Research Unit of Epidemiology and Risk analysis applied to Veterinary sciences (UREAR-ULiège), Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health (FARAH) Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Faculty of Sciences, Laboratory of Molecular Entomology and Bee Pathology, Ghent University (UGent), Ghent, Belgium.
PLoS One. 2024 Jun 26;19(6):e0302183. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302183. eCollection 2024.
While studies on the sublethal effects of chemical residues in beeswax on adult honey bees are increasing, the study protocols assessing the impacts on honey bee brood in realistic conditions still need to be investigated. Moreover, little is known about the residue's effect on gene expression in honey bee brood. This study reports the effects of chlorpyriphos-ethyl, acrinathrin and stearin worker pupae exposure through contaminated or adulterated beeswax on the gene expression of some key health indicators, using a novel in vivo realistic model. Larvae were reared in acrinathrin (12.5, 25, 10 and 100 ppb) and chlorpyriphos-ethyl (5, 10, 500 and 5000 ppb) contaminated or stearin adulterated beeswax (3, 4, 5, 6 and 9%) in newly formed colonies to reduce the influence of external factors. On day 11, mortality rates were assessed. Honey bee pupae were extracted from the comb after 19 days of rearing and were analysed for the gene expression profile of four genes involved in the immune response to pathogens and environmental stress factors (Imd, dorsal, domeless and defensin), and two genes involved in detoxifications mechanisms (CYP6AS14 and CYP9Q3). We found no linear relation between the increase in the pesticide concentrations and the brood mortality rates, unlike stearin where an increase in stearin percentage led to an exponential increase in brood mortality. The immune system of pupae raised in acrinathrin contaminated wax was triggered and the expression of CYP6AS14 was significantly upregulated (exposure to 12.5 and 25 ppb). Almost all expression levels of the tested immune and detoxification genes were down-regulated when pupae were exposed to chlorpyrifos-contaminated wax. The exposure to stearin triggered the immune system and detoxification system of the pupae. The identification of substance-specific response factors might ultimately serve to identify molecules that are safer for bees and the ecosystem's health.
虽然关于蜜蜂蜡中化学残留物对成年蜜蜂的亚致死效应的研究越来越多，但仍需要研究评估这些残留物对现实条件下蜜蜂幼虫的影响的研究方案。此外，人们对这些残留物对蜜蜂幼虫基因表达的影响知之甚少。本研究报告了通过受污染或掺假的蜜蜂蜡使氯吡硫磷-乙基、丙烯硫菌灵和硬脂酸蛹暴露于某些关键健康指标基因表达的影响，使用一种新的体内现实模型。幼虫在丙烯硫菌灵（12.5、25、10 和 100 ppb）和氯吡硫磷-乙基（5、10、500 和 5000 ppb）污染或硬脂酸掺假的蜜蜂蜡（3、4、5、6 和 9%）中饲养，以减少外部因素的影响。在第 11 天，评估死亡率。在饲养 19 天后，从蜂巢中提取蜜蜂蛹，并分析参与病原体和环境应激因子免疫反应的四个基因（Imd、dorsal、domeless 和 defensin）和两个参与解毒机制的基因（CYP6AS14 和 CYP9Q3）的基因表达谱。我们发现，杀虫剂浓度的增加与幼虫死亡率之间没有线性关系，而硬脂酸的情况则相反，硬脂酸百分比的增加导致幼虫死亡率呈指数级增加。在丙烯硫菌灵污染的蜡中饲养的蛹的免疫系统被触发，CYP6AS14 的表达显著上调（暴露于 12.5 和 25 ppb）。当蛹暴露于含氯吡硫磷的蜡中时，几乎所有测试的免疫和解毒基因的表达水平都下调。硬脂酸的暴露触发了蛹的免疫系统和解毒系统。鉴定特定物质的反应因子最终可能有助于识别对蜜蜂和生态系统健康更安全的分子。
