Genetic and behavioural basis of disease resistance in honey bees(Apis mellifera)

蜜蜂抗病性的遗传和行为基础（Apis mellifera）

• 批准号: 326962-2011
• 负责人: Guzman, Ernesto
• 金额: $ 1.75万
• 依托单位: University of Guelph
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=548936
• 关键词: Genetic; behavioural; basis; disease; resistance

The aim of this project will be to study fundamental aspects of the genetic and behavioural mechanisms that confer resistance to disease in honey bees (Apis mellifera). The honey bee is a good model organism for this type of study because of the large number of individuals in their colonies, their well-known division of labour, the existence of technology to manipulate their environment, and also because their genome has been sequenced. Behavioural and immune responses of honey bees to parasites will be examined. At the behavioural level, we will test the hypothesis that pathogens inhibit the expression of behaviours that confer resistance. At the molecular level, we will test the hypothesis that pathogens may activate or suppress specific innate defenses in the bees, depending on the nature of the pathogen as well as on the host genotype. We will also test the effect of potential immune inducing substances (activators) on the defense responses of individuals. The scientific approach will be to measure the expression of candidate genes associated to stress and immunity in honey bees of European and African origin (Africanized bees are presumably more resistant than European bees to parasites and diseases) exposed to parasites such as the mite Varroa destructor and the fungus Nosema ceranae. Behavioural assays will be used to assess grooming and hygienic behaviour in individual bees of the above genotypes that had been challenged with parasites. It is expected that this research will provide new insights into resistance and natural defenses of animals to pathogens. On the practical side, results of this project could shed light to better understand the collapse and death of more than one third of honey bee colonies in North America during each of the past three years, termed Colony Collapse Disorder. This unprecedented loss of colonies has endangered the continuous supply of honey bees as pollinators of flowering plants, which has strong economic implications.

该项目的目的是研究赋予蜜蜂抗病能力的遗传和行为机制的基本方面。蜜蜂是这类研究的一个很好的模式生物，因为它们的群体中有大量的个体，它们众所周知的劳动分工，存在操纵环境的技术，也因为它们的基因组已经被测序。将研究蜜蜂对寄生虫的行为和免疫反应。在行为层面，我们将检验病原体抑制赋予耐药性的行为表达的假设。在分子水平上，我们将测试病原体可能激活或抑制蜜蜂特定的先天防御的假设，这取决于病原体的性质以及宿主的基因型。我们还将测试潜在的免疫诱导物质（激活剂）对个体防御反应的影响。科学的方法将是测量欧洲和非洲血统的蜜蜂（非洲化的蜜蜂可能比欧洲蜜蜂对寄生虫和疾病更有抵抗力）暴露于寄生虫（如螨瓦roa destructor和真菌Nosema ceranae）时与压力和免疫相关的候选基因的表达。行为分析将用于评估上述基因型蜜蜂的梳理和卫生行为，这些蜜蜂受到寄生虫的挑战。期望这项研究将为动物对病原体的抗性和自然防御提供新的见解。从实际的角度来看，这个项目的结果可以帮助我们更好地理解在过去的三年中，北美每年有超过三分之一的蜂群崩溃和死亡，这种现象被称为蜂群崩溃失调。这种前所未有的蜂群损失已经危及到作为开花植物传粉者的蜜蜂的持续供应，这具有很强的经济意义。