Abstract
The mite Varroa destructor is currently the greatest threat to apiculture as it is causing a global decrease in honey bee colonies. However, it rarely causes serious damage to its native hosts, the eastern honey bees Apis cerana. To better understand the mechanism of resistance of A. cerana against the V. destructor mite, we profiled the metabolic changes that occur in the honey bee brain during V. destructor infestation. Brain samples were collected from infested and control honey bees and then measured using an untargeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based global metabolomics method, in which 7918 and 7462 ions in ESI+ and ESI- mode, respectively, were successfully identified. Multivariate statistical analyses were applied, and 64 dysregulated metabolites, including fatty acids, amino acids, carboxylic acid, and phospholipids, amongst others, were identified. Pathway analysis further revealed that linoleic acid metabolism; propanoate metabolism; and glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism were acutely perturbed. The data obtained in this study offer insight into the defense mechanisms of A. cerana against V. destructor mites and provide a better method for understanding the synergistic effects of parasitism on honey bee colonies.
Highlights
Honey bees provide pollination services to a diverse array of agricultural crop plants, which is a highly valued resource around the world [1]
Mite resistance is considered a typical trait of eastern honey bees, and grooming is an important mechanism of protection against mite invasion
After removing low-quality ions (relative standard deviation (RSD) > 30%), we identified 7918 and 7462 ions in each sample analyzed in electrospray ionization (ESI)+ or ESI- mode, respectively
Summary
Honey bees provide pollination services to a diverse array of agricultural crop plants, which is a highly valued resource around the world [1]. The recent sharp decline in honey bee populations has caused a global crisis as the honey bee supply cannot keep up with the increase in agricultural demands [2]. Possible causes of the declines include exposure to certain pesticides, diseases, parasites, and even environmental deterioration [3]. The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor—originally confined to the eastern honey bee, Apis cerana—has become the most detrimental parasite of the western honey bee, Apis mellifera, and currently is considered as the major threat to apiculture [2].
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