Impact of Gut Microbiota on Gene Expression and Behavior in Melipona marginata

• Grant number: 25/19546-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 28, 2026
• End date: June 27, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Maria Cristina Arias
• Grantee: Heraldo Mauch
• Supervisor: Joanito Liberti
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Université de Genève, Switzerland
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/02901-0 - Screening of microorganisms and plants associated with Coelioxoides waltheriae (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from omics data, BP.IC

Abstract

The bee gut microbiome is crucial for host health, nutrient digestion, toxin processing, and immune response. Disruptions of this microbiota can lead to increased pathogen loads, mortality, and even social disorders. Liberti's research on Apis mellifera demonstrated that changes in microbiota affect social interactions and gene expression in both the gut and brain, modulating processes like amino acid metabolism and epigenetic modifications linked to sensory perception. However, A. mellifera is an introduced species in Brazil, with distinct biological and social traits. To advance our understanding of the evolutionary history between microbiota and bee social brain interactions, this project aims to expand these analyses to a native stingless bee: Melipona marginata. The main objective of this study is to characterize the microbiota, evaluate behavioral changes and differential gene expression in the gut and brain of microbiota-depleted and microbiota-colonized bees. Finally, we intend to compare these results with previously published behavioral and transcriptomic data from A. mellifera. Preliminary tests have confirmed the viability of feeding M. marginata with sugar syrup in laboratory conditions, validating the gnotobiotic experimental protocols. This project represents the very first comparative gut-brain axis study in the field, providing a unique opportunity to identify conserved and divergent patterns of microbiota-gut-brain axis interactions between a native stingless bee and A. mellifera. The findings will offer crucial insights into the ecology of neotropical stingless bees, fostering international collaboration between the University of São Paulo and the University of Geneva. (AU)