ArticleCommunications biology2021
Trade-offs between sperm viability and immune protein expression in honey bee queens (Apis mellifera).
Article in Communications biology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed.
- Fertility Management in Pollinators: Queen Storage, Transport, and Reproductive Resilience inInsects · 2026Review
- Impact of Two Common Beekeeper-Applied Chemicals on Honey Bee Queen Fecundity and Gut Microbial Communities.Microbial ecology · 2026Article
- The evolution of the immune system of bees is defined by conservation, expansions, and losses.BMC biology · 2026Article
- A non-invasive method for profiling the gut microbiome and virome of honey bee queens.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Pheromone and morphometric features of honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens imported to Canada from around the globe.PloS one · 2026Article
- Integrative Omics and AI-Driven Systems Biology: Multilayer Networks DecodingJournal of proteome research · 2025Review
- Mating-induced patterns of spermathecal fluid protein expression in two eusocial insect species, Lasius niger and Apis mellifera.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Elevated virus infection of honey bee queens reduces methyl oleate production and destabilizes colony-level social structure.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Intergenerational Effects of Gamma Radiation on Biology and Transcriptome of Invasive Tomato Leaf Miner,Insects · 2025Article
- Article
- Effects of population density on immunity and reproduction in bean beetles Callosobruchus maculatus.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Review
- Honey bee egg composition changes seasonally and after acute maternal virus infection.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Review
- Review
- Factors affecting heat resilience of drone honey bees (Apis mellifera) and their sperm.PloS one · 2025Article
- Conserved and Unique Protein Expression Patterns Across Reproductive Stage Transitions in Social Hymenopteran Queens.Molecular ecology · 2024Article
- Differences in honeybee queen pheromones revealed by LC-MS/MS: Reassessing the honest signal hypothesis.iScience · 2024Article
- Common viral infections inhibit egg laying in honey bee queens and are linked to premature supersedure.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Metagenomic analysis of the honey bee queen microbiome reveals low bacterial diversity and Caudoviricetes phages.mSystems · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Queens of many social hymenoptera keep sperm alive within their specialized storage organ, the spermatheca, for years, defying the typical trade-off between lifespan and reproduction. However, whether honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens experience a trade-off between reproduction and immunity is unknown, and the biochemical processes underlying sperm viability are poorly understood. Here, we survey quality metrics and viral loads of honey bee queens from nine genetic sources. Queens rated as 'failed' by beekeepers had lower sperm viability, fewer sperm, and higher levels of sacbrood virus and black queen cell virus. Quantitative proteomics on N = 123 spermathecal fluid samples shows, after accounting for sperm count, health status, and apiary effects, five spermathecal fluid proteins significantly correlating with sperm viability: odorant binding protein (OBP)14, lysozyme, serpin 88Ea, artichoke, and heat-shock protein (HSP)10. The significant negative correlation of lysozyme-a conserved immune effector-with sperm viability is consistent with a reproduction vs. immunity trade-off in honey bee queens.
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