Genetic bases of tolerance to Varroa destructor in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)

Zakar, Erika; Jávor, András; Kusza, Sz.

doi:10.1007/s00040-014-0347-5

Cited by 19 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…The host–parasite relationship between honey bees and varroa is complex, serving as an interesting model for studying the mechanisms used by social insects to defend themselves against parasites (Zakar et al ., ). The Asian honey bee, Apis cerana , co‐evolved with the varroa mite for centuries and thus possesses traits that enable it to tolerate varroa infestations with minimal harm (Rosenkranz et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The Asian honey bee, Apis cerana , co‐evolved with the varroa mite for centuries and thus possesses traits that enable it to tolerate varroa infestations with minimal harm (Rosenkranz et al ., ). Hygienic behaviour, grooming behaviour and suppression of mite reproduction activities are possible mechanisms that the colonies use to defend against varroa infestation (Zakar et al ., ). However, unlike the Asian honey bee, the western honey bee, A. mellifera , is more susceptible to varroa (Sammataro et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Differential gene expression of two extreme honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies showing varroa tolerance and susceptibility

Jiang

Robertson²,

Mostajeran³

et al. 2016

Insect Molecular Biology

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Varroa destructor, an ectoparasitic mite of honey bees (Apis mellifera), is the most serious pest threatening the apiculture industry. In our honey bee breeding programme, two honey bee colonies showing extreme phenotypes for varroa tolerance/resistance (S88) and susceptibility (G4) were identified by natural selection from a large gene pool over a 6-year period. To investigate potential defence mechanisms for honey bee tolerance to varroa infestation, we employed DNA microarray and real time quantitative (PCR) analyses to identify differentially expressed genes in the tolerant and susceptible colonies at pupa and adult stages. Our results showed that more differentially expressed genes were identified in the tolerant bees than in bees from the susceptible colony, indicating that the tolerant colony showed an increased genetic capacity to respond to varroa mite infestation. In both colonies, there were more differentially expressed genes identified at the pupa stage than at the adult stage, indicating that pupa bees are more responsive to varroa infestation than adult bees. Genes showing differential expression in the colony phenotypes were categorized into several groups based on their molecular functions, such as olfactory signalling, detoxification processes, exoskeleton formation, protein degradation and long-chain fatty acid metabolism, suggesting that these biological processes play roles in conferring varroa tolerance to naturally selected colonies. Identification of differentially expressed genes between the two colony phenotypes provides potential molecular markers for selecting and breeding varroa-tolerant honey bees.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Differential gene expression of two extreme honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies showing varroa tolerance and susceptibility

Jiang

Robertson²,

Mostajeran³

et al. 2016

Insect Molecular Biology

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show abstract

“…Besides environmental factors, the bees' genetic make-up affects the ability to groom (Bąk & Wilde, 2015). Although different heritabilities have been reported, it is not clear how high the degree is to which grooming is heritable (Pritchard, 2016;Zakar, Jávor, & Kusza, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Naturally selected honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies resistant to Varroa destructor do not groom more intensively

Kruitwagen

Langevelde

Dooremalen

et al. 2017

Journal of Apicultural Research

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The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor is an important cause of high colony losses of the honey bee Apis mellifera. In The Netherlands, two resistant A. mellifera populations developed naturally after ceasing varroa control. As a result, mite infestation levels of the colonies of these populations are generally between 5-10%. However, the mechanisms behind mite resistance are still unclear. Since grooming behavior is a typical resistance trait that occurs in A. mellifera, we compared grooming between colonies of these two resistant populations and control colonies that had been treated against varroa twice a year in previous years. Grooming was investigated by measuring mite fall in broodless colonies in the field and in small cages with a fixed number of mites and bees in the lab. Furthermore, grooming was investigated at the individual level by measuring the effectiveness to remove dust by individual bees from the resistant and control colonies. We found that the grooming behavior of resistant colonies was unexpectedly equally or even less effective than that of control colonies. These results were supported by the effectiveness of individual bees to remove dust. Based on our results, we discuss that the trigger for grooming behavior may be density-dependent: grooming may be only beneficial at high mite infestation levels. Other resistance mechanisms than grooming are more likely to explain the varroa resistance of our two populations. Colonias de abejas (Apis mellifera) seleccionadas naturalmente por su resistencia a Varroa destructor no se acicalan más intensamente El ácaro ectoparasitario Varroa destructor es una importante causa de grandes pérdidas de colmenas de la abeja de la miel Apis mellifera. En los Países Bajos, dos poblaciones resistentes de A. mellifera se desarrollaron naturalmente después de cesar el control de varroa. Como resultado, los niveles de infestació n de ácaros en las colonias de estas poblaciones generalmente están entre el 5-10%. Sin embargo, los mecanismos que hay detrás de la resistencia del ácaro todavía no están claros. Dado que el comportamiento de acicalamiento o "grooming" es un rasgo típico de resistencia que sucede en A. mellifera, comparamos este comportamiento entre colonias de estas dos poblaciones resistentes y colonias control que habían sido tratadas contra varroa dos veces al año durante los años anteriores. El "grooming" se investigó calculando la caída de ácaros en colonias sin cría en el campo y en pequeñas cajas con un número fijo de ácaros y abejas en el laboratorio. Además, el "grooming" se investigó al nivel individual calculando la efectividad para eliminar el polvo por abejas individuales de las colonias resistentes y del control. Se encontró que el "grooming" de las colonias resistentes era inesperadamente igual o incluso menos eficaz que el de las colonias control. Estos resultados fueron apoyados por la efectividad de las abejas individuales para eliminar el polvo. Basándonos en nuestros resultados, discutimos que el desencadenante del "grooming" puede s...

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“…A tremendous amount of effort has been devoted to identifying QTLs for resistance/tolerance to Varroa with specific emphasis on understanding genetic basis of hygienic behavior and more recently suppression of Varroa reproduction (for a review see [21]). Three new QTLs were identified as important in regulating suppression of Varroa reproduction [22].…”

Section: Genetics and Genomics Of Honey Bee Breedingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the future of honey bee breeding programs by employing recent scientific advances

Niño

Jasper

2015

Current Opinion in Insect Science

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Genetic bases of tolerance to Varroa destructor in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)

Cited by 19 publications

References 86 publications

Differential gene expression of two extreme honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies showing varroa tolerance and susceptibility

Differential gene expression of two extreme honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies showing varroa tolerance and susceptibility

Naturally selected honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies resistant to Varroa destructor do not groom more intensively

Improving the future of honey bee breeding programs by employing recent scientific advances

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