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Title:   Author  item
                                            BARRIBEAU, SETH - Eth Zurichitem
                                            SADD, BEN - Illinois State Universityitem
                                            DU PLESSIS, LOUIS - Eth Zurichitem
                                            BROWN, MARK - University Of Londonitem
                                            BUECHEL, SEVERINE - Eth Zurichitem
                                            CAROLAN, JAMES - National University Of Irelanditem
                                            CHRISTIAENS, OLIVIER - Ghent Universityitem
                                            COLGAN, THOMAS - Trinity Collegeitem
                                            ERLER, SILVIO - University Of Agricultural Sciences And Veterinary Medicine - Romaniaitem
                                            Evans, Jayitem
                                            HELBING, SOPHIE - Martin Luther Universityitem
                                            KARAUS, ELKE - Eth Zurichitem
                                            LATTORFF, MICHAEL - Martin Luther Universityitem
                                            MARXER, MONIKA - Eth Zurichitem
                                            MEEUS, IVAN - Ghent Universityitem
                                            NAPFLIN, KATHRIN - Eth Zurichitem
                                            SCHMID-HEMPEL, REGULA - Eth Zurichitem
                                            SMAGGHE, GUY - Ghent Universityitem
                                            WATERHOUSE, ROBERT - University Of Genevaitem
                                            YU, NA - Ghent Universityitem
                                            ZDOBNOV, EVGENY - University Of Genevaitem
                                            SCHMID-HEMPEL, PAUL - Eth Zurich
  Submitted to: Genome Biology
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 3/11/2015
                                    Publication  Date: 4/24/2015
                                    Citation: Barribeau, S.M., Sadd, B.M., Du Plessis, L., Brown, M.J., Buechel, S.D., Carolan, J.C., Christiaens, O., Colgan, T.J., Erler, S., Evans, J.D., Helbing, S., Karaus, E., Lattorff, M.G., Marxer, M., Meeus, I., Napflin, K., Schmid-Hempel, R., Smagghe, G., Waterhouse, R.M., Yu, N., Zdobnov, E.M., Schmid-Hempel, P. 2015. A depauperate immune repertoire precedes evolution of sociality in bees. Genome Biology. 16:83.Interpretive Summary: Social insects defend themselves against parasites and pathogens using behaviour and physiological defenses. This study explores immune defense found in honey bees, two bumble bee species and a solitary pollinator, the alfalfa leafcutting bee. All of these groups show a similar set of immune genes, stressing the importance of immunity across the bees, and indicating additional targets for selection of robust honey bees for agriculture.
                                Technical Abstract: Sociality has many rewards, but it can also be dangerous, as high population density and low genetic diversity, common in many social insects, is ideal for parasite transmission. Social insects may therefore be expected to have evolved a specialised immune arsenal to guard against this threat. Surprisingly, the honeybee genome, which was the first social insect genome sequenced, revealed a dramatic reduction in the number of canonical immune-related genes relative to the genomes of solitary insects. Social protection from infection, including behavioural responses, may explain the honeybee's depauperate immune repertoire. Here we describe the immunological properties based on full genome sequencing of two ecologically and commercially important species of bumblebees (Bombus impatiens and B. terrestris) separated by ~18 million years and the Atlantic Ocean. We find remarkable similarity among the immune systems of these bumblebees and to those of the western honeybee (Apis mellifera), the dwarf honeybee (A. florea), and the solitary leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) across 27 immune-related gene families suggesting that a reduced immune repertoire predates the evolution of sociality in bees. Bumblebees diverged from Apis and Megachile ~70 and ~105 MYA respectively. The evolution of behavioural defences to parasitism thus appear to have emerged after the evolution of high-density insect societies comprised of highly-related individuals, rather than being a precondition for such evolution. Transcriptional assays confirm the activity of a number of these predicted immune genes in an immunological context, including several novel genes. These differences may reflect the divergent pressures exerted by parasites across social contexts.


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