Greg Hunt

Purdue University West Lafayette | Purdue · Department of Entomology

This study was conducted to evaluate the Indiana “mite-biter” honey bee stock, which has been selected for increased mutilation of Varroa destructor mites (“mite biting” behavior). A comparison between colonies of the selected stock and colonies of unselected Italian bees showed that the proportion of mutilated mites, the severity of mutilations, a...

Little is known about the combined effects of stressors on social immunity of honey bees (Apis mellifera) and related gene expression. The interaction between sublethal doses of a neurotoxin, clothianidin, and the ectoparasite, Varroa destructor, was examined by measuring differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in brains, deformed wing virus (DWV) an...

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) grooming behavior is an important mechanism of resistance against the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. This research was conducted to study associations between grooming behavior and the expression of selected immune, neural, detoxification, developmental and health-related genes. Individual bees tested in a laboratory a...

Social insects are among the most successful and ecologically important animals on earth. The lifestyle of these insects has fascinated humans since prehistoric times. These species evolved a caste of workers that in most cases have no progeny. Some social insects have worker sub-castes that are morphologically specialized for discrete tasks. The o...

Background Varroa mites are widely considered the biggest honey bee health problem worldwide. Until recently, Varroa jacobsoni has been found to live and reproduce only in Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) colonies, while V. destructor successfully reproduces in both A. cerana and A. mellifera colonies. However, we have identified an island population...

The adaptive advantage of the eusocial lifestyle is evident from the fact that social insects represent more than half of the world's arthropod biomass. This topic explores how the recent advances in genomics and epigenomics are helping researchers to ask and answer questions concerning the evolution of social behavior and the genetic and epigeneti...

Fusarium graminearum Schwabe (Fusarium head blight, FHB) and Puccinia triticina Eriks (leaf rust) are two major fungal pathogens posing a continuous threat to the wheat crop; consequently, identifying resistance genes from various sources is always of importance to wheat breeders. We identified tightly linked single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) ma...

Significance Strong support for the theory of kin selection can come from predicting outcomes under circumstances of within-family conflict. Genes inherited from mothers (matrigenes) and fathers (patrigenes) usually work harmoniously in the offspring. However, kin selection theory predicts these genes may be in conflict over interactions among rela...

Hybrid effects are often exhibited asymmetrically between reciprocal families. One way this could happen is if silencing of one parent’s allele occurs in one lineage but not the other, which could affect the phenotypes of the hybrids asymmetrically by silencing that allele in only one of the hybrid families. We have previously tested for allele-spe...

Increasingly, studies demonstrate significant intra-specific variation in genome-wide recombination rates, supporting the notion that local rates of meiotic recombination are evolving. The honey bee, Apis mellifera, exhibits the highest rate of recombination across the genome among multicellular animals. Multiple linkage maps have been constructed...

Parent-specific gene expression (PSGE) is little known outside of mammals and plants. PSGE occurs when the expression level of a gene depends on whether an allele was inherited from the mother or the father. Kin selection theory predicts that there should be extensive PSGE in social insects because social insect parents can gain inclusive fitness b...

Meiotic recombination has traditionally been explained based on the structural requirement to stabilize homologous chromosome pairs to ensure their proper meiotic segregation. Competing hypotheses seek to explain the emerging findings of significant heterogeneity in recombination rates within and between genomes, but intraspecific comparisons of ge...

Invasive Africanized honey bees are hybrids between African and European subspecies (primarily Apis mellifera scutellata and A.m. ligustica). Hybrids produced from genetically isolated lineages form two reciprocal families, equivalent in their nuclear genomic makeup but differing in their mitochondrial origin, based on the mother’s lineage. The mit...

Varroa mites are considered the biggest health problem that honey bees face worldwide. Varroa jacobsoni is known to only live and reproduce in drone brood of Apis cerana while V. destructor is known to live and successfully reproduce in both A. cerana and A. mellifera. However, we have samples of V. jacobsoni from a small island population found in...

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome from an Africanized honey bee population (AHB, derived from Apis mellifera scutellata) was assembled and analyzed. The mitogenome is 16,411 bp long and contains the same gene repertoire and gene order as the European honey bee (13 protein coding genes, 22 tRNA genes and 2 rRNA genes). ND4 appears to use an...

The first generation of genome sequence assemblies and annotations have had a significant impact upon our understanding of the biology of the sequenced species, the phylogenetic relationships among species, the study of populations within and across species, and have informed the biology of humans. As only a few Metazoan genomes are approaching fin...

Populations of honey bees in North America have been experiencing high annual colony mortality for 15-20 years. Many apicultural researchers believe that introduced parasites called Varroa mites (V. destructor) are the most important factor in colony deaths. One important resistance mechanism that limits mite population growth in colonies is the ab...

Varroa mites (V. destructor) are a major threat to honey bees (Apis melilfera) and beekeeping worldwide and likely lead to colony decline if colonies are not treated. Most treatments involve chemical control of the mites; however, Varroa has evolved resistance to many of these miticides, leaving beekeepers with a limited number of alternatives. A n...

Probe sequences used for genotyping that fall within the 1.5-LOD support interval. (DOCX)

Complete list of candidate genes for QTL region on chromosome 1. (DOCX)

Complete list of candidate genes for QTL region on chromosome 9. (DOCX)

Sequence of probes in Figure 1 . (DOCX)

A fundamental problem in meta-analysis is how to systematically combine information from multiple statistical tests to rigorously evaluate a single overarching hypothesis. This problem occurs in systems biology when attempting to map genomic attributes to complex phenotypes such as behavior. Behavior and other complex phenotypes are influenced by i...

In order to identify genes that are influencing defensive behaviors, we have taken a new approach by dissecting colony-level defensive behavior into individual behavioral measurements using two families containing backcross workers from matings involving European and Africanized bees. We removed the social context from stinging behavior by using a...

Populations of honey bees and other pollinators have declined worldwide in recent years. A variety of stressors have been implicated as potential causes, including agricultural pesticides. Neonicotinoid insecticides, which are widely used and highly toxic to honey bees, have been found in previous analyses of honey bee pollen and comb material. How...

This study was conducted to detect binary trait loci (BTLs) that influence the expression of hygienic behavior of individual honey bee workers and to locate genetic markers that are associated to these BTLs on a genetic map derived from bees that perform hygienic behavior of a backcross colony. Samples of workers that perform hygienic behavior and...

Keywordschewed mites– Varroa destructor – Apis mellifera

Honey bee virology has advanced significantly in recent years but improvements in honey bee health are still developing. Studies performed in the 1970s showed it was possible to select for resistance to the virus that causes hairless black syndrome (now known to be one type of chronic bee paralysis virus), but we know of no other study to look at r...

Contigs identified as deriving from a novel virus of the Baculoviridae. Fasta-formatted contigs were classified as described in text. Also included are the methionine-initiated ORFs of 90 codons or more that are referenced in Table 3.

ORFs referenced in Additional file 3and Additonal file 4. Fasta-formatted ORFs from V. destructor contigs that had significant sequence similarity to database sequences.

Annotation statistics for filtered high G+C contigs. Annotation statistics derived from the BLAST2GO annotation tool [34]. A. Distribution of BLASTX hits (E ≤ 10-10) by organism. Note that the "Others" category is typically the most abundant in this type of analysis because of the wide taxonomic distributions of many conserved proteins. B. Distribu...

BLAST-annotated Varroa contigs. Spreadsheet of Varroa destructor genomic contigs with significant similarity to the GenBank nr database by BLAST search.

Comparison of ORF codon usage for contigs assigned as either Varroa destructor or bacterial in origin. Scatterplot comparing G+C content and codon usage of ORFs from contigs assigned as either Varroa destructor or bacterial. The X-axis value is third position G+C and the Y-axis value is the codon usage statistic B [62], which as used here is a meas...

Microsatellite loci used in Varroa destructor polymorphism survey. Table lists contig containing the microsatellite locus, forward and reverse primer sequences, expected product size based on the reference contig, and the 5' start coordinate on the contig for the forward primer.

ORFs with Pfam domains. Spreadsheet of significant Pfam domains within ORFs having BLASTP-detected similarity to GenBank sequences.

The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor has emerged as the primary pest of domestic honey bees (Apis mellifera). Here we present an initial survey of the V. destructor genome carried out to advance our understanding of Varroa biology and to identify new avenues for mite control. This sequence survey provides immediate resources for molecular and p...

Breeding for resistance to Varroa destructor in North America provides the long-term solution to the economic troubles the mite brings. This review reports the development of two breeding successes that have produced honey bees of commercial quality that do not require pesticide treatment to control Varroa, highlights other traits that could be com...

A prominent theory states that animal phenotypes arise by evolutionary changes in gene regulation, but the extent to which this theory holds true for behavioral evolution is not known. Because “nature and nurture” are now understood to involve hereditary and environmental influences on gene expression, we studied whether environmental influences on...

Genetic correlations for behavioral characteristics and forewing length of worker honey bees, Apis mellifera L., were estimated. All characteristics associated with defensive behavior were correlated with each other. The tendency of bees to fly off the combs was correlated with their tendency to run on the combs, and with stinging behavior. Tendenc...

Invertebrate models have greatly furthered our understanding of ethanol sensitivity and alcohol addiction. The honey bee (Apis mellifera), a widely used behavioral model, is valuable for comparative studies. A quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping experiment was designed to identify QTL and genes influencing ethanol vapor sensitivity. A backcross...

Several candidate genes identified from quantitative trait loci (QTL) for defensive behavior in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) are homologous to genes known to influence ethanol sensitivity in other organisms. To investigate this possible link between aggression/defense and ethanol sensitivity, assays were developed to evaluate ethanol vapor respon...

Summary Queen honey bees were fed Nosema apis spores in sucrose solution, returned to their hives, and examined later for N. apis infection by a polymerase chain reaction test. Eggs, larvae and pupae from the hives were also examined for infection on three observation dates during a 39 day period following the inoculation of the queens. Six of seve...

This study was conducted to analyze the stinging response thresholds of individual European and Africanized worker honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) to electrical stimulation. Newly emerged workers were identified, and either were placed into an incubator, into their natal colonies, or cross-fostered in common colonies of European or Africanized ancest...

Queen honey bees were fed Nosema apis spores in sucrose solution, returned to their hives, and examined later for N. apis infection by a polymerase chain reaction test. Eggs, larvae and pupae from the hives were also examined for infection on three observation dates during a 39 day period following the inoculation of the queens. Six of seven surviv...

Honeybees have an exceptionally high recombination frequency in comparison with other organisms. They also have a life history in which behavior, rather than physiology dominates their ability to adapt and survive in various climates. These two traits make honeybees ideal model organisms for studying the genetics of behavior. This chapter summarize...

Honey bee nest defense involves guard bees that specialize in olfaction-based nestmate recognition and alarm-pheromone-mediated recruitment of nestmates to sting. Stinging is influenced by visual, tactile and olfactory stimuli. Both quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and behavioral studies point to guarding behavior as a key factor in colony st...

The honeybee has been the most important insect species for study of social behavior. The recently released draft genomic sequence for the bee will accelerate honeybee behavioral genetics. Although we lack sufficient tools to manipulate this genome easily, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that influence natural variation in behavior have been identif...

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) provide a principal example of diphenic development. Excess feeding of female larvae results in queens (large reproductives). Moderate diet yields workers (small helpers). The signaling pathway that links provisioning to female developmental fate is not understood, yet we reasoned that it could include TOR (target of rap...

The first draft of the honey bee genome sequence and improved genetic maps are utilized to analyze a genome displaying 10 times higher levels of recombination (19 cM/Mb) than previously analyzed genomes of higher eukaryotes. The exceptionally high recombination rate is distributed genome-wide, but varies by two orders of magnitude. Analysis of chro...

ARTICLES Insights into social insects from the genome of the honeybee Apis mellifera The Honeybee Genome Sequencing Consortium* Here we report the genome sequence of the honeybee Apis mellifera, a key model for social behaviour and essential to global ecology through pollination. Compared with other sequenced insect genomes, the A. mellifera genome...

Here we report the genome sequence of the honeybee Apis mellifera, a key model for social behaviour and essential to global ecology through pollination. Compared with other sequenced insect genomes, the A. mellifera genome has high A+T and CpG contents, lacks major transposon families, evolves more slowly, and is more similar to vertebrates for cir...

Ce travail résulte de la collaboration de très nombreux chercheurs. Seuls les auteurs de la rubrique Physical and Genetic Mapping sont cités explicitement.

One of the best examples of a natural behavioral syndrome is the pollen-hoarding syndrome in honeybees that ties together multiple behavioral phenotypes, ranging from foraging behavior to behavioral ontogeny and learning performance. A central behavioral factor is the bees' responsiveness to sucrose, measured as their proboscis extension reflex. Th...

Here we report the genome sequence of the honeybee Apis mellifera, a key model for social behaviour and essential to global ecology through pollination. Compared with other sequenced insect genomes, the A. mellifera genome has high A+T and CpG contents, lacks major transposon families, evolves more slowly, and is more similar to vertebrates for cir...

The defensive behavior of 52 hybrid honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies from four sets of crosses was studied and compared with that of European and Africanized bee colonies. Colonies containing F(1) hybrid workers were obtained through reciprocal crosses between European and Africanized bees. The total number of stings deposited by workers in a...

One key advantage of eusociality is shared defense of the nest, brood, and stored food; nest defense plays an important role in the biology of eusocial bees. Recent studies on honey bees, Apis mellifera, have focused on the placement of defensive activity in the overall scheme of division of labor, showing that guard bees play a unique and importan...

This study was conducted to detect binary trait loci (BTLs) that influence guarding behavior of individual honey bees, Apis mellifera L., and to locate genetic markers that are associated with these BTLs on genetic maps derived from guard bees from two reciprocal backcross colonies. Samples of guards and control bees were taken from two backcross c...

We analyzed the relationships of the guarding, stinging, pursuing and alarm pheromone responses of two types of bees: European (EHB) and Africanized honey bees (AHB). Single type (source colonies) and two-type (EHB and AHB co-fostered) colonies were used. Of co-fostered bees, AHB comprised 81% of those that stung during the first 10 s. But from 10...

Worker and queen honey bees were fed individually with Nosema apis spores in sucrose solution and then returned to cages containing several hundred of their worker bee nestmates. After 3 to 7 days, the workers and queens that had been fed spores were sacrificed. Worker and queen ventriculi were removed and examined for spores by light microscopy, a...

We have sequenced an 81-kb genomic region from the honey bee, Apis mellifera, associated with a quantitative trait locus (QTL) sting-2 for aggressive behavior. This sequence represents the first extensive study of the honey-bee genome structure encompassing putative genes in a QTL for a behavioral trait. Expression of 13 putative genes, as well as...

Honeybees have an age-based division of labour that is influenced by genetic variability for the tendency to perform specific tasks. Individuals in a honeybee colony comprise diverse genotypes and their interactions can influence task allocation. Colonies from an African race (Africanized honeybees, AHB, Apis mellifera scutellata Ruttner) usually p...