title: Flow cytometry as an estimation tool for honey bee sperm viability.
abstract: Flow cytometry is a method to conduct a multiparameter analysis of cells suspended in liquid and passing through a laser beam. Analyses of human and other mammal sperm using this method have already been performed but its application for insect semen is still the subject of investigation. Semen isolated from honey bee Apis mellifera seminal vesicles was dyed using SYBR-14 and propidium iodide (PI). The fluorescence of the SYBR-14 stained cells was analyzed in a green fluorescence channel (FL-1), while the PI fluorescence was analyzed in a red fluorescence channel (FL-3). Living and dead cell populations were separated using a density dot plot and the percentage of each in the sample was calculated. Flow cytometry seems to be an effective tool for assessing the viability of honey bee semen, solving the problems of distinguishing and counting the double-stained cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Environmental Protection, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, ul. Długa 1/2, 61-848 PoznaД, Poland. rzymskipiotr@gmail.com
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rzymski
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Langowska
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fliszkiewicz
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Poniedziałek
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karczewski
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wiktorowicz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D055101:Semen Analysis / Q000662:veterinary*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*