title: Effect of Varroa destructor, Wounding and Varroa Homogenate on Gene Expression in Brood and Adult Honey Bees.
abstract: Honey bee (Apis mellifera) gene expression related to immunity for hymenoptaecin (AmHym) and defensin-1 (AmDef-1), longevity for vitellogenin (AmVit2) and stem cell proliferation for poly U binding factor 68 kDa (AmPuf68) was compared following Varroa destructor parasitism, buffer injection and injection of V. destructor compounds in its homogenate. In adults, V. destructor parasitism decreased expression of all four genes, while buffer injection decreased expression of AmHym, AmPuf68 and AmVit2, and homogenate injection decreased expression of AmPuf68 and AmVit2 but increased expression of AmDef-1 relative to their respective controls. The effect of V. destructor parasitism in adults relative to the controls was not significantly different from buffer injection for AmHym and AmVit2 expression, and it was not significantly different from homogenate injection for AmPuf68 and AmVit2. In brood, V. destructor parasitism, buffer injection and homogenate injection decreased AmVit2 expression, whereas AmHym expression was decreased by V. destructor parasitism but increased by buffer and homogenate injection relative to the controls. The effect of varroa parasitism in brood was not significantly different from buffer or homogenate injection for AmPuf68 and AmVit2. Expression levels of the four genes did not correlate with detectable viral levels in either brood or adults. The results of this study indicate that the relative effects of V. destructor parasitism on honey bee gene expression are also shared with other types of stresses. Therefore, some of the effects of V. destructor on honey bees may be mostly due to wounding and injection of foreign compounds into the hemolymph of the bee during parasitism. Although both brood and adults are naturally parasitized by V. destructor, their gene expression responded differently, probably the result of different mechanisms of host responses during development.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Gun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koleoglu
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Goodwin
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina y Zootecnia en Abejas, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico, Mexico.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reyes-Quintana
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Mollah Md
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Hamiduzzaman
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guzman-Novoa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology; D045424:Complex Mixtures / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D057077:Varroidae / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D045424:Complex Mixtures; D019476:Insect Proteins