RESEARCH ARTICLE Hemolymph proteome ch s n

Like other arthropod insects, the honey bee has an open circulatory system containing hemolymph that sur-rounds its tissues [1]. Similar to the blood in vertebrates [2], the insect hemolymph plays a role in both immune defense and primary energy storage. Its defensive role is achieved by antimicrobial factors produced largely by the fat body and, to a lesser extent, hemocytes, which inhibit growth of microorganisms via an encapsulation pathway. As the system responsible for transporting various molecules throughout the body (such as nutri-ents, ions, and hormones), hemolymph also mirrors the physiological condition of the body, making it suitable for monitoring systemic changes in other pathways [3]. Hemolymph is transparent or light yellowish color and represents about 25-30 % of the body weight of honey bee at the hatching stage, decreasing as their age in-creases [1,4,5]. In contrast to vertebrate blood, the honey bee hemolymph has relatively high concentrations of in