PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
The health of honey bee queens is crucial for colony success, particularly during stressful periods like overwintering. To accompany a previous longitudinal study of colony and worker health, we explored niche-specific gut microbiota, host gene expression, and pathogen prevalence in honey bee queens overwintering in a warm southern climate. We found differential gene expression and bacterial abundance with respect to various pathogens throughout the season. Biologically older queens had larger microbiotas, particularly enriched in Bombella and Bifidobacterium. Both Deformed Wing Virus A and B subtypes were highest in the fat body tissue in January, correlating with colony Varroa levels, and Deformed Wing Virus titers in workers. High viral titers in queens were associated with decreased vitellogenin expression, suggesting a potential trade-off between immune function and reproductive capacity. Additionally, we found a complex and dynamic relationship between these viral loads and immune gene expression, indicating a possible breakdown in the coordinated immune response as the season progressed. Our study also revealed a potential link between Nosema and Melissococcus plutonius infections in queens, demonstrating that seasonal opportunism is not confined to just workers. Overall, our findings highlight the intricate interplay between pathogens, metabolic state, and immune response in honey bee queens. Combined with worker and colony-level metrics from the same colonies, our findings illustrate the social aspect of queen health and resilience over the winter dearth.
摘要：
蜜蜂女王的健康对蜂群的成功至关重要，特别是在越冬等紧张时期。伴随着先前对殖民地和工人健康的纵向研究，我们探索了生态位特定的肠道微生物群，宿主基因表达，在温暖的南部气候中越冬的蜜蜂女王和病原体的流行。我们发现整个季节中各种病原体的差异基因表达和细菌丰度。生物学上年龄较大的女王有更大的微生物，特别富含Bombella和双歧杆菌。在1月份的脂肪体组织中，畸形机翼病毒A和B亚型均最高，与蜂群Varroa水平相关，和工人中变形的机翼病毒滴度。皇后区的高病毒滴度与卵黄蛋白原表达降低有关，提示免疫功能和生殖能力之间的潜在权衡。此外,我们发现这些病毒载量与免疫基因表达之间存在复杂而动态的关系，表明随着季节的发展，协调的免疫反应可能会崩溃。我们的研究还揭示了皇后中Nosema和melissococcusplutonius感染之间的潜在联系，证明季节性机会主义不仅限于工人。总的来说,我们的发现强调了病原体之间复杂的相互作用，代谢状态，和蜜蜂皇后的免疫反应。结合来自同一殖民地的工人和殖民地级别的指标，我们的发现说明了女王在冬季缺乏健康和韧性的社会方面。
