Genetic markers for the resistance of honey bee to Varroa destructor

Abstract

In the mid-20th century, the first case of infection of European bees Apis mellifera L. with the ectoparasite mite Varroa destructor was recorded. The original host of this mite is the Asian bee Apis cerana. The mite V. destructor was widespread throughout Europe, North and South America, and Australia remained the only continent free from this parasite. Without acaricide treatment any honeybee colony dies within 1–4 years. The use of synthetic acaricides has not justified itself – they make beekeeping products unsuitable and mites develop resistance to them, which forces the use of even greater concentrations that can be toxic to the bees. Therefore, the only safe measure to combat the mite is the use of biological control methods. One of these methods is the selection of bee colonies with natural mite resistance. In this article we summarize publications devoted to the search for genetic markers associated with resistance to V. destructor. The first part discusses the basic mechanisms of bee resistance (Varroa sensitive hygienic behavior and grooming) and methods for their assessment. The second part focuses on research aimed at searching for loci and candidate genes associated with resistance to varroosis by mapping quantitative traits loci and genome-wide association studies. The third part summarizes studies of the transcriptome profile of Varroa resistant bees. The last part discusses the most likely candidate genes – potential markers for breeding Varroa resistant bees. Resistance to the mite is manifested in a variety of phenotypes and is under polygenic control. The establishing of gene pathways involved in resistance to Varroa will help create a methodological basis for the selection of Varroa resistant honeybee colonies.

Detection of Mblk-1 Gene Polymorphisms in Honey Bees and their Influence on Resistance to Varroa Destructor Mites

“…Grooming behavior which is one of the behavioral resistance mechanisms based on the genetic basis in honey bees is a defense response against parasitic mites that may be directly related to transcription factor Mblk-1 expression changes (Yildis et al, 2020, Kaskinova et al, 2020. But exact causes that lead to Mblk-1 expression changes in dif- Conlon and coauthors (Park et al, 2002) in the study of Mblk-1 polymorphisms among bee colonies in which mite reproduction was successful vs unsuccessful separate three SNPs which segregate better between these two phenotypes.…”

Beekeeping Genetic Resources and Retrieval of Honey Bee Apis mellifera L. Stock in the Russian Federation: A Review

“…In recent years, morphometric, behavioral and productivity approaches have been utilized for the identification of honey bees in the Russian Federation [74,[115][116][117]. However, rapid morphometric screening of honey bees is impossible.…”

“…The Bashkirsky honey bee was bred from the local population of A. m. mellifera L. They are calm and swarm less, displaying good overwintering and resistance to nosematose (Nosema apis, Nosema ceranae) compared with the initial population. These honey bees differ from their original population by rearing broods up to 10-15%, and high honey productivity up to 15% [117].…”