Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Bee Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #309994
Title: Response of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) proteome to Israeli acute paralysis virus infection

Author
item MICHAUD, SARAH - University Of British Columbia
item BONCRISTIANI, HUMBERTO - University Of North Carolina
item GOUW, JOOST - University Of British Columbia
item Pettis, Jeffery
item RUEPPELL, OLAV - University Of North Carolina
item FOSTER, LEONARD - University Of British Columbia

Submitted to: Canadian Journal of Zoology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/30/2014
Publication Date: 10/30/2014
Citation: Michaud, S., Boncristiani, H.F., Gouw, J.W., Pettis, J.S., Rueppell, O., Foster, L.J. 2014. Response of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) proteome to Israeli acute paralysis virus infection. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 93(9):711-720.

Interpretive Summary: This study looks at the role of Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) on honey bee hive mortality by looking at changes in honey bee protein expression during IAPV infections. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics analysis was used to compare IAPV infected honey bee pupae and healthy pupae. The study identified changes in proteins among infected bees and determines systems and pathways of the infection. This analysis represents an important first step towards understanding the honey bee host response to IAPV infection through the systems-level analysis of protein expression and demonstrates the utility of mass spectrometry-based proteomics in honey bee research. This research lays important groundwork for our understanding of viral infections in honey bees.

Technical Abstract: Recent declines in honey bee populations worldwide have spurred significant research into the impact of pathogens on colony health. The role of the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV)on hive mortality has become of particular concern since being correlated with colony losses, although the pathogenic mechanism used by IAPV remains largely unknown. To investigate changes in host protein expression during IAPV infection, mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics was used to compare IAPV infected and healthy pupae. Proteins that were significantly changing during infection were identified and functional analysis was performed to determine host systems and pathways perturbed by infection. Proteins involved in processes including translation and the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, among others, were identified and future investigation of these pathways will be useful in identifying host proteins required for infection. This analysis represents an important first step towards understanding the honey bee host response to IAPV infection through the systems-level analysis of protein expression and demonstrates the utility of mass spectrometry-based proteomics in honey bee research.