Dataset Information

Modification of the head proteome of nurse honeybees (Apis mellifera) exposed to field-relevant doses of pesticides.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the effect of pesticides on the survival of honeybee colonies is important because these pollinators are reportedly declining globally. In the present study, we examined the changes in the head proteome of nurse honeybees exposed to individual and combined pesticides (the fungicide pyraclostrobin and the insecticide fipronil) at field-relevant doses (850 and 2.5 ppb, respectively). The head proteomes of bees exposed to pesticides were compared with those of bees that were not exposed, and proteins with differences in expression were identified by mass spectrometry. The exposure of nurse bees to pesticides reduced the expression of four of the major royal jelly proteins (MRJP1, MRJP2, MRJP4, and MRJP5) and also several proteins associated with carbohydrate metabolism and energy synthesis, the antioxidant system, detoxification, biosynthesis, amino acid metabolism, transcription and translation, protein folding and binding, olfaction, and learning and memory. Overall, when pyraclostrobin and fipronil were combined, the changes in protein expression were exacerbated. Our results demonstrate that vital proteins and metabolic processes are impaired in nurse honeybees exposed to pesticides in doses close to those experienced by these insects in the field, increasing their susceptibility to stressors and affecting the nutrition and maintenance of both managed and natural colonies.

SUBMITTER: Zaluski R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7010795 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Modification of the head proteome of nurse honeybees (Apis mellifera) exposed to field-relevant doses of pesticides.

Zaluski Rodrigo R Bittarello Alis Correia AC Vieira José Cavalcante Souza JCS Braga Camila Pereira CP Padilha Pedro de Magalhaes PM Fernandes Mileni da Silva MDS Bovi Thaís de Souza TS Orsi Ricardo de Oliveira RO

Scientific reports 20200210 1

Understanding the effect of pesticides on the survival of honeybee colonies is important because these pollinators are reportedly declining globally. In the present study, we examined the changes in the head proteome of nurse honeybees exposed to individual and combined pesticides (the fungicide pyraclostrobin and the insecticide fipronil) at field-relevant doses (850 and 2.5 ppb, respectively). The head proteomes of bees exposed to pesticides were compared with those of bees that were not expos ...[more]

PMID: 32042077

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Project description:BackgroundThe honeybee (Apis mellifera) represents a model organism for social insects displaying behavioral plasticity. This is reflected by an age-dependent task allocation. The most protruding tasks are performed by young nurse bees and older forager bees that take care of the brood inside the hive and collect food from outside the hive, respectively. The molecular mechanism leading to the transition from nurse bees to foragers is currently under intense research. Circular RNAs, however, were not considered in this context so far. As of today, this group of non-coding RNAs was only known to exist in two other insects, Drosophila melanogaster and Bombyx mori. Here we complement the state of circular RNA research with the first characterization in a social insect.ResultsWe identified numerous circular RNAs in the brain of A. mellifera nurse bees and forager bees using RNA-Seq with exonuclease enrichment. Presence and circularity were verified for the most abundant representatives. Back-splicing in honeybee occurs further towards the end of transcripts and in transcripts with a high number of exons. The occurrence of circularized exons is correlated with length and CpG-content of their flanking introns. The latter coincides with increased DNA-methylation in the respective loci. For two prominent circular RNAs the abundance in worker bee brains was quantified in TaqMan assays. In line with previous findings of circular RNAs in Drosophila, circAmrsmep2 accumulates with increasing age of the insect. In contrast, the levels of circAmrad appear age-independent and correlate with the bee's task. Its parental gene is related to amnesia-resistant memory.ConclusionsWe provide the first characterization of circRNAs in a social insect. Many of the RNAs identified here show homologies to circular RNAs found in Drosophila and Bombyx, indicating that circular RNAs are a common feature among insects. We find that exon circularization is correlated to DNA-methylation at the flanking introns. The levels of circAmrad suggest a task-dependent abundance that is decoupled from age. Moreover, a GO term analysis shows an enrichment of task-related functions. We conclude that circular RNAs could be relevant for task allocation in honeybee and should be investigated further in this context.

Dataset Information

Modification of the head proteome of nurse honeybees (Apis mellifera) exposed to field-relevant doses of pesticides.

Publications

Modification of the head proteome of nurse honeybees (Apis mellifera) exposed to field-relevant doses of pesticides.

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