scholarly journals Evaluating Effects of a Critical Micronutrient (24-Methylenecholesterol) on Honey Bee Physiology

2019 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 176-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyadarshini Chakrabarti ◽  
Hannah M Lucas ◽  
Ramesh R Sagili
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Pollinator Decline ◽  
Nutritional Physiology ◽  
Dietary Sterol ◽  
Dry Diet ◽  
Dietary Sterols

Abstract Although poor nutrition is cited as one of the crucial factors in global pollinator decline, the requirements and role of several important nutrients (especially micronutrients) in honey bees are not well understood. Micronutrients, viz. phytosterols, play a physiologically vital role in insects as precursors of important molting hormones and building blocks of cellular membranes. There is a gap in comprehensive understanding of the impacts of dietary sterols on honey bee physiology. In the present study, we investigated the role of 24-methylenecholesterol—a key phytosterol—in honey bee nutritional physiology. Artificial diets with varying concentrations of 24-methylenecholesterol (0%, 0.1%. 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1% dry diet weight) were formulated and fed to honey bees in a laboratory cage experiment. Survival, diet consumption, head protein content, and abdominal lipid contents were significantly higher in dietary sterol-supplemented bees. Our findings provide additional insights regarding the role of this important sterol in honey bee nutritional physiology. The insights gleaned from this study could also advance the understanding of sterol metabolism and regulation in other bee species that are dependent on pollen for sterols, and assist in formulation of a more complete artificial diet for honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758) (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

scholarly journals Novel Insights into Dietary Phytosterol Utilization and Its Fate in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 571
Author(s):  
Priyadarshini Chakrabarti ◽  
Hannah M. Lucas ◽  
Ramesh R. Sagili
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Dietary Sterol ◽  
Head Protein ◽  
Poor Nutrition

Poor nutrition is an important factor in global bee population declines. A significant gap in knowledge persists regarding the role of various nutrients (especially micronutrients) in honey bees. Sterols are essential micronutrients in insect diets and play a physiologically vital role as precursors of important molting hormones and building blocks of cellular membranes. Sterol requirements and metabolism in honey bees are poorly understood. Among all pollen sterols, 24-methylenecholesterol is considered the key phytosterol required by honey bees. Nurse bees assimilate this sterol from dietary sources and store it in their tissues as endogenous sterol, to be transferred to the growing larvae through brood food. This study examined the duration of replacement of such endogenous sterols in honey bees. The dietary 13C-labeled isotopomer of 24-methylenecholesterol added to artificial bee diet showed differential, progressive in vivo assimilation across various honey bee tissues. Significantly higher survival, diet consumption, head protein content and abdominal lipid content were observed in the dietary sterol-supplemented group than in the control group. These findings provide novel insights into phytosterol utilization and temporal pattern of endogenous 24-methylenecholesterol replacement in honey bees.

scholarly journals Transcriptional Control of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Major Royal Jelly Proteins by 20-Hydroxyecdysone

Insects ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Winkler ◽  
Frank Sieg ◽  
Anja Buttstedt
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Juvenile Hormone ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Transcriptional Control ◽  
Royal Jelly ◽  
Adult Worker ◽  
Gene Expression Dynamics

One of the first tasks of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) during their lifetime is to feed the larval offspring. In brief, young workers (nurse bees) secrete a special food jelly that contains a large amount of unique major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs). The regulation of mrjp gene expression is not well understood, but the large upregulation in well-fed nurse bees suggests a tight repression until, or a massive induction upon, hatching of the adult worker bees. The lipoprotein vitellogenin, the synthesis of which is regulated by the two systemic hormones 20-hydroxyecdysone and juvenile hormone, is thought to be a precursor for the production of MRJPs. Thus, the regulation of mrjp expression by the said systemic hormones is likely. This study focusses on the role of 20-hydroxyecdysone by elucidating its effect on mrjp gene expression dynamics. Specifically, we tested whether 20-hydroxyecdysone displayed differential effects on various mrjps. We found that the expression of the mrjps (mrjp1–3) that were finally secreted in large amounts into the food jelly, in particular, were down regulated by 20-hydroxyecdysone treatment, with mrjp3 showing the highest repression value.

Role of Security Mechanisms in the Building Blocks of the Cloud Infrastructure

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Kowsigan Mohan ◽  
P. Balasubramanie Palanisamy ◽  
G.R. Kanagachidambaresan ◽  
Siddharth Rajesh ◽  
Sneha Narendran
Keyword(s):  
Building Blocks ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Cloud Provider ◽  
Scheduling Problems ◽  
Cloud Environment ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Cloud Infrastructure ◽  
Security Issues

This chapter describes how security plays a vital role in cloud computing, as the name itself specifies the data can be stored from any place and can be owned by anyone. Even though the cloud offers many benefits such as flexibility, scalability and agility, security issues are still backlog the cloud infrastructure. Much research is being done on cloud security equal to the scheduling problems in the cloud environment. The customers under the cloud providers are very concerned about their data, which has been stored in the cloud environment. In this regard, it is essential for a cloud provider to implement some powerful tools for security, to provide a secure cloud infrastructure to the customers. Generally speaking, there are some foundational needs to be attained and some actions to be combined to ensure data security in both cloud, as well as, non-cloud infrastructure. This book chapter concentrates only on the security issues, security measures, security mechanisms, and security tools of the cloud environment.

scholarly journals Honey Bee Viruses, Colony Health, and Antiviral Defense

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Katie F. Daughenbaugh ◽  
Alex J. McMenamin ◽  
Laura M. Brutscher ◽  
Fenali Parekh ◽  
Michelle L. Flenniken
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Heat Shock ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Antiviral Defense ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Antiviral Responses ◽  
Model Virus ◽  
Virus Abundance

Honey bee colony losses are influenced by multiple abiotic and biotic factors, including viruses. To investigate the effects of RNA viruses on honey bees, we infected bees with a model virus (Sindbis-GFP) in the presence or absence of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). In honey bees, dsRNA is the substrate for sequence-specific RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated antiviral defense and is a trigger of sequence-independent\antiviral responses. Transcriptome sequencing identified more than 200 differentially expressed genes, including genes in the RNAi, Toll, Imd, JAK-STAT, and heat shock response pathways, and many uncharacterized genes. To confirm the virus limiting role of two genes (i.e., dicer and mf116383) in honey bees, we utilized RNAi to reduce their expression in vivo and determined that the virus abundance increased. To evaluate the role of the heat shock stress response in antiviral defense, bees were heat stressed post-virus infection and the virus abundance and gene expression were assessed. Heat-stressed bees had reduced virus levels and a greater expression of several heat shock protein encoding genes (hsps) compared to the controls. To determine if these genes are universally associated with antiviral defense, bees were infected with another model virus, Flock House virus (FHV), or deformed wing virus and the gene expression was assessed. The expression of dicer was greater in bees infected with either FHV or Sindbis-GFP compared to the mock-infected bees, but not in the deformed wing virus-infected bees. To further investigate honey bee antiviral defense mechanisms and elucidate the function of key genes (dicer, ago-2, mf116383, and hsps) at the cellular level, primary honey bee larval hemocytes were transfected with dsRNA or infected with the Lake Sinai virus 2 (LSV2). These studies indicate that mf116383 and hsps mediate dsRNA detection and that MF116383 is involved in limiting LSV2 infection. Together, these results further our understanding of honey bee antiviral defense, particularly dsRNA-mediated antiviral responses, at both the individual bee and cellular levels.

scholarly journals Silencing the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Naked Cuticle Gene (nkd) Improves Host Immune Function and Reduces Nosema ceranae Infections

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (22) ◽  
pp. 6779-6787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenfeng Li ◽  
Jay D. Evans ◽  
Qiang Huang ◽  
Cristina Rodríguez-García ◽  
Jie Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Nosema Ceranae ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bee Disease

ABSTRACTNosema ceranaeis a new and emerging microsporidian parasite of European honey bees,Apis mellifera, that has been implicated in colony losses worldwide. RNA interference (RNAi), a posttranscriptional gene silencing mechanism, has emerged as a potent and specific strategy for controlling infections of parasites and pathogens in honey bees. While previous studies have focused on the silencing of parasite/pathogen virulence factors, we explore here the possibility of silencing a host factor as a mechanism for reducing parasite load. Specifically, we used an RNAi strategy to reduce the expression of a honey bee gene,naked cuticle(nkd), which is a negative regulator of host immune function. Our studies found thatnkdmRNA levels in adult bees were upregulated byN. ceranaeinfection (and thus, the parasite may use this mechanism to suppress host immune function) and that ingestion of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) specific tonkdefficiently silenced its expression. Furthermore, we found that RNAi-mediated knockdown ofnkdtranscripts inNosema-infected bees resulted in upregulation of the expression of several immune genes (Abaecin,Apidaecin,Defensin-1, andPGRP-S2), reduction ofNosemaspore loads, and extension of honey bee life span. The results of our studies clearly indicate that silencing the hostnkdgene can activate honey bee immune responses, suppress the reproduction ofN. ceranae, and improve the overall health of honey bees. This study represents a novel host-derived therapeutic for honey bee disease treatment that merits further exploration.IMPORTANCEGiven the critical role of honey bees in the pollination of agricultural crops, it is urgent to develop strategies to prevent the colony decline induced by the infection of parasites/pathogens. Targeting parasites and pathogens directly by RNAi has been proven to be useful for controlling infections in honey bees, but little is known about the disease impacts of RNAi silencing of host factors. Here, we demonstrate that knocking down the honey bee immune repressor-encodingnkdgene can suppress the reproduction ofN. ceranaeand improve the overall health of honey bees, which highlights the potential role of host-derived and RNAi-based therapeutics in controlling the infections in honey bees. The information obtained from this study will have positive implications for honey bee disease management practices.

scholarly journals The Role of Colony Temperature in the Entrainment of Circadian Rhythms of Honey Bee Foragers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel A. Giannoni-Guzmán ◽  
Emmanuel Rivera ◽  
Janpierre Aleman-Rios ◽  
Alexander M. Melendez Moreno ◽  
Melina Perez Ramos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Temperature Oscillation ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Temperature Cycle ◽  
Large Individual ◽  
Endogenous Rhythms ◽  
Honey Bee Foragers

AbstractHoney bees utilize their circadian rhythms to accurately predict the time of day. This ability allows foragers to remember the specific timing of food availability and its location for several days. Previous studies have provided strong evidence toward light/dark cycles being the primary Zeitgeber for honey bees. Recent work in our laboratory described large individual variation in the endogenous period length of honey bee foragers from the same colony and differences in the endogenous rhythms under different constant temperatures. In this study, we further this work by examining temperature inside the honey bee colony. By placing temperature and light data loggers at different locations inside the colony we uncovered that temperature oscillates with a 24-hour period at the periphery of the colony. We then simulated this temperature oscillation in the laboratory and found that using the temperature cycle as a Zeitgeber, foragers present large individual differences in the phase of locomotor rhythms with respect to temperature. Moreover, foragers successfully entrain to these simulated temperature cycles and advancing the cycle by six hours, resulted in changes in the phase of locomotor activity for the most foragers in the assay. The results shown in this study highlight the importance of temperature as a potential Zeitgeber in the field. Future studies will examine the possible functional and evolutionary role of the observed phase differences of circadian rhythms.

scholarly journals Occurrence and Phylogenetic Analysis of DWV in Stingless Bee (Apidae sp.) in China: A Case Report

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Zhang ◽  
Yanchun Deng ◽  
Hongxia Zhao ◽  
Ming Zhang ◽  
Chunsheng Hou
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Bee Viruses

Honey bees play a vital role in providing pollination services for agricultural crops and wild flowering plants. However, the spillover risk of their pathogens to other pollinators or wild insects is becoming a cause for concern. There is some evidence that stingless bees can carry honey bee viruses, but little is known about the presence of honey bee viruses in stingless bees in China. Here, we investigate the occurrence of major honey bee pathogens including bacteria, fungi, and viruses in stingless bees (Apidae: sp.). Our results show that the stingless bees (Apidae: sp.) were mainly infected with DWV-A, but no DWV-B and DWV-C. Phylogenetic analysis on fragments of lp, RdRp, and VP3 of DWV-A indicated that genetic variation in VP3 might an important indicator for host-specific viruses, but it requires further study. Our results indicated that DWV-A is not only the major strain of virus currently circulating in managed bee colonies in China and globally, but in stingless bee species as a whole.

scholarly journals Nutritional status of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers across an agricultural land-use gradient

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Smart ◽  
Clint R. V. Otto ◽  
Jonathan G. Lundgren
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Nutritional Physiology ◽  
Bee Colonies

Abstract Land use, habitat, and forage quality have emerged as critical factors influencing the health, productivity, and survival of honey bee colonies. However, characterization of the mechanistic relationship between differential land-use conditions and ultimate outcomes for honey bee colonies has been elusive. We assessed the physiological health of individual worker honey bees in colonies stationed across a gradient of agricultural land use to ask whether indicators of nutritional physiology including glycogen, total sugar, lipids, and protein were associated with land-use conditions over the growing season and colony population size the subsequent spring during almond pollination. Across the observed land-use gradient, we found that September lipid levels related to growing-season land use, with honey bees from apiaries surrounded by more favorable land covers such as grassland, pasture, conservation land, and fallow fields having greater lipid reserves. Further, we observed a significant relationship between total protein during September and population size of colonies during almond pollination the following February. We demonstrate and discuss the utility of quantifying nutritional biomarkers to infer land-use quality and predict colony population size.

scholarly journals The Gut Microbiota Can Provide Viral Tolerance in the Honey Bee

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 871
Author(s):  
Christopher Dosch ◽  
Anja Manigk ◽  
Tabea Streicher ◽  
Anja Tehel ◽  
Robert J. Paxton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Viral Pathogen ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health

Adult honey bees host a remarkably consistent gut microbial community that is thought to benefit host health and provide protection against parasites and pathogens. Currently, however, we lack experimental evidence for the causal role of the gut microbiota in protecting the Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) against their viral pathogens. Here we set out to fill this knowledge gap by investigating how the gut microbiota modulates the virulence of a major honey bee viral pathogen, deformed wing virus (DWV). We found that, upon oral virus exposure, honey bee survival was significantly increased in bees with an experimentally established normal gut microbiota compared to control bees with a perturbed (dysbiotic) gut microbiota. Interestingly, viral titers were similar in bees with normal gut microbiota and dysbiotic bees, pointing to higher viral tolerance in bees with normal gut microbiota. Taken together, our results provide evidence for a positive role of the gut microbiota for honey bee fitness upon viral infection. We hypothesize that environmental stressors altering honey bee gut microbiota composition, e.g., antibiotics in beekeeping or pesticides in modern agriculture, could interact synergistically with pathogens, leading to negative effects on honey bee health and the epidemiology and impact of their viruses.

scholarly journals Wild pollinator activities negatively related to honey bee colony densities in urban context

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Ropars ◽  
Isabelle Dajoz ◽  
Colin Fontaine ◽  
Audrey Muratet ◽  
Benoît Geslin
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
Pollinator Visitation ◽  
Pollinator Decline ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Honey Bee Colony

AbstractAs pollinator decline is increasingly reported in natural and agricultural environments, cities are perceived as shelters for pollinators because of low pesticide exposure and high floral diversity throughout the year. This has led to the development of environmental policies supporting pollinators in urban areas. However, policies are often restricted to the promotion of honey bee colony installations, which resulted in a strong increase in apiary numbers in cities. Recently, competition for floral resources between wild pollinators and honey bees has been highlighted in semi-natural contexts, but whether urban beekeeping could impact wild pollinators remains unknown. Here, we show that in the city of Paris (France), wild pollinator visitation rates is negatively correlated to honey bee colony densities present in the surrounding (500m – slope = −0.614; p = 0.001 – and 1000m – slope = −0.489; p = 0.005). More particularly, large solitary bees and beetles were significantly affected at 500m (respectively slope = −0.425, p = 0.007 and slope = - 0.671, p = 0.002) and bumblebees were significantly affected at 1000m (slope = - 0.451, p = 0.012). Further, lower interaction evenness in plant-pollinator networks was observed with honey bee colony densities within 1000 meter buffers (slope = −0.487, p = 0.008). Finally, honey bees tended to focus their foraging activity on managed rather than spontaneous plant species (student t-test, p = 0.001) whereas wild pollinators equally visited managed and spontaneous species. We advocate responsible practices mitigating the introduction of high density of hives in urban environments. Future studies are needed to deepen our knowledge about the potential negative interactions between wild and domesticated pollinators.

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