2D-DIGE proteomic analysis reveals changes in haemolymph proteome of 1-day-old honey bee (Apis mellifera) workers in response to infection with Varroa destructor mites

Abstract

Varroa destructor is an external parasite of Apis mellifera and feeds on the haemolymph of pupae and adult bees, vectoring numerous viral pathogens, in particular the deformed wing virus (DWV). However, the changes in haemolymph protein composition after Varroa infestation are unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate alterations in the haemolymph proteome in relation to Varroa parasitism. Using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry, we identified changes in 44 haemolymph proteins in response to the parasite and one in protein originated from DWV. The following pathways were affected by Varroa infestation, including carbohydrate metabolism, detoxification and oxidative stress response, nutrient reservoir activity, oxidoreductase activity and the olfactory system. Several physiological functions of honey bees, such as energy metabolism, detoxification, metamorphosis and chemosensing, may be disrupted by Varroa .

Comparative transcriptomics indicates endogenous differences in detoxification capacity after formic acid treatment between honey bees and varroa mites

“…The downregulation of the gene expression of this enzyme could to some extend explain the increased sensitivity of the younger larvae to FA. However, a proteome investigation of honey bees infected with female adult varroa mites showed that the differently expressed proteins in the haemolymph also included the induced FDH, though at a rather low peptide/protein score 75 . Future studies should therefore biochemically investigate whether these transcriptional changes correlate with FA metabolizing enzyme activity in honey bees.…”

Gas Sensor Array and Classifiers as a Means of Varroosis Detection

“…The honey bee population has strongly declined in recent years [1] due to a combination of multiple stresses, including diseases, pathogens and pesticides. Bees, like all animals including humans, are susceptible to viruses (e.g., deformed wing virus, Israeli acute paralysis virus, Kashmir bee virus, Black Queen cell virus and Sacbrood); bacteria (e.g., American foulbrood and European foulbrood); fungi (e.g., Chalkbrood and Stonebrood); microsporidian parasite (e.g., Nosema apis and Nosema cearanae); parasitic mites (e.g., Tracheal mites (Acarapis woodi), Varroa mites, and Varroa mites resistant to fluvalinate and coumaphos); and insect pests (e.g., wax moth, and small hive beetle) [2][3][4][5].…”

Long live the host! Proteomic analysis reveals possible strategies for parasitic manipulation of its social host

“…A differential abundance analysis yielded several candidate pathways that might contribute to the observed phenotypic changes due to cestode infection (Table 2; for complete list see Supplement 2 A), many of which were postulated to extend lifespan in ants and other insects (Currin-Ross et al, 2021; Fang et al, 2014; Słowińska et al, 2019; Su et al, 2021), including sequestosome-1, chymotrypsin-1, and chymotrypsin-2, while one protein with additional functions in immunity, ras-related protein Rac1, is postulated to decrease lifespan in Drosophila (Slack, 2017). Infected ants showed a higher abundance of proteins that are implicated in GO functions such as cytosolic 10-formyltetrahydrofolate catabolic process, innate immune response, or L-serine biosynthetic process (Figure 3 D, for complete list see Supplement 1 Table S2, Supplement 1 Table S3).…”