Forager bees (Apis mellifera) highly express immune and detoxification genes in tissues associated with nectar processing.
Forager bees (Apis mellifera) highly express immune and detoxification genes in tissues associated with nectar processing.
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DOI：
10.1038/srep16224
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发表时间：
2015-11-09
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Johnson BR
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Vannette RL;Mohamed A;Johnson BR
传粉者，包括蜜蜂，在觅食过程中经常遇到潜在的有害微生物和植物化学物质。然而，蜜蜂管理这些潜在威胁的机制却鲜为人知。在这项研究中，我们利用组织特异性RNA-seq和qPCR检测了抗菌、免疫和解毒基因在意大利蜜蜂中的表达，并比较了觅食蜜蜂和哺乳蜜蜂之间的差异。我们的分析揭示了抗菌、免疫信号和解毒基因的广泛组织特异性表达。在下颌腺和下咽腺(HPG)中，工蚁不同阶段的基因表达差异明显，觅食者富含编码抗菌肽(AMPs)和免疫反应的转录本。此外，觅食者HPG和下颌腺富含解毒酶编码的转录本，包括一些与异种代谢相关的转录本。在一个独立的数据集上使用qPCR，我们验证了三个AMP和三个P450基因在觅食者和护士之间的差异表达。AMP基因在花蜜加工组织中的高表达表明，这些多肽可能有助于蜂蜜的抗菌特性或蜜蜂对环境获得的微生物的防御。综上所述，这些结果表明，工作者的角色和AMP的组织特异性表达，以及免疫和解毒酶可能有助于防御在觅食过程中获得的微生物和外来化合物。
Pollinators, including honey bees, routinely encounter potentially harmful microorganisms and phytochemicals during foraging. However, the mechanisms by which honey bees manage these potential threats are poorly understood. In this study, we examine the expression of antimicrobial, immune and detoxification genes in Apis mellifera and compare between forager and nurse bees using tissue-specific RNA-seq and qPCR. Our analysis revealed extensive tissue-specific expression of antimicrobial, immune signaling, and detoxification genes. Variation in gene expression between worker stages was pronounced in the mandibular and hypopharyngeal gland (HPG), where foragers were enriched in transcripts that encode antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and immune response. Additionally, forager HPGs and mandibular glands were enriched in transcripts encoding detoxification enzymes, including some associated with xenobiotic metabolism. Using qPCR on an independent dataset, we verified differential expression of three AMP and three P450 genes between foragers and nurses. High expression of AMP genes in nectar-processing tissues suggests that these peptides may contribute to antimicrobial properties of honey or to honey bee defense against environmentally-acquired microorganisms. Together, these results suggest that worker role and tissue-specific expression of AMPs, and immune and detoxification enzymes may contribute to defense against microorganisms and xenobiotic compounds acquired while foraging.