Cabrera Ana R, Shirk Paul D, Teal Peter E A, Grozinger Christina M, Evans Jay D
University of Florida, Entomology and Nematology Department, Gainesville, Florida.
Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. 2014 Feb;85(2):61-75. doi: 10.1002/arch.21143. Epub 2013 Dec 23.
When a female varroa mite, Varroa destructor (Anderson & Trueman), invades a honey bee brood cell, the physiology rapidly changes from feeding phoretic to reproductive. Changes in foraging and malvolio transcript levels in the brain have been associated with modulated intra-specific food searching behaviors in insects and other invertebrates. Transcription profiles for both genes were examined during and immediately following brood cell invasion to assess their role as potential control elements. Vdfor and Vdmvl transcripts were found in all organs of varroa mites with the highest Vdfor transcript levels in ovary-lyrate organs and the highest Vdmvl in Malpighian tubules. Changes in transcript levels of Vdfor and Vdmvl in synganglia were not associated with the cell invasion process, remaining comparable between early reproductive mites (collected from the pre-capping brood cells) and phoretic mites. However, Vdfor and Vdmvl transcript levels were lowered by 37 and 53%, respectively, in synganglia from reproductive mites compared to early reproductive mites, but not significantly different to levels in synganglia from phoretic mites. On the other hand, in whole body preparations the Vdfor and Vdmvl had significantly higher levels of transcript in reproductive mites compared to phoretic and early reproductive, mainly due to the presence of both transcripts accumulating in the eggs carried by the ovipositing mite. Varroa mites are a critical component for honey bee population decline and finding varroa mite genes associated with brood cell invasion, reproduction, ion balance and other physiological processes will facilitate development of novel control avenues for this honey bee parasite.
当雌性狄斯瓦螨（Varroa destructor，安德森和特鲁曼命名）侵入蜜蜂的巢房时，其生理状态会迅速从营寄生摄食转变为生殖状态。昆虫和其他无脊椎动物大脑中觅食和malvolio转录水平的变化与种内食物搜索行为的调节有关。在巢房入侵期间及入侵后立即检测这两个基因的转录谱，以评估它们作为潜在控制元件的作用。在狄斯瓦螨的所有器官中都发现了Vdfor和Vdmvl转录本，卵巢溶解器官中Vdfor转录本水平最高，马氏管中Vdmvl转录本水平最高。神经节中Vdfor和Vdmvl转录水平的变化与细胞入侵过程无关，在早期生殖螨（从封盖前的巢房中采集）和营寄生螨之间保持相当。然而，与早期生殖螨相比，生殖螨神经节中的Vdfor和Vdmvl转录水平分别降低了37%和53%，但与营寄生螨神经节中的水平没有显著差异。另一方面，在全身样本中，与营寄生螨和早期生殖螨相比，生殖螨中的Vdfor和Vdmvl转录水平显著更高，这主要是因为产卵螨携带的卵中积累了这两种转录本。狄斯瓦螨是蜜蜂种群数量下降的关键因素，找到与巢房入侵、繁殖、离子平衡和其他生理过程相关的狄斯瓦螨基因将有助于开发针对这种蜜蜂寄生虫的新型控制途径。
