LC-MS profiling reveals metabolic dynamics in Apis mellifera worker bee larvae–pupae transition

• Published in: Journal of Asia-Pacific entomology Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 102376 - 6
• Main Authors: Li, Zhen, Zhong, Shiqing, Liu, Bin, Li, Lizhi, Zhang, Haibo, Guan, Weikun, Guo, Dongsheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.03.2025; 한국응용곤충학회
• Subjects: absorption; Apis mellifera; biochemical pathways; biosynthesis; chitin; entomology; glucose; hemolymph; honey; honey bees; Hymenoptera; KEGG; lipid metabolism; lipopolysaccharides; liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; metabolites; Metamorphosis; Non-targeted metabolomics; phenylalanine; prepupae; principal component analysis; species; tryptophan; tyrosine; worker bees; 농학; KEGG; Hymenoptera; Metamorphosis; Non-targeted metabolomics
• ISSN: 1226-8615; 1876-7790
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aspen.2025.102376

[Display omitted] •Honey bee metamorphosis and development is a complex process.•Metabolites were clearly separated in honey bee hemolymph at different times.•Different metabolites in honey bee hemolymph perform different functions.•Linoleic acid metabolism may help honey bees tolerate a high-sugar diet. Metabolites present in the hemolymph of honey bees play a crucial role in modulating the metamorphic process within the species. However, the precise alterations in metabolite composition, along with the associated variances and regulatory pathways implicated during the larvae-to-pupae metamorphosis of honey bees, remain incompletely elucidated. In this investigation, we gathered hemolymph samples from honey bee larvae of Apis mellifera at three distinct physiological stages-feeding, prepupae, and pupae and subjected them to metabolite analysis utilizing the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique. Employing principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), we identified significant differential metabolites and conducted a metabolic pathway analysis on those differentially up-regulated during the prepupae and pupae stages. Notably, metabolites up-regulated in the hemolymph of prepupae stage larvae primarily governed glucose metabolism and fat digestion and absorption, while those in pupae stage were involved in regulating chitin and lipopolysaccharide precursor formation, as well as the biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. These findings bear significant implications for advancing our comprehension of the metamorphic processes in honey bees.