The virome landscape of urban wild bees in Suzhou

Description

Objective: This study aims to investigate the viral composition and potential hosts in the guts of urban wild bees, revealing the possible effects on their health. Methods: We conducted analysis of the viral composition in the gut samples of several species of urban wild bees using metagenomic sequencing technology. Bioinformatics tools were employed to filter viral sequences from the metagenomic data of urban wild bee guts, followed by sequence analysis, which included viral sequence annotation, host prediction, and identification of Auxiliary Metabolic Genes (AMGs) in the viral sequences. Results: We found a highly diverse virome within the guts of urban wild bees, most of which remain unassigned, with some viral sequences sharing viral families and sequence similarities across different urban wild bees. A small fraction of the viruses could be assigned hosts, displaying a wide host range, primarily targeting the core gut bacteria of wild bees. The virome was dominated by lytic viruses, which could directly or indirectly influence the gut microbiome composition and host health of wild bees. Additionally, a number of AMGs were identified within the viral sequences, potentially involved in regulating the metabolic activities of bacteria or wild bees. Conclusion: The guts of urban wild bees harbor a highly diverse virome, most of which are still uncharacterized. The viruses have a broad host range, targeting the core bacteria in the guts. These findings provide important insights for further research into the virome of urban wild bees and its role in the gut microbiome and health of wild bees.

Period	15 Jun 2024
Event title	The 6th Pollinating Insects Conference of the Entomological Society of China & the 19th Academic Seminar on Nectar Sources and Pollination of the Chinese Beekeeping Association
Event type	Conference
Location	Beijing, ChinaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	National