Long-term maintenance of in vitro cultured honeybee (Apis mellifera) embryonic cells.
BACKGROUND
In vitro cultivation of cells allows novel investigation of in vivo- mechanisms and is a helpful tool in developmental biology, biochemistry and functional genomics. Numerous cell lines of insect species, e.g., silkworm and mosquito, have been reported. However, this is not the case for successful long-term cultivation of cells in honeybees.


RESULTS
Methods for cultivation of honeybee embryonic cells are discussed here. Pre-gastrula stage embryos were used to initiate cultures, and cells were reared on 96-wells microplates with Grace insect medium, supplemented with Fetal Bovine Serum. Cells proliferated in clusters, and maintained viable and mitotic for more than three months.


CONCLUSIONS
We report here, for the first time, long-term cultivation of honeybee cells. Results represent a highly useful in vitro-system for studying a model organism of increasing importance in areas such as aging, sociality and neurobiology.
Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Aas, Norway. monica.bergem@umb.no
Monica
M
Bergem
Kari
K
Norberg
Randi M
RM
Aamodt
D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D003470:Culture Media; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology
D003470:Culture Media