scholarly journals Genomic signatures of honey bee association in an acetic acid symbiont

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Smith ◽  
Irene L. G. Newton
Keyword(s):  
Acetic Acid ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Acetic Acid Bacterium ◽  
Genomic Changes ◽  
Genomic Signatures ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Honey Bee Queen ◽  
Honey Bee Queens

AbstractHoney bee queens are central to the success and productivity of their colonies; queens are the only reproductive members of the colony, and therefore queen longevity and fecundity can directly impact overall colony health. Recent declines in the health of the honey bee have startled researchers and lay people alike as honey bees are agriculture’s most important pollinator. Honey bees are important pollinators of many major crops and add billions of dollars annually to the US economy through their services. One factor that may influence queen and colony health is the microbial community. Although honey bee worker guts have a characteristic community of bee-specific microbes, the honey bee queen digestive tracts are colonized by a few bacteria, notably an acetic acid bacterium not seen in worker guts: Bombella apis. This bacterium is related to flower-associated microbes such as Saccharibacter floricola and other species in the genus Saccharibacter, and initial phylogenetic analyses placed it as sister to these environmental bacteria. We used comparative genomics of multiple honey bee-associated strains and the nectar-associated Saccharibacter to identify genomic changes associated with the ecological transition to bee association. We identified several genomic differences in the honey bee-associated strains, including a complete CRISPR/Cas system. Many of the changes we note here are predicted to confer upon them the ability to survive in royal jelly and defend themselves against mobile elements, including phages. Our results are a first step towards identifying potential benefits provided by the honey bee queen microbiota to the colony’s matriarch.

scholarly journals Genomic Signatures of Honey Bee Association in an Acetic Acid Symbiont

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1882-1894
Author(s):  
Eric A Smith ◽  
Irene L G Newton
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Genomic Changes ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Health ◽  
Honey Bee Queens

Abstract Recent declines in the health of the honey bee have startled researchers and lay people alike as honey bees are agriculture’s most important pollinator. Honey bees are important pollinators of many major crops and add billions of dollars annually to the US economy through their services. One factor that may influence colony health is the microbial community. Indeed, the honey bee worker digestive tract harbors a characteristic community of bee-specific microbes, and the composition of this community is known to impact honey bee health. However, the honey bee is a superorganism, a colony of eusocial insects with overlapping generations where nestmates cooperate, building a hive, gathering and storing food, and raising brood. In contrast to what is known regarding the honey bee worker gut microbiome, less is known of the microbes associated with developing brood, with food stores, and with the rest of the built hive environment. More recently, the microbe Bombella apis was identified as associated with nectar, with developing larvae, and with honey bee queens. This bacterium is related to flower-associated microbes such as Saccharibacter floricola and other species in the genus Saccharibacter, and initial phylogenetic analyses placed it as sister to these environmental bacteria. Here, we used comparative genomics of multiple honey bee-associated strains and the nectar-associated Saccharibacter to identify genomic changes that may be associated with the ecological transition to honey bee association. We identified several genomic differences in the honey bee-associated strains, including a complete CRISPR/Cas system. Many of the changes we note here are predicted to confer upon Bombella the ability to survive in royal jelly and defend themselves against mobile elements, including phages. Our results are a first step toward identifying potential function of this microbe in the honey bee superorganism.

scholarly journals Reclassification of seven honey bee symbiont strains as Bombella apis

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Smith ◽  
Kirk E. Anderson ◽  
Vanessa Corby-Harris ◽  
Quinn S. McFrederick ◽  
Audrey J. Parish ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Type Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Acetic Acid Bacterium ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Honey Bee Queen

Honey bees are important pollinators of many major crops and add billions of dollars annually to the US economy through their services. Recent declines in the health of the honey bee have startled researchers and lay people alike as honey bees are agriculture’s most important pollinator. One factor that may influence colony health is the microbial community. Although honey bee worker guts have a characteristic community of bee-specific microbes, the honey bee queen digestive tracts are colonized predominantly by a single acetic acid bacterium tentatively named ‘Parasaccharibacter apium’. This bacterium is related to flower-associated microbes such as Saccharibacter floricola , and initial phylogenetic analyses placed it as sister to these environmental bacteria. We used a combination of phylogenetic and sequence identity methods to better resolve evolutionary relationships among ‘P. apium’, strains in the genus Saccharibacter , and strains in the closely related genus Bombella . Interestingly, measures of genome-wide average nucleotide identity and aligned fraction, coupled with phylogenetic placement, indicate that many strains labelled as ‘P. apium’ and Saccharibacter species are all the same species as Bombella apis . We propose reclassifying these strains as Bombella apis and outline the data supporting that classification below.

scholarly journals Reclassification of seven honey bee symbiont strains as Bombella apis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Smith ◽  
Kirk E. Anderson ◽  
Vanessa Corby-Harris ◽  
Quinn S. McFrederick ◽  
Irene L. G. Newton
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Acetic Acid Bacterium ◽  
Phylogenetic Placement ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
The Us ◽  
Honey Bee Queen ◽  
Environmental Bacteria

AbstractHoney bees are important pollinators of many major crops and add billions of dollars annually to the US economy through their services. Recent declines in the health of the honey bee have startled researchers and lay people alike as honey bees are agriculture’s most important pollinator. One factor that may influence colony health is the microbial community. Although honey bee worker guts have a characteristic community of bee-specific microbes, the honey bee queen digestive tracts are colonized predominantly by a single acetic acid bacterium tentatively named Candidatus Parasaccharibacter apium. This bacterium is related to flower-associated microbes such as Saccharibacter floricola, and initial phylogenetic analyses placed it as sister to these environmental bacteria. We used a combination of phylogenetic and sequence identity methods to better resolve evolutionary relationships among P. apium, strains in the genus Saccharibacter, and strains in the closely related genus Bombella. Interestingly, measures of genome-wide average nucleotide identity and aligned fraction, coupled with phylogenetic placement, indicate that many strains labeled as P. apium and Saccharibacter sp. are all the same species as Bombella apis. We propose reclassifying these strains as Bombella apis and outline the data supporting that classification below.

scholarly journals Saccharibacter floricola gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel osmophilic acetic acid bacterium isolated from pollen

2004 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 2263-2267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuko Jojima ◽  
Yasuhiro Mihara ◽  
Sonoko Suzuki ◽  
Kenzo Yokozeki ◽  
Shigeru Yamanaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acetic Acid ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Acetic Acid Bacteria ◽  
Cellular Fatty Acid ◽  
Acetic Acid Bacterium ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Bacterial Strains ◽  
Growth Properties ◽  
Novel Genus And Species ◽  
Straight Chain Acid

Three Gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterial strains were isolated, from the pollen of Japanese flowers, as producers of xylitol; these strains were subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequences demonstrated that these three isolates formed a new cluster within a group of acetic acid bacteria in the α-Proteobacteria. The characteristics of the three isolates were as follows: (i) their predominant quinone was Q-10; (ii) their cellular fatty acid profile contained major amounts of 2-hydroxy acids and an unsaturated straight-chain acid (C18 : 1 ω7c); and (iii) their DNA G+C contents were in the range 51·9–52·3 mol%, which is around the lower limit of the reported range for the genera of acetic acid bacteria. The negligible or very weak productivity of acetic acid from ethanol and the osmophilic growth properties distinguished these strains from other acetic acid bacteria. The unique phylogenetic and phenotypic characteristics suggest that the three isolates should be classified within a novel genus and species with the proposed name Saccharibacter floricola gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain is strain S-877T (=AJ 13480T=JCM 12116T=DSM 15669T).

scholarly journals Honey Bee Queens and Virus Infections

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmaeil Amiri ◽  
Micheline K. Strand ◽  
David R. Tarpy ◽  
Olav Rueppell
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Sublethal Effects ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
Virus Infections ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Honey Bee Queen ◽  
Honey Bee Queens ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
New Research ◽  
Paralysis Virus

The honey bee queen is the central hub of a colony to produce eggs and release pheromones to maintain social cohesion. Among many environmental stresses, viruses are a major concern to compromise the queen’s health and reproductive vigor. Viruses have evolved numerous strategies to infect queens either via vertical transmission from the queens’ parents or horizontally through the worker and drones with which she is in contact during development, while mating, and in the reproductive period in the colony. Over 30 viruses have been discovered from honey bees but only few studies exist on the pathogenicity and direct impact of viruses on the queen’s phenotype. An apparent lack of virus symptoms and practical problems are partly to blame for the lack of studies, and we hope to stimulate new research and methodological approaches. To illustrate the problems, we describe a study on sublethal effects of Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) that led to inconclusive results. We conclude by discussing the most crucial methodological considerations and novel approaches for studying the interactions between honey bee viruses and their interactions with queen health.

scholarly journals Introduction of Varroa destructor has not altered honey bee queen mating success in the Hawaiian archipelago

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren M. Rusert ◽  
Jeffrey S. Pettis ◽  
David R. Tarpy
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Hawaiian Islands ◽  
Mating Frequency ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Varroa Mites ◽  
Queen Bees ◽  
Honey Bee Queen ◽  
Honey Bee Queens

AbstractBeekeepers struggle to minimize the mortality of their colonies as a consequence of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor in order to maintain a sustainable managed pollinator population. However, little is known about how varroa mites might diminish local populations of honey bee males (drones) that might affect the mating success of queens. As one of the world’s last localities invaded by varroa mites, the Hawaiian Islands offer a unique opportunity to examine this question by comparing queens mated on mite-infested and mite-free islands. We raised queen bees on four Hawaiian Islands (Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i) and subsequently collected their offspring to determine queen mating frequency and insemination success. No significant difference for mating success was found between the islands with and without varroa mites, and relatively high levels of polyandry was detected overall. We also found a significant association between the number of sperm stored in the queens’ spermathecae and the number of managed colonies within the localities of the queens mated. Our findings suggest that varroa mites, as they currently occur in Hawai‘i, may not significantly reduce mating success of honey bee queens, which provides insight for both the reproductive biology of honey bees as well as the apiculture industry in Hawai‘i.

scholarly journals HRM Analysis of Spermathecal Contents to Determine the Origin of Drones that Inseminated Honey Bee Queens

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasin Kahya
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
High Resolution Melting ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Cytb Gene ◽  
Native Range ◽  
Specific Primer ◽  
Hrm Analysis ◽  
Honey Bee Queens

AbstractEurope, Africa and the Middle East have several original subspecies of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera L.), each with distinctive characteristics. These subspecies are the product of natural selection in their native range. Nevertheless, anthropogenic impacts such as migratory beekeeping and use of non-native queens result in an admixture of these subspecies and their ecotypes. I aimed to develop a SNP-based method to detect whether queen honey bees were mated with drones from foreign subspecies. For this purpose, Caucasian and Italian queens and drones were reared. Each queen was instrumentally inseminated with mixed semen collected from Caucasian (4 μl) and Italian drones (4 μl). The spermathecae of queens were dissected out after the onset of oviposition. The DNA was extracted from each spermatheca and from the thoraces of Caucasian and Italian drones. Seven regions on mtDNA that were isolated from drones were sequenced to determine the SNPs, enabling the discrimination of Caucasian sperm from Italian in spermathecal contents. Based on one SNP (11606. bp, T/C) residing on the Cytb gene, a specific primer was designed to be used in High Resolution Melting (HRM) analysis. HRM analysis indicated that heteroduplex peak profiles were present in all spermathecal contents of instrumentally inseminated queens. The results provide proof of the concept that the presence of likely non-native mitochondrial lineages can be detected by HRM analysis based on the SNP genotyping of spermathecal contents.

SHIPPING HONEY BEE QUEENS IN PACKAGE BEES WITH AND WITHOUT ATTENDANTS

1967 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Jay
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Southern United States ◽  
Honey Bee Queens

AbstractQueen losses were compared when caged queens with attendant worker bees and caged queens without attendants were used in packages of honey bees being shipped from the southern United States to Canada. When the colonies were hived there was no difference in queen losses in the two treatments.

scholarly journals Regulation of oogenesis in the queen honey bee (Apis mellifera)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E Aamidor ◽  
Carlos Júnior Cardoso ◽  
Januar Harianto ◽  
Cameron J Nowell ◽  
Louise Cole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Regulatory Pathways ◽  
Cell Death Pathways ◽  
Summary Statement ◽  
Honey Bee Queen ◽  
Honey Bee Queens ◽  
Worker Castes ◽  
Honey Bee Workers ◽  
Solitary Species

AbstractIn the honey bee (Apis mellifera), queen and worker castes originate from identical genetic templates but develop into different phenotypes. Queens lay up to 2,000 eggs daily whereas workers are sterile in the queen’s presence. Periodically queens stop laying; during swarming, when resources are scarce in winter and when they are confined to a cage by beekeepers. We used confocal microscopy and gene expression assays to investigate the control of oogenesis in honey bee queen ovaries. We show that queens use different combination of ‘checkpoints’ to regulate oogenesis compared to honey bee workers and other insect species. However, both queen and worker castes use the same programmed cell death pathways to terminate oocyte development at their caste-specific checkpoints. Our results also suggest that the termination of oogenesis in queens is driven by nutritional stress. Thus, queens may regulate oogenesis via the same regulatory pathways that were utilised by ancestral solitary species but have adjusted physiological checkpoints to suit their highly-derived life history.Summary statementHoney bee queens regulate oogenesis using a different combination of ‘checkpoints’ to workers, but both castes use the same molecular pathways.

scholarly journals Characterization of Native Honey Bee Subspecies in Republic of Benin Using Morphometric and Genetic Tools

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-60
Author(s):  
Felicien Amakpe ◽  
Lina De Smet ◽  
Marleen Brunain ◽  
Frans J. Jacobs ◽  
Brice Sinsin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
West African ◽  
Sequence Analyses ◽  
The North ◽  
African Honey Bees ◽  
Republic Of Benin ◽  
The Republic

Abstract Morphometric characteristics combined with genetic markers are powerful tools used for determining honey bee subspecies. Bees samples collected from 94 established apiaries distributed throughout all of the Republic of Benin were morphometricaly characterized using seven parameters and the COI-COII regions of mitochondrial DNA were sequenced. Based on the morphometric data the native honey bees could be divided into three distinct ecotypes - the Benino-dry-tropical-ecotype in the north, the Benino-Sudanian-ecotype in the central part and the Benino-Sudano-Guinean-ecotype in the south. The DNA COI-COII regions sequence analyses confirmed that the honey bee population of the Republic of Benin belongs to different mitotypes but do not correspond with the determined ecotypes. We could determine three new haplotypes which missed the P0 segment but the Q region was duplicated or triplicated. Phylogenetic analyses clustered them together in the A evolutionary lineage. In conclusion, morphometric and genetic analysis of the native West African honey bees indicated that each of the different mitotypes was able to adapt to the different ecological conditions in the country by morphometric adjustments.

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