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A Transmissible RNA Pathway in Honey Bees.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Article

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Authors

Garbian, Yael 
Kunik, Vered 
Mozes-Koch, Rita 
Malka, Osnat 

Abstract

Systemic RNAi, initiated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) ingestion, has been reported in diverse invertebrates, including honey bees, demonstrating environmental RNA uptake that undermines homologous gene expression. However, the question why any organism would take up RNA from the environment has remained largely unanswered. Here, we report on horizontal RNA flow among honey bees mediated by secretion and ingestion of worker and royal jelly diets. We demonstrate that transmission of jelly-secreted dsRNA to larvae is biologically active and triggers gene knockdown that lasts into adulthood. Worker and royal jellies harbor differential naturally occurring RNA populations. Jelly RNAs corresponded to honey bee protein-coding genes, transposable elements, and non-coding RNA, as well as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. These results reveal an inherent property of honey bees to share RNA among individuals and generations. Our findings suggest a transmissible RNA pathway, playing a role in social immunity and signaling between members of the hive.

Description

Keywords

Honey bees, RNA transmission, RNAi, RNP, eRNA, environmental RNA, extracellular RNA, royal jelly, transmissible RNA, viruses, Animals, Bees, Fatty Acids, Gene Transfer, Horizontal, Larva, RNA Interference, RNA, Double-Stranded, Signal Transduction

Journal Title

Cell Rep

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2211-1247
2211-1247

Volume Title

27

Publisher

Elsevier BV

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
European Commission (274406)
This work was supported by internal B. Triwaks Bee Research Center funds (HUJI no. 0356043), the Orion Foundation (HUJI no. 0368598), and Israel Science Foundation Grant 1456/10. Research was also supported by Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship For Career Development (PIEF-GA-2010-274406), Leo Baeck Scholarship and Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Fellowship (XXACC_AFGLTRB2).