Expression of Molecular Markers of Resilience against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Bee Viruses in Ethiopian Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera simensis</i>) Focussing on Olfactory Sensing and the RNA Interference Machinery
<i>Varroa destructor</i> mites and the viruses it vectors are two major factors leading to high losses of honey bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) colonies worldwide. However, honey bees in some African countries show resilience to varroa infestation and/or virus infections, althou...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/5/436 |
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| author | Haftom Gebremedhn David Claeys Bouuaert Michel Asperges Bezabeh Amssalu Lina De Smet Dirk C. de Graaf |
| author_facet | Haftom Gebremedhn David Claeys Bouuaert Michel Asperges Bezabeh Amssalu Lina De Smet Dirk C. de Graaf |
| author_sort | Haftom Gebremedhn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Varroa destructor</i> mites and the viruses it vectors are two major factors leading to high losses of honey bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) colonies worldwide. However, honey bees in some African countries show resilience to varroa infestation and/or virus infections, although little is known about the mechanisms underlying this resilience. In this study, we investigated the expression profiles of some key molecular markers involved in olfactory sensing and RNA interference, as these processes may contribute to the bees’ resilience to varroa infestation and virus infection, respectively. We found significantly higher gene expression of the odorant binding protein, OBP14, in the antennae of Ethiopian bees compared to Belgian bees. This result suggests the potential of OBP14 as a molecular marker of resilience to mite infestation. Scanning electron microscopy showed no significant differences in the antennal sensilla occurrence and distribution, suggesting that resilience arises from molecular processes rather than morphological adaptations. In addition, seven RNAi genes were upregulated in the Ethiopian honey bees and three of them—<i>Dicer-Drosha</i>, <i>Argonaute 2</i>, and <i>TRBP2</i>—were positively correlated with the viral load. We can conclude that the antiviral immune response was triggered when bees were experiencing severe viral infection and that this might contribute to the bees’ resilience to viruses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:38:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8f40dc2eb12d4afe9343718f106742c6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:38:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-8f40dc2eb12d4afe9343718f106742c62023-11-18T01:49:53ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502023-05-0114543610.3390/insects14050436Expression of Molecular Markers of Resilience against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Bee Viruses in Ethiopian Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera simensis</i>) Focussing on Olfactory Sensing and the RNA Interference MachineryHaftom Gebremedhn0David Claeys Bouuaert1Michel Asperges2Bezabeh Amssalu3Lina De Smet4Dirk C. de Graaf5Laboratory of Molecular Entomology and Bee Pathology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, BelgiumLaboratory of Molecular Entomology and Bee Pathology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, BelgiumCentrum Voor Milieukunde, University of Hasselt, 3590 Diepenbeek, BelgiumHoleta Bee Research Center, Holeta P.O. Box 22, EthiopiaLaboratory of Molecular Entomology and Bee Pathology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, BelgiumLaboratory of Molecular Entomology and Bee Pathology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium<i>Varroa destructor</i> mites and the viruses it vectors are two major factors leading to high losses of honey bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) colonies worldwide. However, honey bees in some African countries show resilience to varroa infestation and/or virus infections, although little is known about the mechanisms underlying this resilience. In this study, we investigated the expression profiles of some key molecular markers involved in olfactory sensing and RNA interference, as these processes may contribute to the bees’ resilience to varroa infestation and virus infection, respectively. We found significantly higher gene expression of the odorant binding protein, OBP14, in the antennae of Ethiopian bees compared to Belgian bees. This result suggests the potential of OBP14 as a molecular marker of resilience to mite infestation. Scanning electron microscopy showed no significant differences in the antennal sensilla occurrence and distribution, suggesting that resilience arises from molecular processes rather than morphological adaptations. In addition, seven RNAi genes were upregulated in the Ethiopian honey bees and three of them—<i>Dicer-Drosha</i>, <i>Argonaute 2</i>, and <i>TRBP2</i>—were positively correlated with the viral load. We can conclude that the antiviral immune response was triggered when bees were experiencing severe viral infection and that this might contribute to the bees’ resilience to viruses.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/5/436honey beeresiliencemolecular markersolfactory sensingRNA interferenceviruses |
| spellingShingle | Haftom Gebremedhn David Claeys Bouuaert Michel Asperges Bezabeh Amssalu Lina De Smet Dirk C. de Graaf Expression of Molecular Markers of Resilience against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Bee Viruses in Ethiopian Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera simensis</i>) Focussing on Olfactory Sensing and the RNA Interference Machinery Insects honey bee resilience molecular markers olfactory sensing RNA interference viruses |
| title | Expression of Molecular Markers of Resilience against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Bee Viruses in Ethiopian Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera simensis</i>) Focussing on Olfactory Sensing and the RNA Interference Machinery |
| title_full | Expression of Molecular Markers of Resilience against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Bee Viruses in Ethiopian Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera simensis</i>) Focussing on Olfactory Sensing and the RNA Interference Machinery |
| title_fullStr | Expression of Molecular Markers of Resilience against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Bee Viruses in Ethiopian Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera simensis</i>) Focussing on Olfactory Sensing and the RNA Interference Machinery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Expression of Molecular Markers of Resilience against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Bee Viruses in Ethiopian Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera simensis</i>) Focussing on Olfactory Sensing and the RNA Interference Machinery |
| title_short | Expression of Molecular Markers of Resilience against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Bee Viruses in Ethiopian Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera simensis</i>) Focussing on Olfactory Sensing and the RNA Interference Machinery |
| title_sort | expression of molecular markers of resilience against i varroa destructor i and bee viruses in ethiopian honey bees i apis mellifera simensis i focussing on olfactory sensing and the rna interference machinery |
| topic | honey bee resilience molecular markers olfactory sensing RNA interference viruses |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/5/436 |
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