally, we identified common genes regulated by pathogen challenge in honey bees and other insects, suggesting that immune responses are conserved at the molecular level. CONCLUSIONS: These studies suggest that honey bee genomic responses to immunostimulation are substantially broader than expected, and may mediate the behavioral changes associated with social immunity by orchestrating changes in chemical signaling.

Dataset Information

Proteomics of hygienic honey bee (A. mellifera) antenna lateralization

Publications

Odorant cues linked to social immunity induce lateralized antenna stimulation in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.).

Similar Datasets

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