Taudinaiheuttajien, lääkkeiden ja vierasaineiden vaikutuksista mehiläisen (Apis mellifera L.) tartunnanvastaiseen puolustukseen

Summary: Immunotoxic and immunomodulatory aspects of pathogens, drugs and xenobiotics in protection of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) to infections

Odorant binding proteins of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta: an example of the problems facing the analysis of widely divergent proteins.

We describe the odorant binding proteins (OBPs) of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, obtained from analyses of an EST library and separate 454 sequencing runs of two normalized cDNA libraries. We identified a total of 18 putative functional OBPs in this ant. A third of the fire ant OBPs are orthologs to honey bee OBPs. Another third of the OBPs belong to a lineage-specific expansion, which is a common feature of insect OBP evolution. Like other OBPs, the different fire ant OBPs share little sequence similarity (∼ 20%), rendering evolutionary analyses difficult. We discuss the resulting problems with sequence alignment, phylogenetic analysis, and tests of selection. As previously suggested, our results underscore the importance for careful exploration of the sensitivity to the effects of alignment methods for data comprising widely divergent sequences.

Insect juvenile hormone: from "status quo" to high society

Juvenile hormone (JH) exerts pleiotropic functions during insect life cycles. The regulation of JH biosynthesis by neuropeptides and biogenic amines, as well as the transport of JH by specific binding proteins is now well understood. In contrast, comprehending its mode of action on target organs is still hampered by the difficulties in isolating specific receptors. In concert with ecdysteroids, JH orchestrates molting and metamorphosis, and its modulatory function in molting processes has gained it the attribute "status quo" hormone. Whereas the metamorphic role of JH appears to have been widely conserved, its role in reproduction has been subject to many modifications. In many species, JH stimulates vitellogenin synthesis and uptake. In mosquitoes, however, this function has been transferred to ecdysteroids, and JH primes the ecdysteroid response of developing follicles. As reproduction includes a variety of specific behaviors, including migration and diapause, JH has come to function as a master regulator in insect reproduction. The peak of pleiotropy was definitely reached in insects exhibiting facultative polymorphisms. In wing-dimorphic crickets, differential activation of JH esterase determines wing length. The evolution of sociality in Isoptera and Hymenoptera has also extensively relied on JH. In primitively social wasps and bumble bees, JH integrates dominance position with reproductive status. In highly social insects, such as the honey bee, JH has lost its gonadotropic role and now regulates division of labor in the worker caste. Its metamorphic role has been extensively explored in the morphological differentiation of queens and workers, and in the generation of worker polymorphism, such as observed in ants.

Quality of royal jelly produced by Africanized honeybees fed a supplemented diet

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of artificial supplements prepared with soybean protein isolate, brewer's yeast, mixture of soybean protein isolate with brewer's yeast, linseed oil, palm oil, and a mixture of linseed oil with palm oil on the physicochemical and microbiological composition of royal jelly produced by Africanized honey bee colonies. Considering these results, providing supplements for Africanized honeybee colonies subjected to royal jelly production can help and strengthen the technological development of the Brazilian beekeeping industry increasing its consumption in the national market. This research presents values of royal jelly a little different from those established by the Brazilian legislation. This fact shows that is important to discuss or change the official method for royal jelly analysis. The characterization of physicochemical and microbiological parameters is important in order to standardize fresh, frozen, and lyophilized royal jelly produced by Africanized honeybees.

Factors influencing the success of animal husbandry cooperatives: A case study in Southwest Iran

This survey study aimed at identifying the factors influencing the success of animal husbandry cooperatives in Southwest Iran. Using a questionnaire, the data were collected from 95 managing directors of the cooperatives who were chosen through a multi-stage stratified random sampling method. This study showed an essential need for a systemic framework to analyze the cooperatives’ success. The results showed that the “Honey Bee”, “Cattle (dairy)”, and “Lamb” cooperatives were the most successful among different kinds of the cooperatives. Also, among individual attributes, “interest”, “technical knowledge”, and “understanding the concept of cooperative”; among economic variables, “income” and “current investment”; and among external factors, “market access” have significant correlation with the success while structural variables have no significant relation. Furthermore, among all the factors, four variables (“interest”, “understanding the concept of cooperative”, “market access”, and “other incomes”) can explain the variations of the success.

Behavioral suites mediate group-level foraging dynamics in communities of tropical stingless bees

Competition for floral resources is a key force shaping pollinator communities, particularly among social bees. The ability of social bees to recruit nestmates for group foraging is hypothesized to be a major factor in their ability to dominate rich resources such as mass-flowering trees. We tested the role of group foraging in attaining dominance by stingless bees, eusocial tropical pollinators that exhibit high diversity in foraging strategies. We provide the first experimental evidence that meliponine group foraging strategies, large colony sizes and aggressive behavior form a suite of traits that enable colonies to improve dominance of rich resources. Using a diverse assemblage of Brazilian stingless bee species and an array of artificial ""flowers"" that provided a sucrose reward, we compared species` dominance and visitation under unrestricted foraging conditions and with experimental removal of group-foraging species. Dominance does not vary with individual body size, but rather with foraging group size. Species that recruit larger numbers of nestmates (Scaptotrigona aff. depilis, Trigona hyalinata, Trigona spinipes) dominated both numerically (high local abundance) and behaviorally (controlling feeders). Removal of group-foraging species increased feeding opportunities for solitary foragers (Frieseomelitta varia, Melipona quadrifasciata and Nannotrigona testaceicornis). Trigona hyalinata always dominated under unrestricted conditions. When this species was removed, T. spinipes or S. aff. depilis controlled feeders and limited visitation by solitary-foraging species. Because bee foraging patterns determine plant pollination success, understanding the forces that shape these patterns is crucial to ensuring pollination of both crops and natural areas in the face of current pollinator declines.

Genetic structure of Partamona helleri (Apidae, Meliponini) from Neotropical Atlantic rainforest

Stingless bees of the genus Partamona are distributed from southern Mexico to southern Brazil. This genus has been subject to different approaches to solve questions concerning general biology, taxonomy, systematics and biogeography, but population studies applying molecular techniques are inexistent. We analyzed the genetic structure of P. helleri across its geographic distribution along the coastal Atlantic tropical rainforest in Brazil. Ten mtDNA haplotypes were observed in 47 colonies of P. helleri of which some were exclusive and others shared among geographic sub-groups. Statistical analysis showed high genetic differentiation between geographic areas sampled. Fragmentation of the Atlantic forest during Pleistocene glaciations is discussed as a possible cause of the present haplotype distribution and frequency.

Morphometrical, biochemical and molecular tools for assessing biodiversity. An example in Plebeia remota (Holmberg, 1903) (Apidae, Meliponini)

We see today many efforts to quantify biodiversity in different biomes. It is very important then to develop and to apply other methodologies that allow us to assess biodiversity. Here we present an example of application of three tools with this goal. We analyzed two populations of Plebeia remota from two distinct biomes that already showed several differences in morphology and behavior. Based on these differences, it has been suggested that the populations of Cunha and Prudentopolis do not represent a single species. In order to verify the existence or absence of gene flow between these two groups, we characterized the patterns of mtDNA through RFLP, the patterns of wing venation through geometric morphometry, and the cuticular hydrocarbons through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We used bees collected in these two locations and also from colonies which have being kept for around 9 years at Sao Paulo University. We found six different haplotypes in these specimens, of which three of them occurred exclusively in the population of Cunha and three only in the Prudentopolis population. The fact that the populations do not share haplotypes suggests no maternal gene flow between them. The two populations were differentiated by the pattern of the wing veins. They also had different mixtures of cuticle hydrocarbons. Furthermore it was shown that the colonies kept at the university did not hybridize. These two groups may constitute different species. We also show here the importance of using other methodologies than traditional taxonomy to assess and understand biodiversity, especially in bees.

Purification and characterization of the biological effects of phospholipase A(2) from sea anemone Bunodosoma caissarum

Sea anemones contain a variety of biologically active substances. Bunodosoma caissarum is a sea anemone from the Cnidaria phylum, found only in Brazilian coastal waters. The aim of the present work was to study the biological effects of PLA(2) isolated from the sea anemone B. caissarum on the isolated perfused kidney, the arteriolar mesenteric bed and on insulin secretion. Specimens of B. caissarum were collected from the Sao Vicente Channel on the southern coast of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Reverse phase HPLC analysis of the crude extract of B. caissarum detected three PLA(2) proteins (named BcPLA(2)1, BCPLA(2)2 and BcPLA(2)3) found to be active in B. caissarum extracts. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of BcPLA(2)1 showed one main peak at 14.7 kDa. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of BcPLA(2)1 showed high amino acid sequence identity with PLA(2) group III protein isolated from the Mexican lizard (PA23 HELSU, HELSU, PA22 HELSU) and with the honey bee Apis mellifera (PLA(2) and 1POC_A). In addition, BcPLA(2)1 also showed significant overall homology to bee PLA(2). The enzymatic activity induced by native BCPLA(2)1 (20 mu g/well) was reduced by chemical treatment with p-bromophenacyl bromide (p-BPB) and with morin. BcPLA(2)1 strongly induced insulin secretion in presence of high glucose concentration. In isolated kidney, the PLA(2) from B. caissarum increased the perfusion pressure, renal vascular resistance, urinary flow, glomerular filtration rate, and sodium, potassium and chloride levels of excretion. BcPLA(2)1, however, did not increase the perfusion pressure on the mesenteric vascular bed. In conclusion, PLA(2), a group III phospholipase isolated from the sea anemone B. caissarum, exerted effects on renal function and induced insulin secretion in conditions of high glucose concentration. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BIOCHEMICAL VARIABILITY BETWEEN VENOMS FROM DIFFERENT HONEYBEE (APIS-MELLIFERA) RACES

1. The comparison of molecular exclusion cromatography profiles of venoms from sting apparatuses of Apis mellifera ligustica, Apis mellifera adansonii and Africanized honey-bees in Sephadex G-100 revealed both qualitative and quantitative differences.2. The venoms from A.m. ligustica and A.m. adansonii presented, respectively, three and two peaks characteristic of each sub-species, while Africanized honey-bee was characterized by the absence of eight peaks common to the former.3. The polypeptides with M(r) in the range from 100,000 to 7500 da correspond respectively to 62.0%, 66.6% and 68.7% of total proteins from the venon of A.m. ligustica, A.m. adansonii and Africanized honey-bees, while the peptidic fraction with M(r) range from 4100 to 2000 da corresponds to 11.4%, 32.4% and 10.2% of venom protein, respectively.

Identification of a novel melittin isoform from Africanized Apis mellifera venom

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A non-invasive method for silencing gene transcription in honeybees maintained under natural conditions

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Ovarian ultrastructure in virgin queens of Apis mellifera L. narcotized by CO2

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

TELA EXCLUIDORA DE RAINHA NA PRODUÇÃO DE MEL E NA LONGEVIDADE DAS OPERÁRIAS em COLMEIAS DE Apis mellifera

Este trabalho tem como objetivos verificar as áreas de cria e alimento e a longevidade de operárias em colmeias de Apis mellifera, em apicultura fixa (mata) e migratória (laranja e eucalipto), sem (T1) e com (T2) tela excluidora de rainha. Foram utilizadas colmeias modelo Langstroth, com sobrecaixa. Na apicultura fixa, estas colmeias foram analisadas durante 476 dias e mapeadas a cada 30 a 45 dias para obtenção das áreas de cria e alimento. Na migratória, as colmeias foram analisadas antes e após a florada. Foi estudada também a longevidade das operárias, nos dois tratamentos. Os dados mostraram que em fluxo baixo de néctar (apicultura fixa, em mata), o uso de tela excluidora apresentou maior eficiência na separação do mel das crias. Entretanto, quando o fluxo de néctar foi alto (floradas de laranja e eucalipto), a tela excluidora não foi eficiente, pois as abelhas rapidamente preencheram os favos disponíveis no ninho inferior, misturando-o com cria. Observou-se também redução na longevidade das operárias das colmeias com tela excluidora, em dois dos três testes realizados. Este trabalho, desenvolvido em três locais diferentes, com plantas apícolas distintas evidenciou também a variabilidade e a grande influência ambiental no desenvolvimento das colônias de Apis mellifera.

Efeitos de atrativos e repelentes sobre o comportamento da abelha (Apis mellifera, l.)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)