Prevention of Chinese Sacbrood Virus Infection in Apis cerana using RNA Interference

Liu, Xuejiao; Zhang, Yi; Yan, Xingcheng; Han, Richou

doi:10.1007/s00284-010-9633-2

Cited by 96 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

106

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition, it is unusual for SBV infection in A. mellifera colonies to cause colony death (22). However, SBV is deadly to Asian honeybees, and serious mortality rates for A. cerana due to SBV infection have been reported in Vietnam, Thailand, India, China, and South Korea (7,(23)(24)(25)(26). Large-scale A. cerana colony losses caused by SBV infection were first reported in Guangdong Province, China, in 1972 (27).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of Apis cerana Sacbrood virus Infection in Apis mellifera

Gong

Chen

Chen³

et al. 2016

Appl Environ Microbiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

bSacbrood virus (SBV) is one of the most destructive viruses in the Asian honeybee Apis cerana but is much less destructive in Apis mellifera. In previous studies, SBV isolates infecting A. cerana (AcSBV) and SBV isolates infecting A. mellifera (AmSBV) were identified as different serotypes, suggesting a species barrier in SBV infection. In order to investigate this species isolation, we examined the presence of SBV infection in 318 A. mellifera colonies and 64 A. cerana colonies, and we identified the genotypes of SBV isolates. We also performed artificial infection experiments under both laboratory and field conditions. The results showed that 38 A. mellifera colonies and 37 A. cerana colonies were positive for SBV infection. Phylogenetic analysis based on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene sequences indicated that A. cerana isolates and most A. mellifera isolates formed two distinct clades but two strains isolated from A. mellifera were clustered with the A. cerana isolates. In the artificial-infection experiments, AcSBV negative-strand RNA could be detected in both adult bees and larvae of A. mellifera, although there were no obvious signs of the disease, demonstrating the replication of AcSBV in A. mellifera. Our results suggest that AcSBV is able to infect A. mellifera colonies with low prevalence (0.63% in this study) and pathogenicity. This work will help explain the different susceptibilities of A. cerana and A. mellifera to sacbrood disease and is potentially useful for guiding beekeeping practices.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of Apis cerana Sacbrood virus Infection in Apis mellifera

Gong

Chen

Chen³

et al. 2016

Appl Environ Microbiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…RNAi technology has been explored to protect honey bees from infection by pathogens and parasites (39). Three honey bee viruses, Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), deformed wing virus (DWV), and Chinese sacbrood virus (CSBV), have been successfully inhibited by RNAi under laboratory conditions by feeding bees with virus-specific double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) or small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) (40)(41)(42)(43). Moreover, a large-scale field application of IAPV dsRNA improved bee survival, colony size, and honey yield (44).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Silencing the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Naked Cuticle Gene ( nkd ) Improves Host Immune Function and Reduces Nosema ceranae Infections

Li¹,

Evans²,

Huang

et al. 2016

Appl Environ Microbiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nosema ceranae is a new and emerging microsporidian parasite of European honey bees, Apis mellifera, that has been implicated in colony losses worldwide. RNA interference (RNAi), a posttranscriptional gene silencing mechanism, has emerged as a potent and specific strategy for controlling infections of parasites and pathogens in honey bees. While previous studies have focused on the silencing of parasite/pathogen virulence factors, we explore here the possibility of silencing a host factor as a mechanism for reducing parasite load. Specifically, we used an RNAi strategy to reduce the expression of a honey bee gene, naked cuticle (nkd), which is a negative regulator of host immune function. Our studies found that nkd mRNA levels in adult bees were upregulated by N. ceranae infection (and thus, the parasite may use this mechanism to suppress host immune function) and that ingestion of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) specific to nkd efficiently silenced its expression. Furthermore, we found that RNAimediated knockdown of nkd transcripts in Nosema-infected bees resulted in upregulation of the expression of several immune genes (Abaecin, Apidaecin, Defensin-1, and PGRP-S2), reduction of Nosema spore loads, and extension of honey bee life span. The results of our studies clearly indicate that silencing the host nkd gene can activate honey bee immune responses, suppress the reproduction of N. ceranae, and improve the overall health of honey bees. This study represents a novel host-derived therapeutic for honey bee disease treatment that merits further exploration. IMPORTANCEGiven the critical role of honey bees in the pollination of agricultural crops, it is urgent to develop strategies to prevent the colony decline induced by the infection of parasites/pathogens. Targeting parasites and pathogens directly by RNAi has been proven to be useful for controlling infections in honey bees, but little is known about the disease impacts of RNAi silencing of host factors. Here, we demonstrate that knocking down the honey bee immune repressor-encoding nkd gene can suppress the reproduction of N. ceranae and improve the overall health of honey bees, which highlights the potential role of host-derived and RNAi-based therapeutics in controlling the infections in honey bees. The information obtained from this study will have positive implications for honey bee disease management practices. E uropean honey bees, Apis mellifera, play a critical role in the pollination of important crops. However, honey bee populations have suffered high losses in much of the world (1), coincident with an increase in agricultural demand for honey bee pollination (2). Specifically, honey bee colony losses in the United States have been exacerbated since the report of colony collapse disorder (CCD), a syndrome that comprises large-scale, unexplained losses of managed honey bees (3-9). High levels of parasites and pathogens have been linked to the decline of honey bee colonies (10,11).Nosema is a genus of obligate, intracellular microsporidian parasite...

show abstract

“…To control another bee virus, Chinese Sacbrood Virus (CSBV), second instar Apis. cerana larvae were fed dsRNA targeting VP1 structural protein (Liu et al, 2010). Silencing of the target gene (VP1) was observed 12 h post feeding, but long-term effects of this treatment on the level of CSBV in A. cerana have not been evaluated.…”

Section: Disease Control In Honey Bee Coloniesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Analysis of gene function by selective gene silencing has been a powerful tool to dissect the complex mechanisms regulating biological processes involved in bee development, immunity, olfaction, learning and memory. Applied studies have focused on practical implementation of RNAi for control of honey bee diseases and parasites that cannot be achieved using conventional management techniques (Liu et al, 2010;Maori et al, 2009aMaori et al, , 2009bPaldi et al, 2010). Examples will include: 1) development of RNAi-based control for Nosema ceranae, an intracellular parasite infecting adult bees, and 2) development of an antiviral treatment to protect bees against Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) and Chinese Sacbrood Virus (CSBV).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%