21435061

not annotated - annotated - LINNAEUS only

Social immunity in honeybees (Apis mellifera): transcriptome analysis of varroa-hygienic behaviour.

Honeybees have evolved a social immunity consisting of the cooperation of individuals to decrease disease in the hive. We identified a set of genes involved in this social immunity by analysing the brain transcriptome of highly varroa-hygienic bees, who efficiently detect and remove brood infected with the Varroa destructor mite. The function of these candidate genes does not seem to support a higher olfactory sensitivity in hygienic bees, as previously hypothesized. However, comparing their genomic profile with those from other behaviours suggests a link with brood care and the highly varroa-hygienic Africanized honeybees. These results represent a first step toward the identification of genes involved in social immunity and thus provide first insights into the evolution of social immunity.



Ann file

T1	Species 19 28	honeybees

N1 Reference T1 Taxonomy:7460

T2 Species 30 44 Apis mellifera

N2 Reference T2 Taxonomy:7460

T3 Species 102 111 Honeybees

N3 Reference T3 Taxonomy:7460

T4 Species 723 732 honeybees

N4 Reference T4 Taxonomy:7460

T5 Species 410 427 Varroa destructor

N5 Reference T5 Taxonomy:109461 Varroa destructor

T6 Species 346 350 bees

N6 Reference T6 Taxonomy:7460

T7 Species 540 544 bees

N7 Reference T7 Taxonomy:7460