Colony-Level Immunity Benefits and Behavioral Mechanisms of Resin Collection by Honey Bees

蜜蜂采集树脂的群体水平免疫益处和行为机制

• 批准号: 0717530
• 负责人: Marla Spivak
• 金额: $ 37.14万
• 依托单位: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-08-01 至 2012-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0717530&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Colony; Level; Immunity; Benefits; Behavioral

Abstract PI Spivak Proposal # IOS-0717530Colony-level immunity Benefits and Behavioral Mechanisms of Resin Collection by Honey BeesThis proposal aims to determine if resins, complex plant secretions with diverse antimicrobial properties, provide a colony-level immune defense against pathogens in honey bee colonies. Bees harvest resin (or propolis) for use as caulk within the nest cavity. To test the hypothesis that plant resins play an integral role in honey bee immunity, product levels of seven immune-related genes and the presence of key pathogens will be compared in honey bees collected from resin-rich and resin-poor colonies. It is expected that the immune system in bees from resin-rich colonies will be relatively down-regulated, as indicated by lower immune-related gene transcript levels and lower microbe levels, suggesting that the presence of resin and lack of microbes causes the bees to invest less in the production of immune proteins that are energetically costly. Colonies also will be tested to determine if they collect more resin in response to pathogen challenge, which would indicate that the bees are self-medicating. Additionally, the stimuli that initiate and regulate resin collection at the individual and colony levels will be ascertained by observing the frequency of recruitment signals (bee dances and trembling) by individual resin foragers from high- and low-resin collecting colonies. This research will exploit the recently sequenced honey bee genome, which has provided new gene candidates for immunity and techniques for assessing the activity levels of gene products. Harvesting resin, which ultimately benefits the collective immune system of social individuals, is a fascinating example of environmental effects on innate immunity. An applied goal is to promote the natural defenses of honey bees, the world's most important pollinators of native and agro-ecosystems, and the economic health of the beekeeping industry. The experiments will actively engage graduate and undergraduate students in research that spans disciplines from beekeeping to molecular genetics.

摘要 PI Spivak 提案 # IOS-0717530 蜂群水平免疫的好处和蜜蜂收集树脂的行为机制该提案旨在确定树脂（具有多种抗菌特性的复杂植物分泌物）是否能够提供针对蜂群病原体的蜂群水平免疫防御。蜜蜂收获树脂（或蜂胶）用作巢腔内的填缝剂。为了检验植物树脂在蜜蜂免疫中发挥不可或缺的作用的假设，将从富含树脂和缺乏树脂的蜂群中收集的蜜蜂中，对七种免疫相关基因的产物水平和关键病原体的存在进行比较。 预计来自富含树脂的蜂群的蜜蜂的免疫系统将相对下调，免疫相关基因转录水平较低和微生物水平较低表明，树脂的存在和微生物的缺乏导致蜜蜂在能量成本较高的免疫蛋白的生产上投入较少。 还将对蜂群进行测试，以确定它们是否会收集更多树脂来应对病原体的挑战，这表明蜜蜂正在自我治疗。此外，通过观察来自高树脂和低树脂收集群体的个体树脂采集者的招募信号（蜜蜂舞蹈和颤抖）的频率，可以确定在个体和群体水平上启动和调节树脂收集的刺激。 这项研究将利用最近测序的蜜蜂基因组，该基因组为免疫提供了新的候选基因以及评估基因产物活性水平的技术。收获树脂最终有利于社会个体的集体免疫系统，是环境对先天免疫影响的一个有趣的例子。 应用目标是促进蜜蜂（世界上最重要的本地和农业生态系统授粉者）的自然防御以及养蜂业的经济健康。这些实验将积极吸引研究生和本科生参与从养蜂业到分子遗传学等多个学科的研究。