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Bilodeau, Lelania, and Lorraine Beaman. “Differential Expression of Three Dopamine Receptors in Varroa-Resistant Honey Bees.” Journal of Insect Science, edited by Yoonseong Park, vol. 22, no. 1, Jan. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieab109.
Some groups of honeybees show resistance to varroa mites. Varroa mites are a group of parasites that target larval honey bees and cause abnormal development. They can cause honeybees to develop wings that do not function, pass viruses to bees, and overall cause harm to bees and shorten their lifespans. Since previous studies have indicated that dopamine receptors play a role in this resistance, in this paper, researchers Lelania Bilodeau and Lorraine Beaman investigated how many groups of larval honeybees – some mite resistant and some not – expressed certain dopamine receptors before and after they were exposed to varroa mites.
Previous research has concluded that a behavior called varroa-sensitive hygiene correlates with low mite infestation in colonies. This is a behavior in which bees ensure mite reproduction and infection in the colony stays low by removing infected bees from the colony. While it is known that this behavior is genetic, researchers seek to understand how gene expression relates to this behavior. Bilodeau and Beaman hypothesized that since dopamine receptors relate to mite resistance, they could be used to create honey bees that can resist infection by varroa mites. It is essential to understand this so that more varroa resistant bees can be bred, helping the survival of the species, which is important to agriculture and diversity in ecosystems that the honey bee pollinates. Since dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with memory, motivation, and reinforcing events through pleasure, it is suspected that this chemical may enforce the hygienic behavior that cleanses colonies of mites.
In this study, researchers used bees of the species Apis mellifera (western honey bee) at various ages from two lines: a line that was bred to have low mite infestation (the Pol-line) and a natural one that had higher infestation (Italian line). Researchers measured the expression of three dopamine receptors before the stocks were exposed to mites and after.
In both lines, the genes for the dopamine receptors were expressed more after the exposure, except for in a few bees in the Italian line. This change indicates that these dopamine receptors influence mite resistance and should be further studied.
Works Cited
Sources: “Varroa Mites.” Bee Aware, Plant Health Australia, 3 Apr. 2023, https://beeaware.org.au/archive-pest/varroa-mites/#ad-image-0.
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