Chang Zih-Ting, Huang Yu-Feng, Chen Tzu-Han, Chen Li-Hung, Ko Chung-Yu, Nai Yu-Shin, Chen Yue-Wen
Department of Biotechnology and Animal Science, National Ilan University, Yilan, 260, Taiwan.
Department of Entomology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan.
BMC Genomics. 2025 Jul 1;26(1):592. doi: 10.1186/s12864-025-11779-4.
Sacbrood virus (SBV), which infects honey bee larvae and causes significant mortality, represents a serious threat to bee populations and the beekeeping industry. SBV affects both Apis mellifera and Apis cerana, designated according to the host and genotype (AmSBV-AM and AcSBV-AC); however, A. cerana experiences higher mortality rates compared to A. mellifera. Additionally, cross-infections have been observed in both bee species. The genetic regulatory mechanisms involved in infected larvae remain largely unexplored. This study aims to investigate the molecular differences in the responses of A. cerana infected with AcSBV-AC and A. mellifera infected with AmSBV-AM. The results demonstrated significant differences in the expression patterns of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two bee species. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that, at 24 h post-infection (h.p.i.), A. cerana/AcSBV-AC group exhibited a greater number of downregulated DEGs compared to A. mellifera/AmSBV-AM group, with many of these DEGs being associated with insect development. Furthermore, RT‒qPCR validation indicated that the genes RPA2 and MUS81 are potentially involved in SBV replication and host-virus specificity in both species. The development-related genes, Dpp and Yellow-f, showed downregulation, it may contribute to the increased susceptibility of A. cerana larvae to SBVs. Notably, following dsRNA treatment, the core genes Dpp, Yellow-f, RPA2, and Pyruva in A. cerana/AcSBV-AC group exhibited an inverse regulation trend, indicating that inhibiting AcSBV-AC can reverse the host core genes expression patterns and potentially enhance larval survival rates. Based on the above, these core genes may play a crucial role in SBV infection of A. cerana larvae.
囊状幼虫病毒（SBV）感染蜜蜂幼虫并导致大量死亡，对蜜蜂种群和养蜂业构成严重威胁。SBV会感染西方蜜蜂和东方蜜蜂，根据宿主和基因型分为AmSBV - AM和AcSBV - AC；然而，与西方蜜蜂相比，东方蜜蜂的死亡率更高。此外，在这两种蜜蜂中都观察到了交叉感染。感染幼虫中涉及的基因调控机制在很大程度上仍未得到探索。本研究旨在调查感染AcSBV - AC的东方蜜蜂和感染AmSBV - AM的西方蜜蜂在反应上的分子差异。结果表明，两种蜜蜂之间差异表达基因（DEG）的表达模式存在显著差异。基因本体论（GO）分析显示，在感染后24小时（h.p.i.），与西方蜜蜂/AmSBV - AM组相比，东方蜜蜂/AcSBV - AC组表现出更多下调的DEG，其中许多DEG与昆虫发育相关。此外，RT - qPCR验证表明，基因RPA2和MUS81可能参与了两种蜜蜂中SBV的复制和宿主 - 病毒特异性。与发育相关的基因Dpp和Yellow - f表现出下调，这可能导致东方蜜蜂幼虫对SBV的易感性增加。值得注意的是，在dsRNA处理后，东方蜜蜂/AcSBV - AC组中的核心基因Dpp、Yellow - f、RPA2和Pyruva呈现出相反的调控趋势，这表明抑制AcSBV - AC可以逆转宿主核心基因的表达模式，并可能提高幼虫的存活率。基于以上研究，这些核心基因可能在东方蜜蜂幼虫感染SBV中起关键作用。
