A fatty acyl-CoA reductase highly expressed in the head of honey bee (Apis mellifera) involves biosynthesis of a wide range of aliphatic fatty alcohols

AbstractWith a growing number of parasites and pathogens experiencing large-scale range expansions, monitoring diversity in immune genes of host populations has never been so important because it can inform on the adaptive potential to resist the invaders. Population surveys of immune genes are becoming common in many organisms, yet they are missing in the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.), a key managed pollinator species that has been severely affected by biological invasions. To fill the gap, here we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a wide range of honey bee immune genes and developed a medium-density assay targeting a subset of these genes. Using a discovery panel of 123 whole-genomes, representing seven A. mellifera subspecies and three evolutionary lineages, 180 immune genes were scanned for SNPs in exons, introns (< 4 bp from exons), 3’ and 5´UTR, and < 1 kb upstream of the transcription start site. After application of multiple filtering criteria and validation, the final medium-density assay combines 91 quality-proved functional SNPs marking 89 innate immune genes and these can be readily typed using the high-sample-throughput iPLEX MassARRAY system. This medium-density-SNP assay was applied to 156 samples from four countries and the admixture analysis clustered the samples according to their lineage and subspecies, suggesting that honey bee ancestry can be delineated from functional variation. In addition to allowing analysis of immunogenetic variation, this newly-developed SNP assay can be used for inferring genetic structure and admixture in the honey bee.

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Studies of the Life History and Ecology of the Ant Oecophylla longinoda Latreille

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485300026821 ◽

1954 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 93-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

M. J. Way

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Apis Mellifera ◽

East Africa ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Insect Species ◽

Oecophylla Longinoda ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Wide Range ◽

Nesting Habits ◽

Food Reserves

In British East Africa Oecophylla longinoda (Latr.) var. textor Santschi is locally common in the costal region. Inland it is absent from higher altitudes and from areas where there is a pronounced dry season.In Zanzibar Island, O. longinoda at least 89 species of trees and shurbs; the largest populations occur on the clove (Jambosa caryophyllus), Citrus spp., Bridelia micrantha and Canthium zanzibaricum.The nesting habits and colony composition of O. longinoda are such that one colony may spread over a number of adjacent trees; it contains only one gravid queen.Winged virgin sexual forms are released at the beginning of the wet seasons and new colonies are initiated by a single queen, who uses her food reserves to bring the first batch of brood to maturity.In Zanzibzr, O. longinoda tends a wide range of Homoptera that produce honey-dew, but apparently “ prefers ” certain Coccids, notably Saissetia spp.The degree of attention afforded by an ant species determines the species of Homoptera which it is able to attend.The insect species preyed upon by O. longinoda include the honey bee, Apis mellifera, and the driver ant, Dorylus nigricans, of which large numbers may be destroyed.O. longinoda is of undoubted value for controlling certain coconut pests, notably Theraptus sp. (Coreidae), and its efficiency in coconut plantations could probably be much enhanced.

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Hydroxymethylfurfural Affects Caged Honey Bees (Apis mellifera carnica)

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d12010018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 18 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aleš Gregorc ◽

Snežana Jurišić ◽

Blair Sampson

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽

Cellular Level ◽

High Concentration ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Apis Mellifera Carnica ◽

Wide Range ◽

Bee Health

A high concentration of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) (e.g., 15 mg HMF per kg honey) indicates quality deterioration for a wide range of foods. In honey bee colonies, HMF in stored honey can negatively affect bee health and survival. Therefore, in the laboratory, we experimentally determined the effects of HMF on the longevity and midgut integrity of worker Apis mellifera carnica by feeding bees standard diets containing five concentrations of HMF (100, 500, 1000, and 1500 ppm). Simultaneously, we also examined HMF’s effect on Nosema ceranae spore counts within infected honey bees. We performed an immunohistochemical analysis of the honey bee midgut to determine possible changes at the cellular level. No correlation was established between HMF concentration and N. ceranae spore counts. Negative effects of HMF on bees were not observed in the first 15 days of exposure. However, after 15 to 30 days of exposure, HMF caused midgut cells to die and an increased mortality of honey bee workers across treatment groups.

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Pathogens Spillover from Honey Bees to Other Arthropods

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10081044 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1044 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Antonio Nanetti ◽

Laura Bortolotti ◽

Giovanni Cilia

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Host Species ◽

Close Contact ◽

Holistic Approach ◽

Geographic Area ◽

Time Frame ◽

Final Host ◽

Wide Range

Honey bees, and pollinators in general, play a major role in the health of ecosystems. There is a consensus about the steady decrease in pollinator populations, which raises global ecological concern. Several drivers are implicated in this threat. Among them, honey bee pathogens are transmitted to other arthropods populations, including wild and managed pollinators. The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, is quasi-globally spread. This successful species acted as and, in some cases, became a maintenance host for pathogens. This systematic review collects and summarizes spillover cases having in common Apis mellifera as the mainteinance host and some of its pathogens. The reports are grouped by final host species and condition, year, and geographic area of detection and the co-occurrence in the same host. A total of eighty-one articles in the time frame 1960–2021 were included. The reported spillover cases cover a wide range of hymenopteran host species, generally living in close contact with or sharing the same environmental resources as the honey bees. They also involve non-hymenopteran arthropods, like spiders and roaches, which are either likely or unlikely to live in close proximity to honey bees. Specific studies should consider host-dependent pathogen modifications and effects on involved host species. Both the plasticity of bee pathogens and the ecological consequences of spillover suggest a holistic approach to bee health and the implementation of a One Health approach.

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Production of Long Chain Fatty Alcohols Found in Bumblebee Pheromones by Yarrowia lipolytica

Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology ◽

10.3389/fbioe.2020.593419 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Jaroslav Hambalko ◽

Peter Gajdoš ◽

Jean-Marc Nicaud ◽

Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro ◽

Michal Tupec ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Yarrowia Lipolytica ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Industrial Applications ◽

Fatty Acyl ◽

Fatty Alcohols ◽

Primary Alcohols ◽

Biotechnological Production ◽

Pheromone Components ◽

A Chain ◽

Coa Reductase

Fatty alcohols (FA-OH) are aliphatic unbranched primary alcohols with a chain of four or more carbon atoms. Besides potential industrial applications, fatty alcohols have important biological functions as well. In nature, fatty alcohols are produced as a part of a mixture of pheromones in several insect species, such as moths, termites, bees, wasps, etc. In addition, FA-OHs have a potential for agricultural applications, for example, they may be used as a suitable substitute for commercial insecticides. The insecticides have several drawbacks associated with their preparation, and they exert a negative impact on the environment. Currently, pheromone components are prepared mainly through the catalytic hydrogenation of plant oils and petrochemicals, which is an unsustainable, ecologically unfriendly, and highly expensive process. The biotechnological production of the pheromone components using engineered microbial strains and through the expression of the enzymes participating in the biosynthesis of these components is a promising approach that ensures ecological sustenance as well. The present study was aimed at evaluating the production of FA-OHs in the oleaginous yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica, with different lengths of fatty-acyl chains by expressing the fatty acyl-CoA reductase (FAR) BlapFAR4 from B. lapidarius, producing C16:0-OH, C16:1Δ9-OH, and lower quantities of both C14:0-OH and C18:1Δ9-OH, and BlucFAR1 from B. lucorum, producing FA-OHs with a chain length of 18–26 carbon atoms, in this yeast. Among the different novel Y. lipolytica strains used in the present study, the best results were obtained with JMY7086, which carried several lipid metabolism modifications and expressed the BlucFAR1 gene under the control of a strong constitutive promoter 8UAS-pTEF. JMY7086 produced only saturated fatty alcohols with chain lengths from 18 to 24 carbon atoms. The highest titer and accumulation achieved were 166.6 mg/L and 15.6 mg/g DCW of fatty alcohols, respectively. Unlike JMY7086, the BlapFAR4-expressing strain JMY7090 produced only 16 carbon atom-long FA-OHs with a titer of 14.6 mg/L.

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