Meeting Abstract
P1.54 Saturday, Jan. 4 15:30 Understanding how honey bee flight and senescence are connected through oxidative stress. MARGOTTA, J.W.*; ROBERTS, S.P.; ELEKONICH, M.M.; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Central Michigan University; University of Nevada, Las Vegas margotta@unlv.nevada.edu
The goal of this study was to exploit the tractability of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) model to understand how the physiological and cellular mechanisms that determine the onset and duration of senescence are shaped by behavioral development and behavioral intensity revealing how behavior can damage a cell and consequently limit lifespan. The honey bee represents the ideal model to address these factors because age, behavior, functional senescence, and lifespan are easily manipulated independently of each other while in its natural environment. First, we determined if there was a cause-effect relationship between honey bee flight and oxidative stress by comparing damage accrued from intense flight bouts to damage accrued from galactose treatment, which is a known proxy of oxidative stress in other insects. Second, we experimentally manipulated the duration and intensity of honey bee flight across a range of ages to determine their effects on ROS accumulation and the associated enzymatic antioxidant protective mechanisms. In bees fed galactose, lipid peroxidation (MDA) increased when compared to age-matched bees with high flight experience and negligible flight experience. We then found that a marker of oxidative DNA damage (8-OHdG) increased in flying bees with high amounts of flight experience. These data suggest flight-induced oxidative stress plays a significant role in functional senescence of foraging honey bees. We also observed an imbalance between pro-oxidants (superoxide and H2O2) and anti-oxidants (SOD and catalase) in bees with high amounts of flight experience. These data suggests that an imbalance of pro- to antioxidants is implicated in flight-associated oxidative stress.
