Project description:We studied the molecular mechanisms underlying the impact of pollen nutrients on honey bee (Apis mellifera) health and how those nutrients improve resistance to parasites. Using digital gene expression, we determined the changes in gene expression induced by pollen intake in worker bees parasitized or not by the mites Varroa destructor, known for suppressing immunity and decreasing lifespan of bees.
Project description:We studied the molecular mechanisms underlying the impact of pollen nutrients on honey bee (Apis mellifera) health and how those nutrients improve resistance to parasites. Using digital gene expression, we determined the changes in gene expression induced by pollen intake in worker bees parasitized or not by the mites Varroa destructor, known for suppressing immunity and decreasing lifespan of bees. bees with or without verroa, and fed or not fed pollen
Project description:Pathogen detection microarrays analyzing honeybee samples taken after parasitization with a predatory fly, oligos correspond to specific pathogens or pathogen families of viruses, bacteria, fungi, protists, and other parasites Samples were analyzed with the E-Predict analysis package. Honey bees parasitized with the phorid fly Apocephalus borealis were screened for viral and non-viral pathogens by microarray.
Project description:Daghestan, with its exceptional combination of linguistic, geographic, and cultural diversity, presents an excellent natural laboratory for tracking the influence of demographic processes on patterns of genetic variation. This study was designed to investigate the co-evolution of genes and languages, comparing and contrasting patterns of linguistic, genetic and geographic variation among Daghestani populations.
Project description:In honey bees (Apis mellifera), the reproductive queen produces a pheromonal signal that regulates many aspects of worker behavior and physiology and is critical for maintaining colony organization. Queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) inhibits worker reproduction, attracts workers from a short distance (retinue response), inhibits the rearing of new queens, modulates age-related division of labor and globally alters brain gene expression in worker bees. Interestingly, substantial variation in worker retinue responses to QMP has been found between colonies, but the molecular and physiological bases for variation in individual responses to the queen have not been characterized. Here, we demonstrate that individual retinue response is negatively correlated with traits associated with reproductive potential. Workers with low response to QMP have more ovarioles and higher levels of vitellogenin transcripts than workers with a high response to QMP, suggesting that workers with greater reproductive potential may be attempting to escape queen control. Retinue response appears to be associated with a suite of behavioral and physiological traits that may be pleiotropically linked. However, while these phenotypes are all correlated at the organismal level, the underlying brain expression patterns and gene networks associated with each trait are independent, suggesting that these phenotypes are uncoupled at the molecular level in adult bees. These studies provide insights into the ultimate and proximate causes of natural variation in pheromone response in honey bees.
