Data from: Development of a 44K SNP Assay focussing on the analysis of a varroa specific defense behavior in honey bees (Apis mellifera carnica)

Honey bees are exposed to a number of damaging pathogens and parasites.
The most destructive among them is maybe Varroa destructor. A promising
approach to prevent its spread is to breed for Varroa tolerant honey bees.
A trait which has been shown to provide significant resistance against the
Varroa mite is hygienic behavior, a behavioral response of honey bee
workers to brood diseases in general. This study reports the development
of a 44K SNP-assay, specifically designed for the analysis of hygienic
behavior of individual worker bees (Apis mellifera carnica) directed
against Varroa destructor. Initially, 70,000 SNPs published by the Honey
Bee Genome Project were validated for their suitability in the analysis of
Varroa tolerance. This was achieved by genotyping of pooled DNA-samples of
trait bearers and two trait-negative controls. Roughly 36,000 of these
validated SNPs and another 8,000 SNPs not validated in this study were
selected for the construction of a SNP-assay. This assay will be employed
to analyze individualized DNA-samples in order to identify quantitative
trait loci (QTL) involved in the control of the investigated trait.
However, this assay is not just suitable to study Varroa tolerance, it is
as well applicable to analyze any other trait in honey bees. In addition,
because of its high density, this assay provides access into genomic
selection with respect to several traits considered in honey bee breeding.
It will become publicly available via AROS Applied Biotechnology AS,
Aarhus, Denmark before the end of the year 2011.

西方蜜蜂会受到多种致病病原体与寄生虫的侵扰。其中破坏性最强的当属狄斯瓦螨（Varroa destructor）。防控其传播的一种极具前景的策略，是培育抗瓦螨的蜜蜂品系。
已被证实可对瓦螨产生显著抗性的性状之一为卫生行为（hygienic behavior），即工蜂针对幼虫病害的一般性行为响应。
本研究报道了一款44K单核苷酸多态性（Single Nucleotide Polymorphism）分型检测芯片的开发过程，该芯片专为分析卡尼鄂拉蜂（Apis mellifera carnica）工蜂针对狄斯瓦螨的卫生行为而设计。
研究初期，研究人员对蜜蜂基因组计划（Honey Bee Genome Project）已发表的70000个单核苷酸多态性位点进行了适配性验证，以用于瓦螨抗性相关分析。该验证通过对携带目标性状的个体DNA混合样本与两份性状阴性对照样本开展基因分型完成。
最终筛选出约36000个经验证合格的单核苷酸多态性位点，以及本研究中未经过验证的8000个位点，用于构建这款SNP分型检测芯片。
该芯片将被用于分析单一个体的DNA样本，以定位与所研究性状调控相关的数量性状位点（Quantitative Trait Locus）。不过，这款芯片不仅可用于瓦螨抗性相关研究，同样适用于蜜蜂其他性状的分析。
此外，由于其高密度标记特性，该芯片可为蜜蜂育种中多项目标性状的基因组选择提供技术支撑。
该芯片将于2011年底前通过丹麦奥胡斯市的AROS应用生物技术公司（AROS Applied Biotechnology AS）向公众开放。