Поліморфізм ділянки СоІІ медоносних бджіл західних регіонів України

Abstract

Due to active human intervention in natural genetic and population processes, survival and distribution areas of honey bees have been negatively affected. Preservation of the gene pool of aboriginal bees that are well adapted to local environmental conditions is an urgent problem that cannot be solved without the use of molecular methods to monitor the genetic composition of local populations. This type of research requires the use of state-of-the-art approaches based on application of molecular markers. In the molecular taxonomy of insects, mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase genes are widely used to identify closely related forms. The peculiarity of mtDNA is that it is maternally inherited, and the mitochondrial molecular markers are not separated by recombination. The СоІІ gene encoding the second subunit of cytochrome oxidase is widely used to descriminate the subspecies of honey bee. Therefore, to assess the distribution of different subspecies / breeds of Apis mellifera in Ukraine, the 5′-region of the СоІІ gene was sequenced and compared for bees from different geographical regions. In the CoII gene, base substitutions were found, which makes it possible to distinguish between honey bees of the Carpathian and Ukrainian steppe breeds, which are widespread in Ukraine. It has been revealed that the distribution of these breeds does not always correspond to the official zoning. The widespread practice in Ukraine of transporting the genetic material of Apis mellifera from different regions leads to uncontrolled hybridization and poses a threat to the preservation of aboriginal breeds of honey bees.