Zinc supplementation modifies brain tissue transcriptome of Apis mellifera honeybees

The total RNA extract from the brain tissue of nurse bees exposed to different sources and concentration of zinc was sequenced. A total of 1172 genes in treatment that received inorganic source of zinc and 502 genes that received organic source of zinc were found differentially expressed among the control group. The gene ontology enrichment showed that zinc can modulate important biological processes such as nutrients metabolism and molting process. Our results indicate that zinc supplementation modulates the expression of many differentially expressed genes with an important role in the development of Apis mellifera bees. All the information obtained in this study can contribute to future research in the field of bee nutrigenomics.