title: Nosema Tolerant Honeybees (Apis mellifera) Escape Parasitic Manipulation of Apoptosis.
abstract: Apoptosis is not only pivotal for development, but also for pathogen defence in multicellular organisms. Although numerous intracellular pathogens are known to interfere with the host's apoptotic machinery to overcome this defence, its importance for host-parasite coevolution has been neglected. We conducted three inoculation experiments to investigate in the apoptotic respond during infection with the intracellular gut pathogen Nosema ceranae, which is considered as potential global threat to the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and other bee pollinators, in sensitive and tolerant honeybees. To explore apoptotic processes in the gut epithelium, we visualised apoptotic cells using TUNEL assays and measured the relative expression levels of subset of candidate genes involved in the apoptotic machinery using qPCR. Our results suggest that N. ceranae reduces apoptosis in sensitive honeybees by enhancing inhibitor of apoptosis protein-(iap)-2 gene transcription. Interestingly, this seems not be the case in Nosema tolerant honeybees. We propose that these tolerant honeybees are able to escape the manipulation of apoptosis by N. ceranae, which may have evolved a mechanism to regulate an anti-apoptotic gene as key adaptation for improved host invasion.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biology, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kurze
authors.affiliation: UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, INRA, Avignon, France.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Le Conte
authors.affiliation: UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, INRA, Avignon, France.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dussaubat
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biology, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erler
authors.affiliation: Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kryger
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biology, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lewkowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine IV, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine IV, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Widder
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biology, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany; German Institute for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany; University of Pretoria, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Robin F A
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Moritz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001516:Bees / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D016881:Microsporidiosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000662:veterinary*; D016818:Nosema / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins