Mini-grant Awarded to Dr. Sheila Marie Schreiner

Dr. Sheila Marie Schreiner was awarded a mini-grant entitled "Detection of Cry1Ab Protein in Local Propolis Compared to Commercially Available".  The project aims to examine the levels of Cry1Ab in local and commerically available propolis through ELISA and western blot analysis.  Cry1A is a delta endotoxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis, a Gram positive bacterium.  Cry1A, which is found on the spore coat of the bacteria, is toxic to insects.  Several agriculture crops, such as corn and cotton, have been genetically modified to express Cry1A so that the crops are resistant to insects, such as Helicoverpa armigera,which is commonly called cotton bollworm or corn earworm.  However, a number of studies have shown that exposure to Cry1A can effect the honey bee (Apis mellifera) behavior and potentially be a cause of colonly collapse disorder (CCD), which has lead to large-scale and unexplained loss of honey bee colonies.  Propolis, or bee glue, is a hard, resinous material made by honey bees to seal openings in their hives and prevent microbial infections in the hive. It contains pollen, waxes, resins, and flavonoids which are specific to the region the bees are housed in.  Due to its antimicrobial properties, propolis is commonly prescribed in animals that are undergoes antibiotic therapies, i.e. tetracycline, in veterianary medicine.  This application is not as widely used in human medicine.  Jaclyn Smith (’13) worked on developing protocols to assess the antimicrobial properties of propolis.  Adam Williams, who is graduating this May, will be working on the Cry1Ab project this semester.