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Effects of pesticide exposure on task gene expression level and nursing behavior in nurse bees of honey bee, Apis mellifera
The adult of honey bee, Apis mellifera, performs an age-dependent division of labor with nurse bees and foragers. Foragers fly outside the hive to collect pollen and nectar, while nurses feed and care for the larvae and queen inside the hive. Foragers are considered to be frequently exposed to agrochemicals, although nurses, stayed inside the hive, are potentially exposed to pesticides through application of miticides and pesticidecontaminated food provided by forager. Therefore, physiological effects of pesticides to nurses should be elucidated to understand the adverse effects of the chemicals on entire honey bee colony. In this study, we investigated the expression changes of the genes associated with labor division (task genes) and the nursing behavior of nurse bees fed four pesticides: acetamiprid (ACE), carbaryl (CB), imidacloprid (IMI), and fenitrothion (FEN). When nurses were exposed to ACE, IMI, and FEN, expression levels of task genes were up- and down-regulated, and their nursing behaviors were also suppressed and enhanced, respectively. CB did not alter the gene expression levels, however increased nursing behavior. These suggest the potential of pesticide that breaks the balance of labor distribution in honey bee colony.
