Shotgun metagenomic (gDNA) and metatranscriptomics (total RNA) analysis to profile the microbiome and virome of Royal Jelly

The Microbiome and Virome of Royal Jelly (RJ) project involved shotgun meta-genomic sequencing of DNA and meta-transcriptomic sequencing of total RNA, via reverse transcriptase of complementary dsDNA, of twelve RJ samples, commercially available and from hives at the University of Florida, Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory, Gainesville, FL, USA. RJ is a substance produced by the hypopharyngeal gland of nurse worker honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) and a main dietary component for in vitro and hive rearing of honey bee larvae. The data allowed inferring for the first time a comprehensive assessment of the microbiome and virome present in Royal Jelly, from unicellular Bacteria to Plants, Animals, Fungi, Virus (RNA and DNA viruses), and other organisms. In addition, the project developed new extraction and sequencing protocols for this biological material.