Metabolomic Insights into Honey Bees: How Season, Caste, and Body Region Define Biochemical Profiles

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41210%2F25%3A102214" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41210/25:102214 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CdgEHiWx8tb3rgTngQqbi4dIwaqINLmg/view" target="_blank" >https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CdgEHiWx8tb3rgTngQqbi4dIwaqINLmg/view</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

čeština

Original language name

Metabolomic Insights into Honey Bees: How Season, Caste, and Body Region Define Biochemical Profiles

Original language description

As eusocial insects, honey bees (Apis mellifera) exhibit a lifespan that varies by season of emergence and caste. Summer worker bees live approximately 30 days, whereas winter bees can survive up to 300 days, similar to queens. Despite their critical role in global food security, honey bee metabolic adaptations to environmental and physiological factors remain underexplored. NMR-based metabolomics provides a powerful tool for investigating biochemical variations across seasons, castes, and anatomical regions. This study employed 1H NMR spectroscopy to analyze seasonal metabolic shifts, caste-specific metabolites, and body region-specific metabolic fingerprints. A total of 330 worker bee bodies were analyzed over one year to assess seasonal trends, while 40 workers (20 nurses, 20 foragers) and 15 queens were examined for caste- and body part-specific metabolomics (head, thorax, abdomen, gut, hemolymph). Samples were extracted in methanol and analyzed using a Bruker Avance III 500 MHz spectrometer, identifying approximately 70 metabolites via Chenomx NMR Suite 9.0. Seasonal analysis revealed a 13-fold increase in S-Methyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (SMCSO) in summer bees, likely derived from rapeseed nectar and pollen, along with a notable decrease in essential amino acids compared to autumn and winter season (Kruskal-Wallis test, q < 0.05). Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed clear metabolite distribution patterns across body parts and castes, supporting their functional specialization. In the caste comparison, workers and queens exhibited high 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (a royal jelly acid) in their heads, while workers had elevated 3-hydroxykynurenine, and queens had higher (2E)-9-oxodecenoic acid (a queen pheromone). Among workers, nurses’ heads contained significantly more glucose and fructose than foragers’ heads (Kruskal-Wallis test, q < 0.05). These findings provide novel insights into honey bee metabolic changes, indicating various physiological states, emphasizing the potential of NMR metabolomics in pollinator research. Funding: Czech Ministry of Agriculture (QK21010088) and METROFOOD-CZ, Czech Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (LM2023064).

Czech name

Metabolomic Insights into Honey Bees: How Season, Caste, and Body Region Define Biochemical Profiles

Czech description

As eusocial insects, honey bees (Apis mellifera) exhibit a lifespan that varies by season of emergence and caste. Summer worker bees live approximately 30 days, whereas winter bees can survive up to 300 days, similar to queens. Despite their critical role in global food security, honey bee metabolic adaptations to environmental and physiological factors remain underexplored. NMR-based metabolomics provides a powerful tool for investigating biochemical variations across seasons, castes, and anatomical regions. This study employed 1H NMR spectroscopy to analyze seasonal metabolic shifts, caste-specific metabolites, and body region-specific metabolic fingerprints. A total of 330 worker bee bodies were analyzed over one year to assess seasonal trends, while 40 workers (20 nurses, 20 foragers) and 15 queens were examined for caste- and body part-specific metabolomics (head, thorax, abdomen, gut, hemolymph). Samples were extracted in methanol and analyzed using a Bruker Avance III 500 MHz spectrometer, identifying approximately 70 metabolites via Chenomx NMR Suite 9.0. Seasonal analysis revealed a 13-fold increase in S-Methyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (SMCSO) in summer bees, likely derived from rapeseed nectar and pollen, along with a notable decrease in essential amino acids compared to autumn and winter season (Kruskal-Wallis test, q < 0.05). Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed clear metabolite distribution patterns across body parts and castes, supporting their functional specialization. In the caste comparison, workers and queens exhibited high 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (a royal jelly acid) in their heads, while workers had elevated 3-hydroxykynurenine, and queens had higher (2E)-9-oxodecenoic acid (a queen pheromone). Among workers, nurses’ heads contained significantly more glucose and fructose than foragers’ heads (Kruskal-Wallis test, q < 0.05). These findings provide novel insights into honey bee metabolic changes, indicating various physiological states, emphasizing the potential of NMR metabolomics in pollinator research. Funding: Czech Ministry of Agriculture (QK21010088) and METROFOOD-CZ, Czech Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (LM2023064).

Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

40101 - Agriculture

Project

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Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů