Functional analyses of Apis cerana cerana DnaJC28: a new biomarker for environmental stress
- 1College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China
- 2Shandong Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation in the Lower Yellow River, Qufu, Shandong, China
Abstract
Pollination by honeybees is vital for maintaining the health of both ecological and agricultural systems. However, honeybee health is often influenced by multiple environmental stresses. Therefore, identifying the key genes involved in stress responses and investigating the molecular mechanisms through which honeybees respond to environmental stress are crucial. In this study, we report that Apis cerana cerana DnaJC28 (AccDnaJC28) is a typical DnaJ protein belonging to the heat shock protein subfamily that contains a J domain and is localized in the cytoplasm. The mRNA levels of AccDnaJC28 were higher in the thorax than in other tissues and in 1-day-old workers than in bees at other developmental stages. Several environmental stressors induced the expression of AccDnaJC28. Functional analyses revealed that silencing AccDnaJC28 decreased the thermotolerance of A. cerana cerana, whereas its overexpression increased the survival of Drosophila S2 cells under heat stress. These results indicate the crucial role of AccDnaJC28 in the stress response and its potential suitability as a novel biomarker. Mechanistic analysis further revealed that knockdown of AccDnaJC28 reduced both the enzymatic activity of certain antioxidant enzymes and the expression levels of related antioxidant genes. In addition, the upregulated expression of certain antioxidant genes may partially compensate for the functional deficiency caused by AccDnaJC28 knockdown. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that AccDnaJC28 is essential for the response of A. cerana cerana to environmental stress, as it mitigates oxidative damage via the antioxidant signaling pathway. These results contribute to the understanding of the foundational defense mechanisms initiated by honeybees in response to environmental stress.
Related
- Population Genomic Insights into Genetic Differentiation and Environmental Adaptation of the Asian Honey Bee (Apis cerana) in Sichuan, China.
- Integrative genotype-environment association and single-cell transcriptomic analyses identify candidate mechanisms of environmental adaptation in pigs.
- Genetic diversity and population differentiation of eastern honey bees (Apis cerana) in Sichuan, China, based on mtDNA cox1 gene sequences
- Environmental impact of urine analyses: Comparison of manual, semi and fully automated analytical workflows
- Genetic analyses reveal distinct functional roles of Eut microcompartment shell proteins in ethanolamine metabolism in Salmonella
BibTeX
@article{li2026functional,
title = {{Functional analyses of Apis cerana cerana DnaJC28: a new biomarker for environmental stress}},
author = {Guilin Li and Guilin Li and Xinyi Zou and Xinyi Zou and Shaojuan Yin and Shaojuan Yin and Yue Sun and Yue Sun and Qianqian Wen and Qianqian Wen},
journal = {Frontiers in Physiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fphys.2026.1945469},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2026.1945469},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Functional analyses of Apis cerana cerana DnaJC28: a new biomarker for environmental stress
AU - Guilin Li
AU - Guilin Li
AU - Xinyi Zou
AU - Xinyi Zou
AU - Shaojuan Yin
AU - Shaojuan Yin
AU - Yue Sun
AU - Yue Sun
AU - Qianqian Wen
AU - Qianqian Wen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Frontiers in Physiology
DO - 10.3389/fphys.2026.1945469
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2026.1945469
AB - Pollination by honeybees is vital for maintaining the health of both ecological and agricultural systems. However, honeybee health is often influenced by multiple environmental stresses. Therefore, identifying the key genes involved in stress responses and investigating the molecular mechanisms through which honeybees respond to environmental stress are crucial. In this study, we report that Apis cerana cerana DnaJC28 (AccDnaJC28) is a typical DnaJ protein belonging to the heat shock protein subfamily that contains a J domain and is localized in the cytoplasm. The mRNA levels of AccDnaJC28 were higher in the thorax than in other tissues and in 1-day-old workers than in bees at other developmental stages. Several environmental stressors induced the expression of AccDnaJC28. Functional analyses revealed that silencing AccDnaJC28 decreased the thermotolerance of A. cerana cerana, whereas its overexpression increased the survival of Drosophila S2 cells under heat stress. These results indicate the crucial role of AccDnaJC28 in the stress response and its potential suitability as a novel biomarker. Mechanistic analysis further revealed that knockdown of AccDnaJC28 reduced both the enzymatic activity of certain antioxidant enzymes and the expression levels of related antioxidant genes. In addition, the upregulated expression of certain antioxidant genes may partially compensate for the functional deficiency caused by AccDnaJC28 knockdown. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that AccDnaJC28 is essential for the response of A. cerana cerana to environmental stress, as it mitigates oxidative damage via the antioxidant signaling pathway. These results contribute to the understanding of the foundational defense mechanisms initiated by honeybees in response to environmental stress.
SN - 1664-042X
ER -