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Extrapolating Biological Pathway Knowledge
Citation:
Jensen, M. Extrapolating Biological Pathway Knowledge. US EPA-University of Minnesota-Duluth training agreement research briefing, Duluth, MN, June 21, 2022. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.20286642
Impact/Purpose:
This is a presentation that will be delivered by Marissa Jensen in an informal gathering of mentors and mentees being trained at the US EPA in Duluth, MN through the US EPA-University of Minnesota Duluth Cooperative Training agreement. Honey bees are classified as Apis bees and have been at the forefront of scientific and public concerns regarding chemical stressors leading to colony death/failure. Recently, an effort was undertaken to understand the potential for chemical disruption of bee biology leading to the adverse effect of bee death and further colony death. This effort to capture biological pathway information primarily focused on honey bees. However, there is also a concern for non-Apis bees, such as bumble bees and solitary bees, in regard to chemicals impacting their biology and therefore ability to thrive. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed a computer tool called Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility (SeqAPASS) that allows for the examination of similarity between bee species at a molecular level. This evaluation with SeqAPASS can be considered a starting point for understanding if honey bee biology when impacted by a chemical stressor is similar or different than that of other bees. Evidence of similar biology between species can be useful in understanding strategies for minimizing the impact of chemical stressors to both Apis and non-Apis bees. Differences between species indicate that further research may be needed to understand impacts of chemical stressors to non-Apis bees.
Description:
Defining the taxonomic relevance of an adverse outcome pathway (AOP) can aid in extrapolation of knowledge from tested model organism to other non-tested species. Recently an adverse outcome pathway network was developed describing the linkages from activation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in honey bees to colony death/failure. Typically, AOPs are developed with knowledge about, and empirical data from, a single, or handful, of species with uncertainty as to how broadly such pathway-based knowledge can be extrapolated to other species. In describing this AOP network, which primarily focused on honey bees in its development, we begin to evaluate taxonomic relevance in the context of plausible similarity or differences in key events and key event relationships considering non-Apis bees. This evaluation of taxonomic relevance considers, where possible, structural, functional, and modulatory conservation across species. Therefore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility (SeqAPASS) tool was employed to evaluate structural similarity across bee species where proteins were identified as critical to the KE, demonstrating a high degree of conservation at the molecular initiating event and early KEs in the AOP. Additionally, at each level of biological organization, other non-molecular considerations can be used to inform taxonomic relevance, including as examples thermoregulation or foraging strategies, as well as colony structure (or lack there-of) and should therefore be described as a component of the evaluation. Initial efforts in defining the taxonomic domain of applicability relative to chemical stressor perturbation of this AOP network may provide useful insights for protecting or monitoring for adverse effects in non-Apis bees.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Extrapolating Biological Pathway Knowledge
COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT MEETING SLIDES MJ JUNE '22.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 1017.578 KB, about PDF)