Hi All
 
Have just been doing some literature searching and found a useful
site - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov   - check out the pub med section.
Basically a searchable online library with a lot of stuff on bees.
 
As an example it is generally accepted that mitochondrial DNA (the
DNA in the cells 'powerhouse') is passed on through the maternal line
only (all Mitochondria in the sperm cell are left behind at
fertilisation). Well this paper proves that once again with our
little funnybees there are no rules!!
 
Curr Genet 1993 Dec;24(6):539-543
 
Transfer of paternal mitochondrial DNA during
fertilization of honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) eggs.
 
Meusel MS, Moritz RF
 
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Natal, Republic of
South Africa.
 
Strict maternal inheritance of mitochondrial (mt) DNA is believed to
be the rule in most eukaryotic organisms because of exclusion of
paternal mitochondria from the egg cytoplasm during fertilization. In
honeybees, polyspermic fertilization occurs, and many spermatozoa,
including their mitochondria-rich flagellum, can completely penetrate
the egg, thus allowing for a possibly high paternal leakage. In order
to identify paternal mtDNA in honeybee eggs, restriction fragment
length polymorphisms (RFLP) of different subspecies were used. Total
DNA extracts of different developmental stages of an Apis mellifera
carnica x Apis mellifera capensis hybrid brood were tested with a
radioactively-labelled diagnostic mtDNA probe. Densitograms of
autoradiographs indicated that the male contribution represents up to
27% of the total mitochondrial DNA in the fertilized eggs 12 h after
oviposition. In subsequent developmental stages the portion of
paternal mtDNA slowly decreased until hatching of the larvae when only
traces were found. Although rapid disintegration of paternal mtDNA
does not occur, the initially high paternal mitochondrial contribution
is not maintained in the adult animal.
 
 
And before anybody labels this BS not US (Useful science) remember
that one of the ways honeybees have been tested for africanization in
the US has been to look at Mitochondrial DNA.
 
Keep well
 
Garth
 
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
Eastern Cape Prov.
South Africa
 
Time = Honey
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