Open AccessWhole-genome resequencing of honeybee drones to detect genomic selection in a population managed for royal jelly
Author(s) -
David Wragg,
Maria Marti-Marimon,
Benjamin Basso,
Jean Pierre Bidanel,
Emmanuelle Labarthe,
Olivier Bouchez,
Yves Le Conte,
Alain Vignal
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/srep27168
Subject(s) - biology , lineage (genetic) , evolutionary biology , genome , haplotype , royal jelly , selection (genetic algorithm) , population , haplodiploidy , beekeeping , honey bee , genetics , gene , zoology , ploidy , ecology , allele , demography , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science
Four main evolutionary lineages of A. mellifera have been described including eastern Europe (C) and western and northern Europe (M). Many apiculturists prefer bees from the C lineage due to their docility and high productivity. In France, the routine importation of bees from the C lineage has resulted in the widespread admixture of bees from the M lineage. The haplodiploid nature of the honeybee Apis mellifera , and its small genome size, permits affordable and extensive genomics studies. As a pilot study of a larger project to characterise French honeybee populations, we sequenced 60 drones sampled from two commercial populations managed for the production of honey and royal jelly. Results indicate a C lineage origin, whilst mitochondrial analysis suggests two drones originated from the O lineage. Analysis of heterozygous SNPs identified potential copy number variants near to genes encoding odorant binding proteins and several cytochrome P450 genes. Signatures of selection were detected using the hapFLK haplotype-based method, revealing several regions under putative selection for royal jelly production. The framework developed during this study will be applied to a broader sampling regime, allowing the genetic diversity of French honeybees to be characterised in detail.