title: Detoxification mechanisms of honey bees (Apis mellifera) resulting in tolerance of dietary nicotine.
abstract: Insecticides are thought to be among the major factors contributing to current declines in bee populations. However, detoxification mechanisms in healthy, unstressed honey bees are poorly characterised. Alkaloids are naturally encountered in pollen and nectar, and we used nicotine as a model compound to identify the mechanisms involved in detoxification processes in honey bees. Nicotine and neonicotinoids have similar modes of action in insects. Our metabolomic and proteomic analyses show active detoxification of nicotine in bees, associated with increased energetic investment and also antioxidant and heat shock responses. The increased energetic investment is significant in view of the interactions of pesticides with diseases such as Nosema spp which cause energetic stress and possible malnutrition. Understanding how healthy honey bees process dietary toxins under unstressed conditions will help clarify how pesticides, alone or in synergy with other stress factors, lead to declines in bee vitality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa.|Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa.
authors.forename: Esther E du
authors.initials: EED
authors.lastname: Rand
authors.affiliation: Proteomics Unit, Central Analytical Facility, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa.
authors.forename: Salome
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa.
authors.forename: Mervyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beukes
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa.
authors.forename: Zeno
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Apostolides
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa.
authors.forename: Christian W W
authors.initials: CWW
authors.lastname: Pirk
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa.
authors.forename: Susan W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Nicolson
mesh_terms: D000597:Amino Acids, Branched-Chain / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000201:enzymology*; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism*; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D018869:Heat-Shock Response; D008658:Inactivation, Metabolic; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009538:Nicotine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010575:Pesticides / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000597:Amino Acids, Branched-Chain; D019476:Insect Proteins; D010575:Pesticides; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D009538:Nicotine; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System