Morfin Nuria, Goodwin Paul H, Guzman-Novoa Ernesto, Legge Nicole, Longstaffe James
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
The British Columbia Technology Transfer Program, British Columbia Honey Producers' Association, P.O. Box 5594, Station B, Victoria, BC V8R 6S4, Canada.
Insects. 2024 Jul 30;15(8):578. doi: 10.3390/insects15080578.
Honey bees () provide a useful model for studying aging because of the differences in longevity between the relatively short-lived summer and long-lived winter bees, as well as bees lacking signs of cognitive senescence as they age. Bee brains were dissected from newly emerged, 14-day-, and 28-day- old bees in mid- and late summer, as well as brood nest bees in fall, winter, and spring, before, during, and after overwintering, respectively. Brains were examined with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to analyze their metabolome. Nine variable importance in projection (VIP) variables were identified, primarily amino acids and choline derivatives. Differences in metabolite concentrations were found with different ages of summer bees, mostly between newly emerged and 14-day- old bees, such as a decrease in phenylalanine and an increase in β-alanine, but there were also changes in older adults, such as o-phosphocholine that declined in 28-day- old bees. Differences in brood nest bees were observed, including a decline in tryptophan and an increase in β-alanine. These may provide distinct metabolomic signatures with age and season. Such research holds promise for a better understanding of the complex interplays between bee physiology, development, and aging, which has implications for improving bee health and management.
蜜蜂（）为研究衰老提供了一个有用的模型，因为相对短命的夏季蜜蜂和长寿的冬季蜜蜂在寿命上存在差异，而且蜜蜂随着年龄增长没有认知衰老的迹象。分别在夏末和秋末、冬季、春季的育雏巢中，在越冬前、越冬期间和越冬后，从新羽化的、14日龄和28日龄的蜜蜂身上解剖出大脑。用核磁共振（NMR）光谱检查大脑以分析其代谢组。确定了9个投影变量重要性（VIP）变量，主要是氨基酸和胆碱衍生物。在夏季不同年龄的蜜蜂中发现了代谢物浓度的差异，主要是在新羽化的蜜蜂和14日龄的蜜蜂之间，如苯丙氨酸减少和β-丙氨酸增加，但在年长的蜜蜂中也有变化，如28日龄蜜蜂中的邻磷酸胆碱下降。观察到育雏巢蜜蜂存在差异，包括色氨酸减少和β-丙氨酸增加。这些可能随着年龄和季节提供独特的代谢组特征。此类研究有望更好地理解蜜蜂生理、发育和衰老之间的复杂相互作用，这对改善蜜蜂健康和管理具有重要意义。
