Dr Emily Remnant
School of Life and Environmental Sciences
I am a geneticist and evolutionary biologist investigating how insects respond to changes in their environment. I use genetics and genomics to study genes involved in resistance to chemical insecticides, and to investigate the impact of viral diseases on beneficial insects like honey bees. I use laboratory and bioinformatics techniques including next generation sequencing, metagenomics, and controlled lab experiments with insects along with field collections, to understand the molecular basis of evolution.
Viruses
Worldwide, viral diseases spread by parasitic Varroa mites are a leading cause of honey bee hive mortality. The global spread of Varroa mites has caused decreased honey bee health and increased colony losses throughout most of the beekeeping world. Australia is the last major beekeeping nation in the world that remains free of Varroa and the virulent strains of RNA viruses associated with it.
Madeleine Beekman and I are interested in understanding how a vector can change the viral landscape of honey bee viruses and select for virulence. We aim to understand host-parasite dynamics between honey bees, Varroa mites and viruses, and to understand the change in viral landscape that occurs when honey bees are infected with mites. We use RNA sequencing and in-hive experiments to investigate the dynamics of viral evolution, transmission, and resistance in honey bees.
DNA methylation
In honey bees, the epigenetic mark of DNA methylation determines whether a female larvae becomes a queen or a worker, but methylation is likely to be involved in other biological functions. Together with Ben Oldroyd, I am examining DNA methylation in maternal and paternal genomes. Our goal is to investigate the impact of epigenetic changes on genomic conflict and to determine if parental imprinting occurs in honey bees. We use molecular and genomic techniques to examine methylation patterns in different honey bee castes, lifestages and tissues.
Teaching
GEGE2001/2901: Genetics and Genomics (Deputy course coordinator)
Supervision
Current Students:
Amanda Norton (PhD, 2017-2019): 'Deformed Wing Virus: how do vector transmitted RNA viruses contribute to the death of honeybees? (University of Sydney; co-supervised with M. Beekman)
Tom Gillard (PhD, 2018-2020): 'Venereal pathogens of honey bees: first thorough survey of Apis mellifera infectious reproductive diseases' (University of Sydney; co-supervised with B. Oldroyd, M. Beekman and J.Roberts & A. Anderson (CSIRO))
In three of my current projects I have ≈ Discovered seven novel viruses in honeybee transcriptomes ≈ Experimentally ‘evolved’ honeybee viruses after 30 serial transmission cycles and ≈ Identified high levels of a novel, recombinant virus in honeybees that are resistant to parasitic Varroa mites.
My goal is to identify ways of preventing virulent viruses from accumulating in honey bees. This forms the basis of my current research agenda, investigating the use of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia as a viral protection mechanism for honey bee populations suffering from virulent viruses.
Member of the Marie Bashir Institute (MBI; 2014 - present)
Member of the Genetics Society of Australasia (2006 - present)
Member of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI) Australian Section (2012 - present)
Member of Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE) (2015 - present)
Recent Awards
Science and Innovation Awards: Can we immunise honeybees against virulent viruses? Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Rural Industries Research and Development corporation category and overall Minister’s Prize
Australian Awards Endeavour Fellowship: Generating honeybees that are resistant to viruses. Department of Education and Training – 6 month fellowship conducted at the University of Otago, Dunedin NZ.
| Project title | Research student |
|---|---|
| Development of Safer Ecofriendly Selective Pesticides to Safeguard Managed Honeybees | Shahnaz SULTANA |
Publications
Book Chapters
- Oldroyd, B., Reid, R., Ashe, A., Remnant, E. (2018). Honey Bees, Royal Jelly, Epigenetics. Encyclopedia of Reproduction, (pp. 722-727). Oxford: Elsevier. [More Information]
Journals
- Chapman, N., Colin, T., Cook, J., Da Silva, C., Gloag, R., Hogendoorn, K., Howard, S., Remnant, E., Roberts, J., Tierney, S., et al (2023). The final frontier: ecological and evolutionary dynamics of a global parasite invasion. Biology Letters, 19(5), 1-7. [More Information]
- Watson, O., Buchmann, G., Young, P., Lo, K., Remnant, E., Yagound, B., Shambrook, M., Hill, A., Oldroyd, B., Ashe, A. (2022). Abundant small RNAs in the reproductive tissues and eggs of the honey bee, Apis mellifera. BMC Genomics, 23(1). [More Information]
- de Miranda, J., Brettell, L., Chejanovsky, N., Childers, A., Dalmon, A., Deboutte, W., de Graaf, D., Doublet, V., Gebremedhn, H., Genersch, E., Remnant, E., et al (2022). Cold case: The disappearance of Egypt bee virus, a fourth distinct master strain of deformed wing virus linked to honeybee mortality in 1970’s Egypt. Virology Journal, 19(1). [More Information]
2023
- Chapman, N., Colin, T., Cook, J., Da Silva, C., Gloag, R., Hogendoorn, K., Howard, S., Remnant, E., Roberts, J., Tierney, S., et al (2023). The final frontier: ecological and evolutionary dynamics of a global parasite invasion. Biology Letters, 19(5), 1-7. [More Information]
2022
- Watson, O., Buchmann, G., Young, P., Lo, K., Remnant, E., Yagound, B., Shambrook, M., Hill, A., Oldroyd, B., Ashe, A. (2022). Abundant small RNAs in the reproductive tissues and eggs of the honey bee, Apis mellifera. BMC Genomics, 23(1). [More Information]
- de Miranda, J., Brettell, L., Chejanovsky, N., Childers, A., Dalmon, A., Deboutte, W., de Graaf, D., Doublet, V., Gebremedhn, H., Genersch, E., Remnant, E., et al (2022). Cold case: The disappearance of Egypt bee virus, a fourth distinct master strain of deformed wing virus linked to honeybee mortality in 1970’s Egypt. Virology Journal, 19(1). [More Information]
- Fernandes, K., Frost, E., Remnant, E., Schell, K., Cokcetin, N., Carter, D. (2022). The role of honey in the ecology of the hive: Nutrition, detoxification, longevity, and protection against hive pathogens. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9. [More Information]
2021
- Remnant, E., Baty, J., Bulgarella, M., Dobelmann, J., Quinn, O., Gruber, M., Lester, P. (2021). A diverse viral community from predatory wasps in their native and invaded range, with a new virus infectious to honey bees. Viruses, 13(8), 1431. [More Information]
- Norton, A., Remnant, E., Tom, J., Buchmann, G., Blacquiere, T., Beekman, M. (2021). Adaptation to vector-based transmission in a honeybee virus. Journal of Animal Ecology, 90(10), 2254-2267. [More Information]
- Cardoso-Junior, C., Yagound, B., Ronai, I., Remnant, E., Hartfelder, K., Oldroyd, B. (2021). DNA methylation is not a driver of gene expression reprogramming in young honey bee workers. Molecular Ecology, 30(19), 4804-4818. [More Information]
2020
- Yagound, B., Dogantzis, K., Zayed, A., Lim, J., Broekhuyse, P., Remnant, E., Beekman, M., Allsopp, M., Aamidor, S., Dim, O., Buchmann, G., Oldroyd, B. (2020). A Single Gene Causes Thelytokous Parthenogenesis, the Defining Feature of the Cape Honeybee Apis mellifera capensis. Current Biology, 30(12), 2248-2259.e6. [More Information]
- Norton, A., Remnant, E., Buchmann, G., Beekman, M. (2020). Accumulation and Competition Amongst Deformed Wing Virus Genotypes in Naïve Australian Honeybees Provides Insight Into the Increasing Global Prevalence of Genotype B. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11, 1-14. [More Information]
- Harrop, T., Guhlin, J., McLaughlin, G., Permina, E., Stockwell, P., Gilligan, J., Le Lec, M., Gruber, M., Quinn, O., Lovegrove, M., Remnant, E., et al (2020). High-Quality assemblies for three invasive social wasps from the vespula genus. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 10(10), 3479-3488. [More Information]
2019
- Remnant, E., Mather, N., Gillard, T., Yagound, B., Beekman, M. (2019). Direct transmission by injection affects competition among RNA viruses in honeybees. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286(1895), 1-9. [More Information]
- Chapman, N., Sheng, J., Lim, J., Malfroy, S., Harpur, B., Zayed, A., Allsopp, M., Rinderer, T., Roberts, J., Remnant, E., Oldroyd, B. (2019). Genetic origins of honey bees (Apis mellifera) on Kangaroo Island and Norfolk Island (Australia) and the Kingdom of Tonga. Apidologie, 50(1), 28-39. [More Information]
- Gloag, R., Remnant, E., Oldroyd, B. (2019). The frequency of thelytokous parthenogenesis in European-derived Apis mellifera virgin queens. Apidologie, 50(3), 295-303. [More Information]
2018
- Oldroyd, B., Reid, R., Ashe, A., Remnant, E. (2018). Honey Bees, Royal Jelly, Epigenetics. Encyclopedia of Reproduction, (pp. 722-727). Oxford: Elsevier. [More Information]
- Oldroyd, B., Aamidor, S., Buchmann, G., Allsopp, M., Remnant, E., Kao, F., Reid, R., Beekman, M. (2018). Viable triploid honey bees (apis mellifera capensis) are reliably produced in the progeny of CO2 narcotised queens. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 8(10), 3357-3366. [More Information]
2017
- Remnant, E., Shi, M., Buchmann, G., Blacquiere, T., Holmes, E., Beekman, M., Ashe, A. (2017). A Diverse Range of Novel RNA Viruses in Geographically Distinct Honey Bee Populations. Journal of Virology, 91(16), e00158-17. [More Information]
- Kilaso, M., Remnant, E., Chapman, N., Oldroyd, B., Chanchao, C. (2017). DNA methylation of Kr-h1 is involved in regulating ovary activation in worker honeybees (Apis mellifera). Insectes Sociaux, 64(1), 87-94. [More Information]
- Kilaso, M., Chapman, N., Remnant, E., Oldroyd, B., Chanchao, C. (2017). No evidence that DNA methylation is associated with the regulation of fertility in the adult honey bee Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) worker ovary. Austral Entomology, 56(1), 115-121. [More Information]
2016
- Remnant, E., Williams, A., Lumb, C., Yang, Y., Chan, J., Duchene, S., Daborn, P., Batterham, P., Perry, T. (2016). Evolution, Expression, and Function of Nonneuronal Ligand-Gated Chloride Channels in Drosophila melanogaster. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 6(7), 2003-2012. [More Information]
- Remnant, E., Ashe, A., Young, P., Buchmann, G., Beekman, M., Allsopp, M., Suter, C., Drewell, R., Oldroyd, B. (2016). Parent-of-origin effects on genome-wide DNA methylation in the Cape honey bee (Apis mellifera capensis) may be confounded by allele-specific methylation. BMC Genomics, 17(1), 1-14. [More Information]
2014
- Remnant, E., Koetz, A., Tan, K., Hinson, E., Beekman, M., Oldroyd, B. (2014). Reproductive interference between honeybee species in artificial sympatry. Molecular Ecology, 23(5), 1096-1107. [More Information]
- Drewell, R., Bush, E., Remnant, E., Wong, G., Beeler, S., Stringham, J., Lim, J., Oldroyd, B. (2014). The dynamic DNA methylation cycle from egg to sperm in the honey bee Apis mellifera. Development, 141(2), 2702-2711. [More Information]
- Remnant, E., Morton, C., Daborn, P., Lumb, C., Yang, Y., Ng, H., Parker, M., Batterham, P. (2014). The role of Rdl in resistance to phenylpyrazoles in Drosophila melanogaster. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 54, 11-21. [More Information]
2013
- Oldroyd, B., Allsopp, M., Roth, K., Remnant, E., Drewell, R., Beekman, M. (2013). A parent-of-origin effect on honeybee worker ovary size. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1775), 1-7. [More Information]
- Remnant, E., Good, R., Schmidt, J., Lumb, C., Robin, C., Daborn, P., Batterham, P. (2013). Gene duplication in the major insecticide target site, Rdl, in Drosophila melanogaster. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(36), 14705-14710. [More Information]
Selected Grants
2024
- Determining the impact of Varroa on virus transmission in Australian bees, Remnant E, AgriFutures Australia/Open Call Research and Development Projects
- Testing links between life-history and genome evolution, Lo N, Remnant E, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)
2023
- Resilient beekeeping in the face of Varroa - Future-proof strategies for detection, containment and transitioning to management in Australia, Chapman N, Remnant E, Holmes M, AgriFutures Australia/Open Call Research and Development Projects
In the media
ABC Rural: 10 March 2017: “Australian researcher working to immunise honey bees, protect them from varroa mite”
University of Sydney News, 15 March 2017: “Sydney bee researcher gets her stripes”
University of Sydney News, 14 Aug 2015: “18 of our most exciting scientists on Twitter”
Cairns Post, 17 July 2014: “Bee sex proves no sweet thing and a sting in the honey pot for Far North Queensland agriculture”
4CA Breakfast show, Cairns, 30 July 2014
Channel 10 ‘The Project’, 8 May 2013
