Abstract
The mite Varroa destructor is an obligatory ectoparasite of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and is one of the major threats to apiculture worldwide. We previously reported that honey bees fed on double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) with a sequence homologous to that of the Israeli acute paralysis virus are protected from the viral disease. Here we show that dsRNA ingested by bees is transferred to the Varroa mite and from mite on to a parasitized bee. This cross-species, reciprocal exchange of dsRNA between bee and Varroa engendered targeted gene silencing in the latter, and resulted in an over 60% decrease in the mite population. Thus, transfer of gene-silencing-triggering molecules between this invertebrate host and its ectoparasite could lead to a conceptually novel approach to Varroa control.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Bees / genetics*
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Bees / parasitology
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Biological Control Agents*
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Blotting, Northern
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Gene Silencing*
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Host-Parasite Interactions / genetics
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Host-Parasite Interactions / immunology*
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RNA Interference
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RNA, Double-Stranded / administration & dosage*
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RNA, Messenger / genetics
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Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Varroidae / pathogenicity*
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Varroidae / physiology
Substances
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Biological Control Agents
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RNA, Double-Stranded
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RNA, Messenger
Grants and funding
This work was supported in part by in-house funds of the B. Triwaks Bee Research Center, by Beeologics LLC, by USAID-MERC (grant no. TAMOU-08-M29-076) and by the Clore Israel Foundation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.