Metamorphic changes in localization of sugars in skin of the leopard frog,Rana pipiens

Predicted Bacterial Interactions Affect in Vivo Microbial Colonization Dynamics in Nematostella

The maintenance and resilience of host-associated microbiota during development is a fundamental process influencing the fitness of many organisms. Several host properties were identified as influencing factors on bacterial colonization, including the innate immune system, mucus composition, and diet. In contrast, the importance of bacteria–bacteria interactions on host colonization is less understood. Here, we use bacterial abundance data of the marine model organism Nematostella vectensis to reconstruct potential bacteria–bacteria interactions through co-occurrence networks. The analysis indicates that bacteria–bacteria interactions are dynamic during host colonization and change according to the host’s developmental stage. To assess the predictive power of inferred interactions, we tested bacterial isolates with predicted cooperative or competitive behavior for their ability to influence bacterial recolonization dynamics. Within 3 days of recolonization, all tested bacterial isolates affected bacterial community structure, while only competitive bacteria increased bacterial diversity. Only 1 week after recolonization, almost no differences in bacterial community structure could be observed between control and treatments. These results show that predicted competitive bacteria can influence community structure for a short period of time, verifying the in silico predictions. However, within 1 week, the effects of the bacterial isolates are neutralized, indicating a high degree of resilience of the bacterial community.

The amphibian skin-associated microbiome across species, space and life history stages

Skin-associated bacteria of amphibians are increasingly recognized for their role in defence against pathogens, yet we have little understanding of their basic ecology. Here, we use high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing to examine the host and environmental influences on the skin microbiota of the cohabiting amphibian species Anaxyrus boreas, Pseudacris regilla, Taricha torosa and Lithobates catesbeianus from the Central Valley in California. We also studied populations of Rana cascadae over a large geographic range in the Klamath Mountain range of Northern California, and across developmental stages within a single site. Dominant bacterial phylotypes on amphibian skin included taxa from Bacteroidetes, Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Sphingobacteria and Actinobacteria. Amphibian species identity was the strongest predictor of microbial community composition. Secondarily, within a given amphibian species, wetland site explained significant variation. Amphibian-associated microbiota differed systematically from microbial assemblages in their environments. Rana cascadae tadpoles have skin bacterial communities distinct from postmetamorphic conspecifics, indicating a strong developmental shift in the skin microbes following metamorphosis. Establishing patterns observed in the skin microbiota of wild amphibians and environmental factors that underlie them is necessary to understand skin symbiont community assembly, and ultimately, the role skin microbiota play in the extended host phenotype including disease resistance.

Apoptosis in larval and frog skin of Rana pipiens, R. catesbeiana, and Ceratophrys ornata

Apoptosis (programmed cell death) occurs during normal development of anurans in organs such as gills, gut, and tail. For example, apoptotic cells have been reported in the luminal epithelium along the length of the digestive tract of both larvae and frogs; however, timing of the peak number of such cells varies in different species. The purpose of the present study was to ascertain whether apoptosis also varies by species during metamorphic restructuring of the skin (as larval epithelium is replaced by adult epidermis). To determine this, cross-sections of dorsal skin from representative larval stages and frogs of Rana pipiens, R. catesbeiana, and Ceratophrys ornata were incubated with monoclonal antibody against active caspase-3, one of the main enzymes in the apoptotic cascade. We observed apoptotic cells in the epidermis of the skin of the three species and found that such cells were more numerous in larval stages than in frogs and more abundant in the two ranid species than in C. ornata. These results contribute to our understanding of metamorphic changes in anuran skin.

Lectin binding properties of liver, small intestine and tail of metamorphosing marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus Pallas 1771)

In this present study, localization and variations of specific sugar moieties in the terminal carbohydrate chains of glycoconjugates in the small intestine, liver and tail have been investigated during the metamorphosis of Pelophylax ridibundus larvae. For this purpose, four lectins were used: wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), Ulex europaeus agglutinin (UEA-I), Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) and peanut agglutinin (PNA), in different larval stages of the frog. Some cells stained specifically in the intestinal mucosa and in tail epidermal cells with the lectins and their affinity changed during metamorphic transformation. For the most part, they decreased in the climax and postmetamorphic periods. It was also found that WGA, DBA and UEA-I lectins exhibited strong affinity to white blood cells in the liver and their binding affinities were the highest in prometamorphosis and they gradually decreased until the end of metamorphosis. These results suggest that the changes of lectin binding in metamorphosis may be an indication of some cellular events occurring in larval metamorphosis such as cell differentiation and damage of cell adhesion between death and differentiating cells. They also can be useful markers for detection of white blood cells in amphibian hematopoietic organs.