Project Number: 1275-21000-174-02
Project Type: Trust

Start Date: Sep 15, 2002
End Date: Sep 30, 2004

Objective:
Identify disease-related genes in honeybees by challenging honey bees with an important bacterial pathogen. Screen for variable expression of these genes across honey bee stock and life stages. Identify promising honey bee stock that shows disease resistance. Integrate these genetic tests with ongoing work involving the preservation and improvement of honey germplasm, in order to produce and maintain honey bees that are hardy against disease and show other desired traits. Project will also complement ongoing work on resistance by honey bees to parasites, by providing an integrated genomic route for achieving resistance to multiple honey bee threats.

Approach:
Larval honey bees will be challenged by oral feeding with spores of the bacterial pathogen Paenibacillus larvae (the causative agent of the important disease American Foulbrood). Subtractive cDNA libraries generated from the RNA of these larvae will be used to identify numerous genes turned on in response to bacterial challenge. Along with identifying genes specifically involved in the antibacterial response, these libraries should contain more general stress-related genes. Activity levels of these genes, and controls, will be assayed using genomic arrays. Honey bees of different ages and genetic backgrounds will be screened for activity. Single-gene assays for key genes will be developed to act as a quick tool for assessing honey bees. These assays will involve reverse-transcriptase-PCR or DNA-RNA hybridization (e.g., Northern blots), and will allow the economical and replicable determination of bee responses by Federal and University scientists.

Project Team

Evans, Jay

Project Annual Reports

FY 2003

Related National Programs

Plant, Microbial & Insect Genetic Res., Genomics, & Genetic Improv. I (301)   Crop Production (305)