Using a toxicoproteomic approach to investigate the effects of thiamethoxam into the brain of Apis mellifera

Author(s)

Roat, Thaisa C. ^[1] ; Aparecido dos Santos-Pinto, Jose Roberto ^[1] ; Miotelo, Lucas ^[1] ; de Souza, Caroline Lacerra ^[1] ; Palma, Mario Sergio ^[1] ; Malaspina, Osmar ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo State UNESP, Ctr Study Social Insects, Inst Biosci Rio Claro, Dept Gen & Appl Biol, Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Chemosphere; v. 258, NOV 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Neonicotinoids have been described as toxic to bees. In this context, the A. mellifera foragers were exposed to a sublethal concentration of thiamethoxam (LC50/100: 0,0227 ng de thiamethoxam/mu L-1 diet), a neurotoxic insecticide, for 8 days; and it was decided to investigate the insecticide effect on the brain by a shotgun proteomic approach followed by label-free quantitative-based proteomics. A total of 401 proteins were identified in the control group (CG); and a total of 350 proteins in the thiamethoxam exposed group (TMX). Quantitative proteomics data showed up 251 proteins with significant quantitative values in the TMX group. These findings demonstrated the occurrence of shared and unique proteins with altered expression in the TMX group, such as ATP synthase subunit beta, heat shock protein cognate 4, spectrin beta chain-like, mushroom body large-type Kenyon cell-specific protein 1-like, tubulin alpha1 chain-like, arginine kinase, epidermal growth factor receptor, odorant receptor, glutamine synthetase, glutamate receptor, and cytochrome P450 4c3. Meanwhile, the proteins that were expressed uniquely in the TMX group are involved mainly in the phosphorylation, cellular protein modification, and cell surface receptor signalling processes. Interaction network results showed that identified proteins are present in five different metabolic pathways - oxidative stress, cytoskeleton control, visual process, olfactory memory, and glutamate metabolism. Our scientific outcomes demonstrated that a sublethal concentration of thiamethoxam can impair biological processes and important metabolic pathways, causing damage to the nervous system of bees, and in the long term, can compromise the nutrition and physiology of individuals from the colony. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/05376-1 - Metabolomics analysis of bee brains (Apis mellifera) in processes of memory acquisition
• Grantee: Marcel Pratavieira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 13/13542-6 - A neuroproteomic approach of the brain from Africanized Apis mellifera submitted to the assay proboscis extension reflex
• Grantee: Anally Ribeiro da Silva Menegasso
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 19/04538-1 - Profiling the phosphoproteome from Nephila clavipes spider silk-producing glands
• Grantee: Caroline Lacerra de Souza
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 12/13370-8 - How is the reaction of the Apis mellifera brain to a sublethal dose of thiamethoxam?
• Grantee: Thaisa Cristina Roat
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/26451-9 - Bioprospecting and Structural Analysis of the Silk Proteins of Arthropods by a Proteomics Approach Using nanoLC-ESI-CID/ETD System
• Grantee: José Roberto Aparecido dos Santos-Pinto
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 16/16212-5 - Natural proteopeptides from the Brazilian fauna, flora and microbiota as potential models for the rational development of new drugs of therapeutic use: isolation, structure elucidation, chemical synthesis and functional activity assays
• Grantee: Mario Sergio Palma
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants