Two different types of acetylcholinesterae (AChE1 and AChE2) are present in majority of insects, including the Western honey bee. Out of the two honey bee AChEs (AmAChEs), the soluble AmAChE1 with little catalytic activity is widely distributed in both neuronal and non-neuronal tissues, including fat body. In this study, to identify stresss factors that can induce AmAChE expression, we tested various conditions that honey bees can encounter in natural setting, including heat shock, cold shock, bacterial challenge (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) and Varroa mite infestations, and evaluated their effects on AmAChE expression. Among the stress factors tested, only heat shock condition induced AmAChE expression in a dose dependet manner. This finding suggests that one function of AmAChE1 is related with thermoregulations, especially against heat shock stress in honey bees.

• Sang Hyeon Kim(Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul Korea)
• Jae Ho Lee(Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul Korea)
• Seung Hee Han(Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul Korea)
• Si Hyeock Lee(Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul Korea)