%0 Journal Article
%T Correlation of proteome-wide changes with social immunity behaviors provides insight into resistance to the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, in the honey bee (Apis mellifera)
%A Robert Parker
%A M Marta Guarna
%A Andony P Melathopoulos
%A Kyung-Mee Moon
%A Rick White
%A Elizabeth Huxter
%A Stephen F Pernal
%A Leonard J Foster
%J Genome Biology
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/gb-2012-13-9-r81
%X We sampled a large cohort of commercial queen lineages, recording overall mite infestation, hygiene, and the specific hygienic response to V. destructor. We performed proteome-wide correlation analyses in larval integument and adult antennae, identifying several proteins highly predictive of behavior and reduced hive infestation. In the larva, response to wounding was identified as a key adaptive process leading to reduced infestation, and chitin biosynthesis and immune responses appear to represent important disease resistant adaptations. The speed of hygienic behavior may be underpinned by changes in the antenna proteome, and chemosensory and neurological processes could also provide specificity for detection of V. destructor in antennae.Our results provide, for the first time, some insight into how complex behavioural adaptations manifest in the proteome of honey bees. The most important biochemical correlations provide clues as to the underlying molecular mechanisms of social and innate immunity of honey bees. Such changes are indicative of potential divergence in processes controlling the hive-worker maturation.Social insects such as the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) derive great benefit from living in tight-knit groups that enable greater efficiencies in brood care, foraging and defense against predation. However, the high population densities and relatedness of individuals leave colonies susceptible to emerging infectious diseases [1]. Varroa destructor, an ectoparasitic mite of the honey bee [2] causes varroasis, which is a leading contributor to ongoing colony losses in commercial apiculture worldwide [3]. V. destructor feeds on the hemolymph of larval and adult bees, inflicting nutritional stress and immune suppression, as well as acting as a major vector for viral pathogen transmission [4].In solitary insects, cellular or humoral-based defenses provide the only known system for immunity, but A. mellifera's genome reveals that while honey bees contain thes
%K Honey bee
%K Proteomics
%K Social immunity
%K Hygienic behavior
%K Varroa sensitive hygiene
%U http://genomebiology.com/2012/13/9/R81