Transcriptomic analysis of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) queen brain in response to pesticide exposure during development

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are the most economically and agriculturally important beneficial insect, supplying an estimated $15 billion annually to our agricultural economy, primarily through crop pollination. Unfortunately, honey bee health has been on the decline for many reasons, including poor queen quality, parasites and pathogens, and exposure to pesticides. The queen is the reproductive female of a colony. She is capable of living for 5+ years, laying up to 2,000 eggs a day. When the queen's health is at risk, colony-wide fitness and productivity is also at risk. Queen lifespan is currently decreasing, possibly due to pesticide exposure during queen development. The lipophilic wax in most commercial beekeeping operations across the U.S. is contaminated with various pesticides, including miticides used to treat devastating Varroa destructor mite levels. Recent work in the Rangel Lab has shown that exposure to pesticides at field-relevant levels has a significantly negative impact on: Drone (male) sperm viability, Queen mandibular gland chemical composition (important for communication and functioning; unpublished) Worker behavior (in progress), Queen egg-laying rates (unpublished), and Decreased protected antioxidative responses in the queen sperm storing organ. Because behavior is dictated by neural responses, it is unclear what role pesticides may have on the honey bee brain. Studying the queen brain transcriptome in response to pesticide exposure will elucidate important pathways for future studies.