Influence of formic acid treatment on the proteome of the ectoparasite Varroa destructor

The ectoparasite Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman is the most important parasites of the western honey bee, Apis mellifera L. The most widely currently used treatment uses formic acid (FA), but the understanding of its effects on V. destructor is limited. In order to understand the mechanism of action of FA, its effect on Varroa mites was investigated using proteomic analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). V. destructor was collected from honey bee colonies with natural mite infestation before and 24 h after the initiation of FA treatment and subjected to proteome analysis. A total of 2637 proteins were identified. Quantitative analysis of differentially expressed candidate proteins (fold change ≥ 1.5; p ≤ 0.05) revealed 205 differentially expressed proteins: 91 were induced and 114 repressed in the FA-treated group compared to the untreated control group. Impaired protein synthesis accompanied by increased protein and amino acid degradation suggest an imbalance in proteostasis. Signs of oxidative stress included significant dysregulation of candidate proteins of mitochondrial cellular respiration, increased endocytosis, and induction of heat shock proteins. Furthermore, an increased concentration of several candidate proteins associated with detoxification was observed. These results suggest dysregulated cellular respiration triggered by FA treatment as well as an increase in cellular defense mechanisms, including induced heat shock proteins and detoxification enzymes.