Journal
INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Volume 20, Issue 3, Pages 399-408Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2011.01074.x
Keywords
honeybee; social immunity; hygienic behaviour; Varroa; gene expression
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Funding
- European grant for beekeeping [07-17/2004-07]
- INRA (INRA SPE department)
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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.
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