Omics-based analysis of honey bee (Apis mellifera) response to Varroa sp. parasitisation and associated factors reveals changes impairing winter bee generation

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Authors

KUNC Martin DOBEŠ Pavel WARD Rachel LEE Saetbyeol ČEGAN Radim DOSTÁLKOVÁ Silvie HOLUŠOVÁ Kateřina HURYCHOVÁ Jana ELIÁŠ Sara PINĎÁKOVÁ Eliška ČUKANOVÁ Eliška PRODĚLALOVÁ Jana PETŘIVALSKÝ Marek DANIHLÍK Jiří HAVLÍK Jaroslav HOBZA Roman KAVANAGH Kevin HYRŠL Pavel

Year of publication 2023
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Web https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103877
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103877
Keywords Honey bee; Varroa destructor; Transcriptomic; Proteomic; Metabolomic; Infestation
Description The extensive annual loss of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) represents a global problem affecting agriculture and biodiversity. The parasitic mite Varroa destructor, associated with viral co-infections, plays a key role in this loss. Despite years of intensive research, the complex mechanisms of Varroa – honey bee interaction are still not fully defined. Therefore, this study employed a unique combination of transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and functional analyses to reveal new details about the effect of Varroa mites and naturally associated factors, including viruses, on honey bees. We focused on the differences between Varroa parasitised and unparasitised ten-day-old worker bees collected before overwintering from the same set of colonies reared without anti-mite treatment. Supplementary comparison to honey bees collected from colonies with standard anti-Varroa treatment can provide further insights into the effect of a pyrethroid flumethrin. Analysis of the honey bees exposed to mite parasitisation revealed alterations in the transcriptome and proteome related to immunity, oxidative stress, olfactory recognition, metabolism of sphingolipids, and RNA regulatory mechanisms. The immune response and sphingolipid metabolism were strongly activated, whereas olfactory recognition and oxidative stress pathways were inhibited in Varroa parasitised honey bees compared to unparasitised ones. Moreover, metabolomic analysis confirmed the depletion of nutrients and energy stores, resulting in a generally disrupted metabolism in the parasitised workers. The combined omics-based analysis conducted on strictly parasitised bees revealed the key molecular components and mechanisms underlying the detrimental effects of Varroa sp. and its associated pathogens. This study provides the theoretical basis and interlinked datasets for further research on honey bee response to biological threats and the development of efficient control strategies against Varroa mites.
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