Genetic Diversity of Honey Bee Queens and Workers from Some Queen-Rearing Stations in Egypt Based on ISSR Polymorphism

Recent research indicates the hybrid nature of indigenous honey bee populations in Egypt primarily through morphometric analyses. This investigation utilized Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers to genetically profile local queens and workers sourced from five queen-rearing facilities in the northern Egyptian governorates. Six ISSR primers—(GA)8CG, (ATG)5GA, (AC)8TA, GCA(AC)7, (CA)8G, and (ACC)6CC—were employed to evaluate genetic diversity within the samples. Analysis of queen specimens revealed the generation of 679 fragments ranging in molecular size from 130 to 1500 base pairs, with 349 bands classified as polymorphic (51.40%) and 330 as monomorphic (48.60%). Worker samples produced 843 fragments (140 to 1700 bp), with 333 bands identified as polymorphic (39.50%) and 510 as monomorphic (60.50%). Notably, the (ATG)5GA and (CA)8G primers showcased the highest and lowest levels of polymorphism among bee queens, respectively, while the (ACC)6CC and (GA)8CG primers exhibited the highest and lowest polymorphism levels among bee workers, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses based on ISSR profiles corroborated the genetic variation observed across the five queen-rearing stations. Furthermore, the disparity in the percentages of monomorphic bands between worker and queen samples was deliberated upon.