In order to rigorously test the hypothesis that climate and protein expression are linked, one would need to relocate honey bees adapted to specific climates to regions selleck chem Cisplatin of similar or vastly different climates and then continue to correlate colony-level productivity with protein expression profiles. Genomic and transcriptomic analysis are powerful tools able to dissect gene expression variations among populations (e.g. [37], [38], [39]). In D. melanogaster for example, 153 genes were shown to vary between natural populations sampled in Europe and Africa [40]. Gene enrichment identified genes related to the cytoskeleton being over-expressed in African populations compared to Europeans, with the opposite pattern for genes involved in fatty acid metabolism [40].

Bee transcriptome analysis has been limited to a few studies, and while none have been specifically designed to analyse inter-population variation in gene expression, relevant information can be obtained from them. For example, a recent study that focused on detecting transcript differences between healthy versus CCD bees also revealed inter-population variance [12]. By sampling bees obtained from the west and east coasts of the USA, a large amount of location specific transcript variation was detected. Gene enrichment revealed that genes controlling mitochondrial and ribosomal function were largely responsible for transcript variation, in agreement with our findings that metabolic processes are targets of local adaptation.

Furthermore, a study investigating DNA methylation and gene expression status of the honey bee genome [41], found that genes encoding metabolic and energy transfer enzymes were enriched within the methylated genes. These findings reveal epigenetic imprinting potentially from environmental stimuli as a mechanism able to orchestrate changes in basal gene expression [41]. Future studies may further clarify the role of the different regulatory mechanisms responsible for the observed variations in protein levels that seem to occur in local adaptive responses of different populations. Our findings may also open the door to expanding the use of honey bees as models of human diseases [42]. Studying honey bee populations from different origins Entinostat may help us understand the differential susceptibility of human populations to metabolic diseases. Of particular interest are populations of diverse genetic backgrounds that are now living in the same environment, such as westernized populations from Eastern Europe or of Native American background.