Varroa Volatiles Offer Chemical Cues to Honey Bees for Initial Parasitic Recognition
Olfaction mediated by the antennae is a vital sensory modality for arthropods and could be applied as a tool in pest control. The ectoparasitic mite <i>Varroa destructor</i> poses a significant threat to the health of the honey bee <i>Apis mellifera</i> worldwide and has garn...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Qinglong Zhao Xinning Wang Ahsan Mustafa Ying Wang Hongfang Wang Xuepeng Chi Baohua Xu Zhenguo Liu |
| author_facet | Qinglong Zhao Xinning Wang Ahsan Mustafa Ying Wang Hongfang Wang Xuepeng Chi Baohua Xu Zhenguo Liu |
| author_sort | Qinglong Zhao |
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| description | Olfaction mediated by the antennae is a vital sensory modality for arthropods and could be applied as a tool in pest control. The ectoparasitic mite <i>Varroa destructor</i> poses a significant threat to the health of the honey bee <i>Apis mellifera</i> worldwide and has garnered global attention. To better understand the chemical ecology of this host–parasite relationship, we collected and characterized the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from <i>V. destructor</i> and used electroantennography (EAG) to record the responses of honey bee (<i>A. c. cerana</i> and <i>A. m. ligustica</i>) antennae to the different VOCs. Fifteen VOCs were detected from <i>V. destructor</i> using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which mainly contained ethyl palmitate, followed by isoamyl alcohol, nonanal, and ethyl oleate. The EAGs for ethyl palmitate were higher at the lowest stimulus loading (5 μg/μL in liquid paraffin) in <i>A. c. cerana</i> compared to <i>A. m. ligustica</i>, suggesting that <i>A. c. cerana</i> may have acute sensitivity to low concentrations of some VOCs from <i>V. destructor</i>. After exposure to ethyl palmitate for 1 h, the relative expression levels of <i>AcerCSP1</i> and <i>AcerOBP21</i> in <i>A. c. cerana</i> significantly increased, as well as the level of <i>AmelCSP1</i> in <i>A. m. ligustica</i>, while <i>AmelOBP8</i> showed no significant changes. The results indicate that the EAG response was influenced by the VOC composition and concentration. <i>A. c. cerana</i> tended to be more responsive than <i>A. m. ligustica</i> to the VOCs of <i>V. destructor</i>. Our findings offer a deeper understanding of how bees recognize <i>V. destructor</i>, potentially using ethyl palmitate as a chemical cue. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ead265c2e7a44814b3fef709f413df8b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2218-273X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | Biomolecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-ead265c2e7a44814b3fef709f413df8b2025-01-24T13:25:03ZengMDPI AGBiomolecules2218-273X2025-01-011516610.3390/biom15010066Varroa Volatiles Offer Chemical Cues to Honey Bees for Initial Parasitic RecognitionQinglong Zhao0Xinning Wang1Ahsan Mustafa2Ying Wang3Hongfang Wang4Xuepeng Chi5Baohua Xu6Zhenguo Liu7Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaKey Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaKey Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaKey Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaKey Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaKey Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaKey Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaKey Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaOlfaction mediated by the antennae is a vital sensory modality for arthropods and could be applied as a tool in pest control. The ectoparasitic mite <i>Varroa destructor</i> poses a significant threat to the health of the honey bee <i>Apis mellifera</i> worldwide and has garnered global attention. To better understand the chemical ecology of this host–parasite relationship, we collected and characterized the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from <i>V. destructor</i> and used electroantennography (EAG) to record the responses of honey bee (<i>A. c. cerana</i> and <i>A. m. ligustica</i>) antennae to the different VOCs. Fifteen VOCs were detected from <i>V. destructor</i> using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which mainly contained ethyl palmitate, followed by isoamyl alcohol, nonanal, and ethyl oleate. The EAGs for ethyl palmitate were higher at the lowest stimulus loading (5 μg/μL in liquid paraffin) in <i>A. c. cerana</i> compared to <i>A. m. ligustica</i>, suggesting that <i>A. c. cerana</i> may have acute sensitivity to low concentrations of some VOCs from <i>V. destructor</i>. After exposure to ethyl palmitate for 1 h, the relative expression levels of <i>AcerCSP1</i> and <i>AcerOBP21</i> in <i>A. c. cerana</i> significantly increased, as well as the level of <i>AmelCSP1</i> in <i>A. m. ligustica</i>, while <i>AmelOBP8</i> showed no significant changes. The results indicate that the EAG response was influenced by the VOC composition and concentration. <i>A. c. cerana</i> tended to be more responsive than <i>A. m. ligustica</i> to the VOCs of <i>V. destructor</i>. Our findings offer a deeper understanding of how bees recognize <i>V. destructor</i>, potentially using ethyl palmitate as a chemical cue.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/1/66<i>Varroa destructor</i>chemical ecologyvolatile organic compoundsgas chromatography–mass spectrometryelectroantennographyheadspace solid-phase microextraction |
| spellingShingle | Qinglong Zhao Xinning Wang Ahsan Mustafa Ying Wang Hongfang Wang Xuepeng Chi Baohua Xu Zhenguo Liu Varroa Volatiles Offer Chemical Cues to Honey Bees for Initial Parasitic Recognition Biomolecules <i>Varroa destructor</i> chemical ecology volatile organic compounds gas chromatography–mass spectrometry electroantennography headspace solid-phase microextraction |
| title | Varroa Volatiles Offer Chemical Cues to Honey Bees for Initial Parasitic Recognition |
| title_full | Varroa Volatiles Offer Chemical Cues to Honey Bees for Initial Parasitic Recognition |
| title_fullStr | Varroa Volatiles Offer Chemical Cues to Honey Bees for Initial Parasitic Recognition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Varroa Volatiles Offer Chemical Cues to Honey Bees for Initial Parasitic Recognition |
| title_short | Varroa Volatiles Offer Chemical Cues to Honey Bees for Initial Parasitic Recognition |
| title_sort | varroa volatiles offer chemical cues to honey bees for initial parasitic recognition |
| topic | <i>Varroa destructor</i> chemical ecology volatile organic compounds gas chromatography–mass spectrometry electroantennography headspace solid-phase microextraction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/1/66 |
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