Publication details
INVESTIGATING THE HONEY BEE APOLIPOPHORINS
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Apolipophorins (ApoLp) are a group of insect proteins belonging to the large lipid transfer protein superfamily. They ensure the transport of lipids, carbohydrates, and other hydrophobic compounds by forming lipophorin particles. Lipophorins are assembled in the fat body and after their release to the hemolymph operate as reusable lipid shuttles between the fat body and target tissues such as flight muscles or epidermis. Our research focuses on the ApoLp I and its precursor, the ApoLp II/I. Based on shared functional domains with another pleiotropic protein, vitellogenin, we believe that these proteins may substitute vitellogenin in some of its functions and that their research in the context of immune responses and physiological adaptations may bring new insights into honey bee biology. So far, in-house monoclonal antibodies have been deployed to determine the variation of ApoLp I in different contexts using the western blot technique. We observed that the ApoLp I level varies through the seasons and shows a reversed trend compared to vitellogenin. We also observed increased ApoLp I levels in bacteria-infected bees. These findings support our hypothesis that apolipophorins are multifunctional proteins playing a crucial role in honey bee physiology and immunity. This will be followed by tandem mass spectrometry-based techniques to determine interacting partners of ApoLp I and knock-down experiments to shed more light on its function. |
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