Abstract
The Asian honeybee Apis cerana is one of two bee species that have been commercially kept with immense economic value. Here we present the analysis of genomic sequence and transcriptomic exploration for A. cerana as well as the comparative genomic analysis of the Asian honeybee and the European honeybee A. mellifera. The genome and RNA-seq data yield new insights into the behavioral and physiological resistance to the parasitic mite Varroa the evolution of antimicrobial peptides, and the genetic basis for labor division in A. cerana. Comparison of genes between the two sister species revealed genes specific to A. cerana, 54.5% of which have no homology to any known proteins. The observation that A. cerana displayed significantly more vigilant grooming behaviors to the presence of Varroa than A. mellifera in conjunction with gene expression analysis suggests that parasite-defensive grooming in A. cerana is likely triggered not only by exogenous stimuli through visual and olfactory detection of the parasite, but also by genetically endogenous processes that periodically activates a bout of grooming to remove the ectoparasite. This information provides a valuable platform to facilitate the traits unique to A. cerana as well as those shared with other social bees for health improvement.
Highlights
Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of the Asian honeybee Apis cerana provides novel insights into honeybee biology
We present a high-quality genome sequence for the Asian honeybee A. cerana which constitutes an important resource for further molecular studies of honeybees and other social insects
Our comparative genomic analysis of A. cerana and A. mellifera deepens our understanding of the relationship between genes, behavior, and genetic adaptations of honeybees and reveals many species-specific genes that are potentially related to specialized biological functions and life history of A. cerana
Summary
Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of the Asian honeybee Apis cerana provides novel insights into honeybee biology. The Asian honeybee Apis cerana is one of two bee species that have been commercially kept with immense economic value. The observation that A. cerana displayed significantly more vigilant grooming behaviors to the presence of Varroa than A. mellifera in conjunction with gene expression analysis suggests that parasite-defensive grooming in A. cerana is likely triggered by exogenous stimuli through visual and olfactory detection of the parasite, and by genetically endogenous processes that periodically activates a bout of grooming to remove the ectoparasite This information provides a valuable platform to facilitate the traits unique to A. cerana as well as those shared with other social bees for health improvement. A. cerana has several distinct biological characteristics when compared with A. mellifera
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