Progress 06/01/20 to 10/18/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The data collected from this project will be received by academic, industry, and government scientists interested in developing novel therapeutics to enhance honey bee health and sustainability through enhanced immune function. In addition, apiculturists and stakeholders will benefit from this work as we will identify novel approaches for reduced virus mortality. Changes/Problems:Covid was a limitation to completing some of the aims as anticipated, but we think we have nearly gotten back to the anticipated timeline proposed in the funded study. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided funding for a PhD degree of one student (Christopher Fellows) and funded an undergraduate student for the duration of the year that developed an in vitro mite feeding assay for virus infection. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Covid delayed the completion of 2 manuscripts from data collected in 2020 and 2021, but these manuscripts have been submitted and are currently under review. We have 2 additional manuscripts that are being prepared and planned to be submitted by end of 2022. The students and myself have all given invited seminars at international symposia that focused on honey bee health and pollinator biology. We have also presented this work at University Research Days What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to finish the studies pertaining to K+ channel regulation of antiviral immune pathways and also complete analysis of the very large field study that was recently completed. We also plan to continue progressing on the molecular physiology of KATP channels to antiviral immunity through survivorship studies, immunolocalization of virus haborage, and alterations of immune factors after exposure to vairous chemical agents. While these studies are nearly complete, optimization and expansion of data sets is needed for future progression to new directions
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In year 3 of this study, we have completed the second year of the field study that tested at total of 90 colonies with natural infection as well as innoculated virus without and with exposure to KATP modualtors. Data are still being analyzed, but the trends appear to show that colonies treated with KATP modulators had a significnat reduction of DWV-A, DWV-B, BQCV, LSV-1, and LSV-2. These data are highly provocative and indicate that the laboratory data collected in Years 1 and 2 can translate to the field and represents a first in class group of chemicals that can be used to reduce viral loads in honey bees. This satisfies aim 3 of the proposed work. In addition, we have screened 3 miticides with effects to generation of reactive oxygen species and survivorship of IAPV. Data are being finalized and collated into a mansucript, but it appears as though the three miticides studied increased IAPV mediated mortality. An offshoot of this work is the development of an in vitro feeding assay of mites that can be used to measure feeding behavior as well as horizontal transmission and acquisition of viruses. We plan to use this assay to measure changes to viral acquisition and antiviral activity of K+ modulators in a high throughput manner.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Grace Cottingham*, Christopher J Fellows, Daniel R Swale. 2022. Development of feeding assays to identify novel antifeedant molecules for the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor. Undergraduate Research Day, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, USA.
Christopher Fellows*, Troy D. Anderson and Daniel R. Swale. 2019. Role of potassium ion channels in the regulation of reactive oxygen species during viral infection in honey bees. Entomological Society of America, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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Progress 06/01/21 to 05/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience: The data collected from this project will be received by academic, industry, and government scientists interested in developing novel therapeutics to enhance honey bee health and sustainability through enhanced immune function. In addition, apiculturists and stakeholders will benefit from this work as we will identify novel approaches for reduced virus mortality. Changes/Problems:Covid was a limitation to completing some of the aims as anticipated, but we think we have nearly gotten back to the anticipated timeline proposed in the funded study. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided funding for a PhD degree of one student (Christopher Fellows) and funded an undergrduate student for thd duration of the year that developed an in vitro mite feeding assay for virus infection. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Covid delayed the completion of 2 manuscripts from data collected in 2020 and 2021, but these manuscripts have been submitted and are currently under review. We have 2 additional mansucripts that are being prepared and planned to be submitted by end of 2022. The students and myself have all given invited seminars at international symposia that focused on honey bee health and pollinator biology. We have also presented this work at University Research Days What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to finish the studies pertaining to K+ channel regulation of antiviral immune pathways and also complete analysis of the very large field study that was recently completed. We also plan to continue progressing on the molecular physiology of KATP channels to antiviral immunity through survivorship studies, immunolocalization of virus haborage, and alterations of immune factors after exposure to vairous chemical agents. While these studies are nearly complete, optimization and expansion of data sets is needed for future progression to new directions
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In year 3 of this study, we have completed the second year of the field study that tested at total of 90 colonies with natural infection as well as innoculated virus without and with exposure to KATP modualtors. Data are still being analyzed, but the trends appear to show that colonies treated with KATP modulators had a significnat reduction of DWV-A, DWV-B, BQCV, LSV-1, and LSV-2. These data are highly provocative and indicate that the laboratory data collected in Years 1 and 2 can translate to the field and represents a first in class group of chemicals that can be used to reduce viral loads in honey bees. This satisfies aim 3 of the proposed work. In addition, we have screened 3 miticides with effects to generation of reactive oxygen species and survivorship of IAPV. Data are being finalized and collated into a mansucript, but it appears as though the three miticides studied increased IAPV mediated mortality. An offshoot of this work is the development of an in vitro feeding assay of mites that can be used to measure feeding behavior as well as horizontal transmission and acquisition of viruses. We plan to use this assay to measure changes to viral acquisition and antiviral activity of K+ modulators in a high throughput manner.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Grace Cottingham*, Christopher J Fellows, Daniel R Swale. 2022. Development of feeding assays to identify novel antifeedant molecules for the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor. Undergraduate Research Day, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
Christopher Fellows*, Troy D. Anderson and Daniel R. Swale. 2019. Role of potassium ion channels in the regulation of reactive oxygen species during viral infection in honey bees. Entomological Society of America, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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Progress 06/01/20 to 05/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The data collected from this project will be received by academic, industry, and government scientists interested in developing novel therapeutics to enhance honey bee health and sustainability through enhanced immune function. In addition, apiculturists and stakeholders will benefit from this work as we will identify novel approaches for reduced virus mortality. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have hired one PhD graduate student from this award at LSU and one graduate student from UNL has been hired. In addition, the Anderson and Swale Labs have built an infrastructure for shared learning between labs that will facilitate enhanced graduate student eductaion in each PDs respective research expertise. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have submitted on publication on the role of herbicides/miticides altering metabolic detoxicifation enzyme activity to alter organohphosphate toxicity. In addition, we have prepared a very large manuscript for publication to highlight KATP channels as a target for antivirals to enhance honey bees. We anticipate submission of the field study in the next funding period. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to continue progressing on the molecular physiology of KATP channels to antiviral immunity through survivorship studies, immunolocalization of virus haborage, and alterations of immune factors after exposure to vairous chemical agents. We also are continuing the second round of field trials that will be complete fall 2022. These data will drive the sucecss of Goals 1, 2, and 3.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have spent the past 3 months finalizing the first publication that will result from this project that has validated a correlation between KATP channels and honey bee antiviral immunity to IAPV virus. We have begun translating thesedata to DWV, which is the premise of this project and Goal 1.In addition, we have developed the assays neededto study the influence of small-molecule chemistry and ROS levels to individual and colony immunity, which is needed to address Goal 2. Data are complete and are in the process of collating for publication. In 2021, we performed a large field study with 60 colonies to assess the potential of KATP activation through pharmacology to reduce the viral load of natural infection across the entire field season, which directly addresses Goal 3. This experiment has been completed and data are currently being analyzed. We plan to repeat this field study in spring 2022 to provide an additional replicate and to make minor modifications to study design to ensure accuracy. In addition to the proposed objectives, we have aimed to identify tissuees that are infected with IAPV, which has been published by othe groups but only 5 tissues were examined. We focused on the heart, or dorsal vessel, because it is a tissue known to be involved in immune responses. We have identified IAPV infects cardiac cells and uses the contraction of the heart tissue for disersal and infection of hemocytes. We have also showed that IAPV uses hemocytes as a cell for replication, which is novel.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Chris Fellows, Troy D Anderson, Daniel R Swale. 2021, submitted.
Acute toxicity of atrazine, alachlor, and chlorpyrifos mixtures to honey bees. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology
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