I post this primarily as an example of what a real study looks like. Also, as a reminder to anyone who thinks that "no one is looking at these things". It is not in print yet, this is from a pre-press copy
ABSTRACT
Honey bee (Apis mellifera) larvae reared in vitro were exposed to one of nine pesticides and/or were challenged with the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor. Total RNA was extracted from individual larvae and first strand cDNAs were generated. Gene-expression changes in larvae were measured using quantitative PCR (qPCR) targeting transcripts for pathogens and genes involved in physiological processes, bee health, immunity, and/or xenobiotic detoxification.
Varroa parasitism, arguably coupled with virus infection, resulted in significantly higher transcript abundances for the antimicrobial peptides abaecin, hymenoptaecin, and defensin. Transcript levels for Prophenoloxidase-activating enzyme (PPOact), an immune end product, were elevated in larvae treated with myclobutanil and chlorothalonil (both are fungicides)(P<0.001). Transcript levels for Hexameric storage protein (Hsp70) were significantly upregulated in imidacloprid, fluvalinate, coumaphos, myclobutanil, and amitraz treated larvae.
Excerpts
> In general, we found significant gene-expression changes following mite exposure, and less pronounced changes following exposure to exogenous chemicals.
> Most notably, a candidate PPO-activating enzyme showed generally higher expression in larvae exposed to two fungicides, while a hexameric larval storage protein showed lower expression in bees presented with the herbicides glyphosate and simazine.
> Downstream impacts on JH signalling by Varroa, resulting from down-regulated Hsp expression, could have profound impacts on honey bee development and social behavior.
Gregorc, A., Evans, J.D., Scharf, M., Ellis, J.D., Gene expression in honey bee (Apis mellifera) larvae exposed to pesticides and Varroa mites (Varroa destructor), Journal of Insect Physiology (2012), doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2012.03.015
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