Genetic methods in honey bee breeding Kaskinova, M D; Salikhova, A M; Gaifullina, L R ...
Vavilovskiĭ zhurnal genetiki i selekt͡s︡ii,
07/2023, Letnik:
27, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The honey bee Apis mellifera is a rather difficult object for selection due to the peculiarities of its biology. Breeding activities in beekeeping are aimed at obtaining bee colonies with high rates ...of economically useful traits, such as productivity, resistance to low temperatures and diseases, hygienic behavior, oviposition of the queen, etc. With two apiaries specializing in the breeding of A. m. mellifera and A. m. carnica as examples, the application of genetic methods in the selection of honey bees is considered. The first stage of the work was subspecies identification based on the analysis of the polymorphism of the intergenic mtDNA locus tRNAleu-COII (or COI-COII) and microsatellite nuclear DNA loci Ap243, 4a110, A24, A8, A43, A113, A88, Ap049, A28. This analysis confirmed that the studied colonies correspond to the declared subspecies. In the apiary with A. m. mellifera, hybrid colonies have been identified. A method based on the analysis of polymorphisms of the tRNAleu-COII locus and microsatellite nuclear DNA loci has been developed to identify the dark forest bee A. m. mellifera and does not allow one to differentiate subspecies from C (A. m. carnica and A. m. ligustica) and O (A. m. caucasica) evolutionary lineages from each other. The second stage was the assessment of the allelic diversity of the csd gene. In the apiary containing colonies of A. m. mellifera (N = 15), 20 csd alleles were identified. In the apiary containing colonies of A. m. carnica (N = 44), 41 alleles were identified. Six alleles are shared by both apiaries. DNA diagnostics of bee diseases showed that the studied colonies are healthy. Based on the data obtained, a scheme was developed for obtaining primary material for honey bee breeding, which can subsequently be subjected to selection according to economically useful traits. In addition, the annual assessment of the allelic diversity of the csd gene will shed light on the frequency of formation of new allelic variants and other issues related to the evolution of this gene.
In the mid-20th century, the first case of infection of European bees Apis mellifera L. with the ectoparasite mite Varroa destructor was recorded. The original host of this mite is the Asian bee Apis ...cerana. The mite V. destructor was widespread throughout Europe, North and South America, and Australia remained the only continent free from this parasite. Without acaricide treatment any honeybee colony dies within 1-4 years. The use of synthetic acaricides has not justified itself - they make beekeeping products unsuitable and mites develop resistance to them, which forces the use of even greater concentrations that can be toxic to the bees. Therefore, the only safe measure to combat the mite is the use of biological control methods. One of these methods is the selection of bee colonies with natural mite resistance. In this article we summarize publications devoted to the search for genetic markers associated with resistance to V. destructor. The first part discusses the basic mechanisms of bee resistance (Varroa sensitive hygienic behavior and grooming) and methods for their assessment. The second part focuses on research aimed at searching for loci and candidate genes associated with resistance to varroosis by mapping quantitative traits loci and genome-wide association studies. The third part summarizes studies of the transcriptome profile of Varroa resistant bees. The last part discusses the most likely candidate genes - potential markers for breeding Varroa resistant bees. Resistance to the mite is manifested in a variety of phenotypes and is under polygenic control. The establishing of gene pathways involved in resistance to Varroa will help create a methodological basis for the selection of Varroa resistant honeybee colonies.
—
The effect of chitosan (200 kD, 75% deacetylation) on
Nosema apis
development in bee colonies during wintering was investigated. The conditions for development of the nosematous infection were ...analyzed. According to the results of determination of PCR products specific for
N. apis,
chitosan decreased significantly the degree of infection of individual bees with
N. apis
spores. The scheme of stimulation of the bee immune system by chitosan via the changes in the level of antimicrobial peptides and proteins of the macroorganism antioxidant systems is discussed. Due to a decrease in the degree of infection with
N. apis
, survival of the bees increased during the long winter period.
We analyzed samples of bees from three districts of the Republic of Bashkortostan, including samples from protected natural areas, selected with an interval of 6–8 years to assess changes in their ...genetic structure. The polymorphism of the intergenic region
COI-COII
of mitochondrial DNA and nine SSR loci of nuclear DNA was analyzed. In the
Apis mellifera mellifera
population from a protected natural area, the introgression of the gene pool of subspecies from the evolutionary lineage C was revealed. The results allow us to propose measures to limit the import of bee colonies from the evolutionary lineage C.
At present, the sex in the honeybee is known to be controlled by the
csd
(complementary sex determiner) gene, which has a large allelic diversity. Heterozygotes of the
csd
gene develop into females, ...while homozygotes develop into males, which are removed by the workers at the larval stage, resulting in the observation of a “shot brood.” This review summarizes the current understanding of the genetic structure of the csd gene, the mechanism of its effect on the sex determination, and the evolution of this gene generated from the duplication of the
feminizer
gene. The study of the
csd
gene polymorphism would make it possible to develop allele specific markers for the selection of honeybee.
This study presents the results of the analysis of subspecies of honeybee from Altai krai using SSR loci
Ap243
,
4a110
,
A24
,
A8
,
A43
,
A113
,
A88
,
Ap049
, and
A28
and the mtDNA
COI–COII
locus. It ...was found that the allelic variant PQQ
COI–COII
of mtDNA, characteristic of the evolutionary lineage M, prevails in the studied sample of seven districts of Altai krai. Analysis of microsatellite loci showed that a quarter of colonies are of hybrid origin. Despite the fact that we covered only a small part of the population, the results obtained indicate that the dark forest bee has survived in Altai krai.
In honey bees, sex is determined by an allelic combination of the
csd
gene. Low allelic diversity for the
csd
gene leads to a loss of colony strength due to the appearance of nonviable diploid drones ...from eggs homozygous for the
csd
gene. Therefore, there is a need in beekeeping to identify and monitor the allelic diversity of the
csd
gene. In this paper, we present the results of the polymorphism analysis of the hypervariable region of the
csd
gene in the local population of
Apis mellifera
mellifera
L. in the Southern Urals. Among 42 amino acid sequences encoded by alleles of the hypervariable region, 20 alleles were identified, five of which were previously unknown. It was shown that the allelic diversity for the
csd
gene for the studied population corresponds to those known for other populations of
A. mellifera
L.
Given is an overview of original publications devoted to the investigation of the honey bee genome. The history of honey bee genome studies and its characteristics are described. The results of ...genetic studies of honey bees using genome-wide data are presented. A special focus is put on the search for alleles associated with economically valuable, adaptive, and other important honey bee traits.
The genetic structure of honeybee populations from the southern part of Bashkortostan was assessed based on an analysis of mtDNA (COI–COII locus) and five nuclear DNA microsatellite loci (Ap243, ...4A110, A8, A113, and A28). The data indicate that the examined populations experience a deficit of heterozygotes despite intense interpedigree hybridization. It is suggested that there is a boundary between the population of
Apis mellifera mellifera
L. and the hybrid zone in the examined region.
The genetic structure of honeybee populations from the southern part of Bashkortostan was assessed based on an analysis of mtDNA (COI-COII locus) and five nuclear DNA microsatellite loci (Ap243, ...4A110, A8, A113, and A28). The data indicate that the examined populations experience a deficit of heterozygotes despite intense interpedigree hybridization. It is suggested that there is a boundary between the population of Apis mellifera mellifera L. and the hybrid zone in the examined region.
PDF
