The Honey Bee Genome Sequencing Consortium is an international collaborative group of genomics scientists, scientific organisations and universities who are trying to decipher the genome sequences of the honey bee (Apis mellifera). It was formed in 2001 by American scientists. In the US, the project is funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, the University of Illinois Sociogenomics Initiative, and various beekeepers association and the bee industry. Genomics is the study of an organisms entire genome. ... In biology the genome of an organism is its whole hereditary information and is encoded in the DNA (or, for some viruses, RNA). ... Binomial name Apis mellifera The species called Western honeybees (Apis mellifera) are honeybees comprised of several subspecies or races. ... The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is a division of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland. ... The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for medical research. ... The United States Department of Agriculture (also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA) is a United States Federal Executive Department (or Cabinet Department). ... The University of Illinois is the set of three public universities in Illinois. ... Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of one or more hives of honeybees. ...

First scientific findings show that the honey bee genome may have evolved more slowly than the genomes of the fruit fly and malaria mosquito. ^[1] The bee genome contains versions of some important mammalian genes. Fruit fly may refer to: Tephritidae, the family of large fruit flies. ... Some Species Anopheles atroparvus Anopheles beklemishevi Anopheles coustani Anopheles crypticus Anopheles culicifacies Anopheles farauti Anopheles fluviatilis Anopheles forattinii Anopheles funestus Anopheles gambiae Anopheles grabhamii Anopheles hailarensis Anopheles halophylus Anopheles hyrcanus Anopheles introlatus Anopheles kosiensis Anopheles latens Anopheles maculipennis Anopheles minimus Anopheles moucheti Anopheles nili Anopheles ovengensis Anopheles pampanae Anopheles peytoni...

The complete genome of Apis mellifera has been sequenced and consists of 10,000 genes with approximately 236 million base pairs. The genome is ten times smaller than the human genome ^[2]. The Western honey bee gene sequence showed 163 chemical receptors for smell but only 10 for taste. Besides the discovery of new genes for the use of pollen and nectar, researchers found that, in comparison with other insects, Apis mellifera has fewer genes for imunity, detoxification and the development of the cuticula ^[3]. The population genetic analysis showed Africa as the origin and hypothized that the spread into Europe happened in at least two independent waves. ^[4] Base pairs, of a DNA molecule. ... A graphical representation of the normal human karyotype. ... on leaves: a water-repelling surface that protects plants from uncontrolled transpiration and mechanical damages. ...

Data from the scientific collaboration is made available on Beebase lead by Texas A&M University.^[5] Texas A&M University, often called A&M or TAMU, is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas, USA. It is the flagship[7] institution of the Texas A&M University System. ...

BeeSpace lead by the University of Illinois^[6] is an effort to complete a web navigable catalog of related information.

See also

• List of sequenced eukaryotic genomes

The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans was the first multicellular organism to have its complete genome sequence determined. ...

Sources

1. ^ Robinson, Gene and Weaver, Daniel, The Honey Bee Genome Project: A Model of Cooperation between Academia, Government, and Industry; American Bee Journal Oct. 2006 pg. 870ff
2. ^ Weinstock et al., Insights into social insects from the genome of the honeybee Apis mellifera Nature 443, 931-949, 2006
3. ^ Robertson, Hugh M. and Wanner, Kevin W. The chemoreceptor superfamily in the honey bee, Apis mellifera: Expansion of the odorant, but not gustatory, receptor family Genome Research, Volume 16, Page 1395, 2006
4. ^ Whitfield, Charles W. et al.: Thrice Out of Africa: Ancient and Recent Expansions of the Honey Bee, Apis mellifera. Science, Vol. 314. no. 5799, pp. 642 - 645, 2006
5. ^ BeeBase
6. ^ BeeSpace