Allele frequencies of genetic variants associated with Varroa drone brood resistance (DBR) in Apis mellifera subspecies across the European continent

Regis Lefebre; Lina De Smet; Anja Tehel; Robert J. Paxton; Emma Bossuyt; Wim Verbeke; Coby van Dooremalen; Zeynep N. Ulgezen; Trudy van den Bosch; Famke Schaafsma; Dirk-Jan Valkenburg; Raffaele Dall’Olio; Cedric Alaux; Daniel S. Dezmirean; Alexandru I. Giurgiu; Nuno Capela; Sandra Simoes; José Paulo Sousa; Martin Bencsik; Adam McVeigh; Michael Thomas Ramsey; Sausan Ahmad; Tarun Kumar; Marc O Schäfer; Alexis Beaurepaire; Arrigo Moro; Claude Flener; Severine Matthijs; Dirk C de Graaf

doi:10.3390/insects15060419

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Allele frequencies of genetic variants associated with Varroa drone brood resistance (DBR) in Apis mellifera subspecies across the European continent

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Allele frequencies of genetic variants associated with Varroa drone brood resistance (DBR) in Apis mellifera subspecies across the European continent

Regis Lefebre, Lina De Smet, Anja Tehel, Robert J. Paxton, Emma Bossuyt, Wim Verbeke, Coby van Dooremalen, Zeynep N. Ulgezen, Trudy van den Bosch, Famke Schaafsma, …

Insects, Vol.15(6), 419

2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15060419

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Abstract

Biology and Life Sciences

DESTRUCTOR MITES

genetic markers

HONEY-BEE

HOST

HYMENOPTERA

IBERIENSIS

JACOBSONI

marker-assisted selection

MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA VARIATION

PARASITE

REPRODUCTION

suppressed mite reproduction

varroa mite non-reproduction

western honey bee

Implementation of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in modern beekeeping would improve sustainability, especially in breeding programs aiming for resilience against the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Selecting honey bee colonies for natural resistance traits, such as brood-intrinsic suppression of varroa mite reproduction, reduces the use of chemical acaricides while respecting local adaptation. In 2019, eight genomic variants associated with varroa non-reproduction in drone brood were discovered in a single colony from the Amsterdam Water Dune population in the Netherlands. Recently, a new study tested the applicability of these eight genetic variants for the same phenotype on a population-wide scale in Flanders, Belgium. As the properties of some variants varied between the two studies, one hypothesized that the difference in genetic ancestry of the sampled colonies may underly these contribution shifts. In order to frame this, we determined the allele frequencies of the eight genetic variants in more than 360 Apis mellifera colonies across the European continent and found that variant type allele frequencies of these variants are primarily related to the A. mellifera subspecies or phylogenetic honey bee lineage. Our results confirm that population-specific genetic markers should always be evaluated in a new population prior to using them in MAS programs.

Details

Title: Allele frequencies of genetic variants associated with Varroa drone brood resistance (DBR) in Apis mellifera subspecies across the European continent
Authors/Creators: Regis Lefebre
Lina De Smet
Anja Tehel
Robert J. Paxton
Emma Bossuyt
Wim Verbeke
Coby van Dooremalen
Zeynep N. Ulgezen
Trudy van den Bosch
Famke Schaafsma
Dirk-Jan Valkenburg
Raffaele Dall’Olio
Cedric Alaux
Daniel S. Dezmirean
Alexandru I. Giurgiu
Nuno Capela
Sandra Simoes
José Paulo Sousa
Martin Bencsik
Adam McVeigh
Michael Thomas Ramsey
Sausan Ahmad
Tarun Kumar
Marc O Schäfer
Alexis Beaurepaire
Arrigo Moro
Claude Flener
Severine Matthijs
Dirk C de Graaf
Publication Details: Insects, Vol.15(6), 419
Publisher: MDPI
Number of pages: 18
Identifiers: 991005790873007891
Murdoch Affiliation: Harry Butler Institute
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Citation topics: 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology; 3.32 Entomology; 3.32.750 Bee Ecology
Web Of Science research areas: Entomology
ESI research areas: Plant & Animal Science