High-Fat Diets with Differential Fatty Acids Induce Obesity and Perturb Gut Microbiota in Honey Bee

Abstract

HFD (high-fat diet) induces obesity and metabolic disorders, which is associated with the alteration in gut microbiota profiles. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of the processes are poorly understood. In this study, we used the simple model organism honey bee to explore how different amounts and types of dietary fats affect the host metabolism and the gut microbiota. Excess dietary fat, especially palm oil, elicited higher weight gain, lower survival rates, hyperglycemic, and fat accumulation in honey bees. However, microbiota-free honey bees reared on high-fat diets did not significantly change their phenotypes. Different fatty acid compositions in palm and soybean oil altered the lipid profiles of the honey bee body. Remarkably, dietary fats regulated lipid metabolism and immune-related gene expression at the transcriptional level. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that biological processes, including transcription factors, insulin secretion, and Toll and Imd signaling pathways, were significantly different in the gut of bees on different dietary fats. Moreover, a high-fat diet increased the relative abundance of Gilliamella, while the level of Bartonella was significantly decreased in palm oil groups. This study establishes a novel honey bee model of studying the crosstalk between dietary fat, gut microbiota, and host metabolism.

Do amino and fatty acid profiles of pollen provisions correlate with bacterial microbiomes in the mason beeOsmia bicornis?

“…They strongly impacted the bees' gut microbiota, with high-fat diets, e.g. increasing the relative abundance of Gilliamella and decreasing levels of Bartonella [30]. Our results did not confirm this pattern for those two bacterial genera, likely because they were in general only marginally detectable in our solitary bee system.…”

“…At the same time, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and more precisely the ratio of omega 6 : 3 fatty acids, are important for cognitive abilities in honeybees [73,113,114]. In fact, a recent study found that dietary fatty acid profiles do not only impact bee longevity, but also their lipid metabolism and immune-related gene expression [30]. They strongly impacted the bees’ gut microbiota, with high-fat diets, e.g.…”

“…Increasing evidence indicates that the microbiota in the guts of bees, and, for solitary bees also of their nests, plays a significant but hitherto little understood role in bee health and thus fitness [25][26][27][28][29]. However, apart from honeybees [30], the interactions between nutritional resources, bees and their microbiota have so far been little investigated [31]. Moreover, most studies on microbial communities associated with bees focused on social bees, in particular Apis mellifera, while the composition, diversity, species-specificity, functions and origin of solitary bee microbiota are still understudied [24,26].…”

Common Inflammatory Mechanisms in COVID-19 and Parkinson’s Diseases: The Role of Microbiome, Pharmabiotics and Postbiotics in Their Prevention

“…play a protective role against polystyrene microplastics exposure by stimulating the expression of antioxidative CAT, detoxification CYPQ1 and GSTS3, and immune system-related Domeless, Hopscotch, and Symplekin genes in the midgut. 443 In the gut of honey bees, Lactobacillus species of L. plantarum (strains H28, H24, KX519413, KX519414, LP8, LP25, LP86, LP95, LP100) and L. kunkeei were characterized by an increased antioxidant potential that protects against different pesticides. 436,440,[444][445][446] All of these strains of lactobacteria from the gut of honey bees with an increased antioxidant potential can be selected as perspective strains for creating pharmabiotics.…”

Microbiota and Its Importance in Honey Bees

“…in the microbiome increased significantly, while the rate of Bartonella sp. decreased (Wang et al, 2021).…”