Sperm storage and antioxidative enzyme expression in the honey bee, Apis mellifera

Abstract

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) sperm remains viable in the spermatheca of mated female honey bees for several years. During this time, the sperm retains respiratory activity, placing it at risk of the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species common to many biological processes. Antioxidative enzymes might help reduce this damage. Here we use quantitative real-time RT-PCR to establish gene-expression profiles in male and female honey bee reproductive tissues for three antioxidative enzymes: catalase, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD1, cytosolic). Catalase and GST showed ten- to twenty-fold transcript increases in the sperm storage organs of mated queens vs. unmated queens, whereas SOD1 levels are high in both mated and unmated queens. Male reproductive and somatic tissues showed relatively high levels of all three antioxidant-encoding transcripts. All three enzymes screened were higher in mature males vs. young males, although this effect did not appear to be confined to reproductive tissues and, hence, need not reflect a role in sperm longevity. Furthermore, antioxidative enzyme transcripts remained present, and apparently increased, in male tissues long after sperm had matured and seminal fluid was produced. We also found measurable levels of catalase transcripts in honey bee semen. The presence of catalase transcripts in both reproductive tissues and semen in bees suggests that this enzyme might play a key role in antioxidative protection.

Total antioxidant capacity of honeybee haemolymph in relation to age and exposure to pesticide, and comparison to antioxidant capacity of seminal plasma

“…This is the first report describing TAC in drone seminal plasma. To date, enzymatic compounds of antioxidative protection consisting of SOD, GSH and catalase have been studied in detail in drone reproductive tissue and semen, and spermathecae of queens (Weirich et al 2002;Collins et al 2004Collins et al , 2006. The substantial activities of all three enzymes in spermathecae of mated queens suggest their involvement in the long-term protection of the spermatozoa from oxidative stress (Weirich et al 2002).…”

“…The most important antioxidant enzymes identified in honeybee body fluids are superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione Stransferase (GST) and peroxidase (Weirich et al 2002;Collins et al 2004Collins et al , 2006. To date, 39 genes coding ten groups of antioxidant proteins have been identified in the honeybee genome (Corona and Robinson 2006).…”

Changes in mitochondrial energy utilization in young and old worker honeybees (Apis mellifera)

“…In addition, they live in large colonies, are easily manipulated, and their genome has been sequenced (Remolina et al 2007;Neukirch 1982;Rueppell et al 2007a, b). A variety of honeybee specimens, including spermathecae, muscle, ventriculi, hemolymph plasma, semen, brain, trophocytes, and fat cells, have been used to study oxidative stress and aging (Weirich et al 2002;Seehuus et al 2006a, b;Williams et al 2008;Collins et al 2004;Corona et al 2005;Hsieh and Hsu 2011a, b).…”

The use of honeybees reared in a thermostatic chamber for aging studies

“…Therefore, honeybees have been the model system for many aging studies (Remolina et al 2007;Neukirch 1982;Rueppell et al 2007a, b). A variety of honeybee specimens, including spermathecae, muscle, ventriculi, hemolymph plasma, semen, brain, trophocytes, and fat cells, have been used to study oxidative stress (Weirich et al 2002;Seehuus et al 2006a, b;Williams et al 2008;Collins et al 2004;Corona et al 2005) and aging (Hsieh and Hsu 2011).…”