1
|
Protasov E, Nonoh JO, Kästle Silva JM, Mies US, Hervé V, Dietrich C, Lang K, Mikulski L, Platt K, Poehlein A, Köhler-Ramm T, Miambi E, Boga HI, Feldewert C, Ngugi DK, Plarre R, Sillam-Dussès D, Šobotník J, Daniel R, Brune A. Diversity and taxonomic revision of methanogens and other archaea in the intestinal tract of terrestrial arthropods. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1281628. [PMID: 38033561 PMCID: PMC10684969 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1281628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Methane emission by terrestrial invertebrates is restricted to millipedes, termites, cockroaches, and scarab beetles. The arthropod-associated archaea known to date belong to the orders Methanobacteriales, Methanomassiliicoccales, Methanomicrobiales, and Methanosarcinales, and in a few cases also to non-methanogenic Nitrososphaerales and Bathyarchaeales. However, all major host groups are severely undersampled, and the taxonomy of existing lineages is not well developed. Full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences and genomes of arthropod-associated archaea are scarce, reference databases lack resolution, and the names of many taxa are either not validly published or under-classified and require revision. Here, we investigated the diversity of archaea in a wide range of methane-emitting arthropods, combining phylogenomic analysis of isolates and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) with amplicon sequencing of full-length 16S rRNA genes. Our results allowed us to describe numerous new species in hitherto undescribed taxa among the orders Methanobacteriales (Methanacia, Methanarmilla, Methanobaculum, Methanobinarius, Methanocatella, Methanoflexus, Methanorudis, and Methanovirga, all gen. nova), Methanomicrobiales (Methanofilum and Methanorbis, both gen. nova), Methanosarcinales (Methanofrustulum and Methanolapillus, both gen. nova), Methanomassiliicoccales (Methanomethylophilaceae fam. nov., Methanarcanum, Methanogranum, Methanomethylophilus, Methanomicula, Methanoplasma, Methanoprimaticola, all gen. nova), and the new family Bathycorpusculaceae (Bathycorpusculum gen. nov.). Reclassification of amplicon libraries from this and previous studies using this new taxonomic framework revealed that arthropods harbor only CO2 and methyl-reducing hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Numerous genus-level lineages appear to be present exclusively in arthropods, suggesting long evolutionary trajectories with their termite, cockroach, and millipede hosts, and a radiation into various microhabitats and ecological niches provided by their digestive tracts (e.g., hindgut compartments, gut wall, or anaerobic protists). The distribution patterns among the different host groups are often complex, indicating a mixed mode of transmission and a parallel evolution of invertebrate and vertebrate-associated lineages.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Evgenii Protasov
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - James O. Nonoh
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Joana M. Kästle Silva
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Undine S. Mies
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Vincent Hervé
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Carsten Dietrich
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Kristina Lang
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Lena Mikulski
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Katja Platt
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Anja Poehlein
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg August University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tim Köhler-Ramm
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Edouard Miambi
- Evolutionary Ecology Department, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris (iEES-Paris), University of Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC), Créteil, France
| | - Hamadi I. Boga
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Christopher Feldewert
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - David K. Ngugi
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Rudy Plarre
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, Berlin, Germany
| | - David Sillam-Dussès
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology (LEEC), UR 4443, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg August University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Brune
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Factors shaping the abundance and diversity of the gut archaeome across the animal kingdom. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3358. [PMID: 35688919 PMCID: PMC9187648 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31038-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Archaea are common constituents of the gut microbiome of humans, ruminants, and termites but little is known about their diversity and abundance in other animals. Here, we analyse sequencing and quantification data of archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA genes from 250 species of animals covering a large taxonomic spectrum. We detect the presence of archaea in 175 animal species belonging to invertebrates, fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals. We identify five dominant gut lineages, corresponding to Methanobrevibacter, Methanosphaera, Methanocorpusculum, Methanimicrococcus and "Ca. Methanomethylophilaceae". Some archaeal clades, notably within Methanobrevibacter, are associated to certain hosts, suggesting specific adaptations. The non-methanogenic lineage Nitrososphaeraceae (Thaumarchaeota) is frequently present in animal samples, although at low abundance, but may have also adapted to the gut environment. Host phylogeny, diet type, fibre content, and intestinal tract physiology are major drivers of the diversity and abundance of the archaeome in mammals. The overall abundance of archaea is more influenced by these factors than that of bacteria. Methanogens reducing methyl-compounds with H2 can represent an important fraction of the overall methanogens in many animals. Together with CO2-reducing methanogens, they are influenced by diet and composition of gut bacteria. Our results provide key elements toward our understanding of the ecology of archaea in the gut, an emerging and important field of investigation.
Collapse
|
3
|
Loh HQ, Hervé V, Brune A. Metabolic Potential for Reductive Acetogenesis and a Novel Energy-Converting [NiFe] Hydrogenase in Bathyarchaeia From Termite Guts - A Genome-Centric Analysis. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:635786. [PMID: 33613473 PMCID: PMC7886697 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.635786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiotic digestion of lignocellulose in the hindgut of higher termites is mediated by a diverse assemblage of bacteria and archaea. During a large-scale metagenomic study, we reconstructed 15 metagenome-assembled genomes of Bathyarchaeia that represent two distinct lineages in subgroup 6 (formerly MCG-6) unique to termite guts. One lineage (TB2; Candidatus Termitimicrobium) encodes all enzymes required for reductive acetogenesis from CO2 via an archaeal variant of the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway, involving tetrahydromethanopterin as C1 carrier and an (ADP-forming) acetyl-CoA synthase. This includes a novel 11-subunit hydrogenase, which possesses the genomic architecture of the respiratory Fpo-complex of other archaea but whose catalytic subunit is phylogenetically related to and shares the conserved [NiFe] cofactor-binding motif with [NiFe] hydrogenases of subgroup 4 g. We propose that this novel Fpo-like hydrogenase provides part of the reduced ferredoxin required for CO2 reduction and is driven by the electrochemical membrane potential generated from the ATP conserved by substrate-level phosphorylation; the other part may require the oxidation of organic electron donors, which would make members of TB2 mixotrophic acetogens. Members of the other lineage (TB1; Candidatus Termiticorpusculum) are definitely organotrophic because they consistently lack hydrogenases and/or methylene-tetrahydromethanopterin reductase, a key enzyme of the archaeal Wood–Ljungdahl pathway. Both lineages have the genomic capacity to reduce ferredoxin by oxidizing amino acids and might conduct methylotrophic acetogenesis using unidentified methylated compound(s). Our results indicate that Bathyarchaeia of subgroup 6 contribute to acetate formation in the guts of higher termites and substantiate the genomic evidence for reductive acetogenesis from organic substrates, possibly including methylated compounds, in other uncultured representatives of the phylum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Qi Loh
- Research Group Insect Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Vincent Hervé
- Research Group Insect Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Brune
- Research Group Insect Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Schmitz RA, Peeters SH, Versantvoort W, Picone N, Pol A, Jetten MSM, Op den Camp HJM. Verrucomicrobial methanotrophs: ecophysiology of metabolically versatile acidophiles. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:6125968. [PMID: 33524112 PMCID: PMC8498564 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuab007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Methanotrophs are an important group of microorganisms that counteract methane emissions to the atmosphere. Methane-oxidising bacteria of the Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria have been studied for over a century, while methanotrophs of the phylum Verrucomicrobia are a more recent discovery. Verrucomicrobial methanotrophs are extremophiles that live in very acidic geothermal ecosystems. Currently, more than a dozen strains have been isolated, belonging to the genera Methylacidiphilum and Methylacidimicrobium. Initially, these methanotrophs were thought to be metabolically confined. However, genomic analyses and physiological and biochemical experiments over the past years revealed that verrucomicrobial methanotrophs, as well as proteobacterial methanotrophs, are much more metabolically versatile than previously assumed. Several inorganic gases and other molecules present in acidic geothermal ecosystems can be utilised, such as methane, hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide, ammonium, nitrogen gas and perhaps also hydrogen sulfide. Verrucomicrobial methanotrophs could therefore represent key players in multiple volcanic nutrient cycles and in the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from geothermal ecosystems. Here, we summarise the current knowledge on verrucomicrobial methanotrophs with respect to their metabolic versatility and discuss the factors that determine their diversity in their natural environment. In addition, key metabolic, morphological and ecological characteristics of verrucomicrobial and proteobacterial methanotrophs are reviewed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rob A Schmitz
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Stijn H Peeters
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Wouter Versantvoort
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Nunzia Picone
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Arjan Pol
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mike S M Jetten
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Huub J M Op den Camp
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Roque-Romero L, Hernández E, Aceituno-Medina M, Ventura C, Toledo J, Malo EA. Attractiveness and Sexual Competitiveness of Anastrepha obliqua Males (Diptera: Tephritidae) Fed on a Diet Enriched With Providencia rettgeri. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1777. [PMID: 33013722 PMCID: PMC7509840 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The West Indian fruit fly, Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart), is the second most important tephritid fruit fly in Mexico, infesting mango, hog plum and guava fruits. To control this pest, the Mexican government has implemented the use of the sterile insect technique (SIT), which involves the mass production, sterilization and release of flies. However, the A. obliqua laboratory males used in SIT are selected to a lesser extent by the wild females during competitiveness tests. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of males fed on fruit fly food enriched with Providencia rettgeri to those in males fed on food alone, assessing male mating competitiveness, capture of females using traps baited with males fed with the enriched diet and sex pheromone components. The results indicated that males fed with the diet enriched with P. rettgeri had increased mating competitiveness and captured more females in the field cage tests. However, no difference was observed in the proportion of volatile sex pheromone components identified during the calling of A. obliqua males. The results suggest the value of incorporating bacteria into the mass rearing technique of A. obliqua adults in order to improve the sexual competitiveness of males from the laboratory compared to wild males.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Emilio Hernández
- Programa Moscafrut SADER-SENASICA, Subdirección de Desarrollo de Métodos, Chiapas, Mexico
| | | | - Carmen Ventura
- Programa Moscafrut SADER-SENASICA, Subdirección de Desarrollo de Métodos, Chiapas, Mexico
| | - Jorge Toledo
- Grupo de Ecología de Artrópodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Chiapas, Mexico
| | - Edi A Malo
- Grupo de Ecología de Artrópodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Chiapas, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Sousa G, Gandara ACP, Oliveira PL, Gomes FM, Bahia AC, Machado EA. The relationship between oxidant levels and gut physiology in a litter-feeding termite. Sci Rep 2019; 9:670. [PMID: 30679618 PMCID: PMC6345907 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37043-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The termite gut is an efficient decomposer of polyphenol-rich diets, such as lignocellulosic biomasses, and it has been proposed that non-enzymatic oxidative mechanisms could be involved with the digestive process in these animals. However, oxidant levels are completely unknown in termites, as well as protective mechanisms against oxidative damage to the termite gut and its microbiota. As the first step in investigating the role oxidants plays in termite gut physiology, this work presents oxidant levels, antioxidant enzymatic defenses, cell renewal and microbiota abundance along the litter-feeding termite Cornitermes cumulans gut compartments (foregut, midgut, mixed segment and hindgut p1, p3, p4, and p5 segments) and salivary glands. The results show variable levels of oxidants along the C. cumulans gut, the production of antioxidant enzymes, gut cell renewal as potential defenses against oxidative injuries and the profile of microbiota distribution (being predominantly inverse to oxidant levels). In this fashion, the oxidative challenges imposed by polyphenol-rich diet seem to be circumvented by the C. cumulans gut, ensuring efficiency of the digestive process together with preservation of tissue homoeostasis and microbiota growth. These results present new insights into the physicochemical properties of the gut in a litter-feeding termite, expanding our view in relation to termites’ digestive physiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gessica Sousa
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Insetos e Parasitos (Labip), Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Caroline P Gandara
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Pedro L Oliveira
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabio M Gomes
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, United States of America
| | - Ana Cristina Bahia
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Insetos e Parasitos (Labip), Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ednildo A Machado
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Insetos e Parasitos (Labip), Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. .,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Brune A. Methanogens in the Digestive Tract of Termites. (ENDO)SYMBIOTIC METHANOGENIC ARCHAEA 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-98836-8_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
|
8
|
Buczkowski G, Bertelsmeier C. Invasive termites in a changing climate: A global perspective. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:974-985. [PMID: 28168033 PMCID: PMC5288252 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Revised: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 11/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Termites are ubiquitous insects in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions and play an important role in ecosystems. Several termite species are also significant economic pests, mainly in urban areas where they attack human-made structures, but also in natural forest habitats. Worldwide, approximately 28 termite species are considered invasive and have spread beyond their native ranges, often with significant economic consequences. We used predictive climate modeling to provide the first global risk assessment for 13 of the world's most invasive termites. We modeled the future distribution of 13 of the most serious invasive termite species, using two different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, and two projection years (2050 and 2070). Our results show that all but one termite species are expected to significantly increase in their global distribution, irrespective of the climatic scenario and year. The range shifts by species (shift vectors) revealed a complex pattern of distributional changes across latitudes rather than simple poleward expansion. Mapping of potential invasion hotspots in 2050 under the RCP 4.5 scenario revealed that the most suitable areas are located in the tropics. Substantial parts of all continents had suitable environmental conditions for more than four species simultaneously. Mapping of changes in the number of species revealed that areas that lose many species (e.g., parts of South America) are those that were previously very species-rich, contrary to regions such as Europe that were overall not among the most important invasion hotspots, but that showed a great increase in the number of potential invaders. The substantial economic and ecological damage caused by invasive termites is likely to increase in response to climate change, increased urbanization, and accelerating economic globalization, acting singly or interactively.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grzegorz Buczkowski
- Department of EntomologyPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteINUSA
- Purdue Climate Change Research CenterPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteINUSA
| | - Cleo Bertelsmeier
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionBiophoreUNIL‐SorgeUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Brune A, Dietrich C. The Gut Microbiota of Termites: Digesting the Diversity in the Light of Ecology and Evolution. Annu Rev Microbiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-092412-155715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 231] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Brune
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany; ,
| | - Carsten Dietrich
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany; ,
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Ohkuma M, Noda S, Hattori S, Iida T, Yuki M, Starns D, Inoue JI, Darby AC, Hongoh Y. Acetogenesis from H2 plus CO2 and nitrogen fixation by an endosymbiotic spirochete of a termite-gut cellulolytic protist. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:10224-30. [PMID: 25979941 PMCID: PMC4547241 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1423979112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Symbiotic associations of cellulolytic eukaryotic protists and diverse bacteria are common in the gut microbial communities of termites. Besides cellulose degradation by the gut protists, reductive acetogenesis from H2 plus CO2 and nitrogen fixation by gut bacteria play crucial roles in the host termites' nutrition by contributing to the energy demand of termites and supplying nitrogen poor in their diet, respectively. Fractionation of these activities and the identification of key genes from the gut community of the wood-feeding termite Hodotermopsis sjoestedti revealed that substantial activities in the gut--nearly 60% of reductive acetogenesis and almost exclusively for nitrogen fixation--were uniquely attributed to the endosymbiotic bacteria of the cellulolytic protist in the genus Eucomonympha. The rod-shaped endosymbionts were surprisingly identified as a spirochete species in the genus Treponema, which usually exhibits a characteristic spiral morphology. The endosymbionts likely use H2 produced by the protist for these dual functions. Although H2 is known to inhibit nitrogen fixation in some bacteria, it seemed to rather stimulate this important mutualistic process. In addition, the single-cell genome analyses revealed the endosymbiont's potentials of the utilization of sugars for its energy requirement, and of the biosynthesis of valuable nutrients such as amino acids from the fixed nitrogen. These metabolic interactions are suitable for the dual functions of the endosymbiont and reconcile its substantial contributions in the gut.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Moriya Ohkuma
- Japan Collection of Microorganisms/Microbe Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, and Biomass Research Platform Team, RIKEN Biomass Engineering Program Cooperation Division, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan;
| | - Satoko Noda
- Japan Collection of Microorganisms/Microbe Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, and Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
| | - Satoshi Hattori
- Department of Food, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Yamagata University, Yamagata 997-8555, Japan
| | - Toshiya Iida
- Japan Collection of Microorganisms/Microbe Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, and
| | - Masahiro Yuki
- Biomass Research Platform Team, RIKEN Biomass Engineering Program Cooperation Division, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan
| | - David Starns
- Japan Collection of Microorganisms/Microbe Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, and Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom; and
| | - Jun-ichi Inoue
- Japan Collection of Microorganisms/Microbe Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, and
| | - Alistair C Darby
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom; and
| | - Yuichi Hongoh
- Japan Collection of Microorganisms/Microbe Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, and Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Shi Y, Huang Z, Han S, Fan S, Yang H. Phylogenetic diversity of Archaea in the intestinal tract of termites from different lineages. J Basic Microbiol 2015; 55:1021-8. [DOI: 10.1002/jobm.201400678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2014] [Accepted: 01/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yu Shi
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology; Institute of Entomology; School of Life Sciences; Central China Normal University; Wuhan P.R. China
| | - Zhou Huang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology; Institute of Entomology; School of Life Sciences; Central China Normal University; Wuhan P.R. China
| | - Shuai Han
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology; Institute of Entomology; School of Life Sciences; Central China Normal University; Wuhan P.R. China
| | - Shuo Fan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology; Institute of Entomology; School of Life Sciences; Central China Normal University; Wuhan P.R. China
| | - Hong Yang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology; Institute of Entomology; School of Life Sciences; Central China Normal University; Wuhan P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Šustr V, Chroňáková A, Semanová S, Tajovský K, Šimek M. Methane production and methanogenic Archaea in the digestive tracts of millipedes (Diplopoda). PLoS One 2014; 9:e102659. [PMID: 25028969 PMCID: PMC4100924 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Accepted: 06/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Methane production by intestinal methanogenic Archaea and their community structure were compared among phylogenetic lineages of millipedes. Tropical and temperate millipedes of 35 species and 17 families were investigated. Species that emitted methane were mostly in the juliform orders Julida, Spirobolida, and Spirostreptida. The irregular phylogenetic distribution of methane production correlated with the presence of the methanogen-specific mcrA gene. The study brings the first detailed survey of methanogens’ diversity in the digestive tract of millipedes. Sequences related to Methanosarcinales, Methanobacteriales, Methanomicrobiales and some unclassified Archaea were detected using molecular profiling (DGGE). The differences in substrate preferences of the main lineages of methanogenic Archaea found in different millipede orders indicate that the composition of methanogen communities may reflect the differences in available substrates for methanogenesis or the presence of symbiotic protozoa in the digestive tract. We conclude that differences in methane production in the millipede gut reflect differences in the activity and proliferation of intestinal methanogens rather than an absolute inability of some millipede taxa to host methanogens. This inference was supported by the general presence of methanogenic activity in millipede faecal pellets and the presence of the 16S rRNA gene of methanogens in all tested taxa in the two main groups of millipedes, the Helminthophora and the Pentazonia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vladimír Šustr
- Institute of Soil Biology, Biology Centre AS CR, v.v.i., České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- * E-mail:
| | - Alica Chroňáková
- Institute of Soil Biology, Biology Centre AS CR, v.v.i., České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Stanislava Semanová
- Institute of Soil Biology, Biology Centre AS CR, v.v.i., České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Tajovský
- Institute of Soil Biology, Biology Centre AS CR, v.v.i., České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Miloslav Šimek
- Institute of Soil Biology, Biology Centre AS CR, v.v.i., České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
The cockroach origin of the termite gut microbiota: patterns in bacterial community structure reflect major evolutionary events. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 80:2261-9. [PMID: 24487532 DOI: 10.1128/aem.04206-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Termites digest wood and other lignocellulosic substrates with the help of their intestinal microbiota. While the functions of the symbionts in the digestive process are slowly emerging, the origin of the bacteria colonizing the hindgut bioreactor is entirely unknown. Recently, our group discovered numerous representatives of bacterial lineages specific to termite guts in a closely related omnivorous cockroach, but it remains unclear whether they derive from the microbiota of a common ancestor or were independently selected by the gut environment. Here, we studied the bacterial gut microbiota in 34 species of termites and cockroaches using pyrotag analysis of the 16S rRNA genes. Although the community structures differed greatly between the major host groups, with dramatic changes in the relative abundances of particular bacterial taxa, we found that the majority of sequence reads belonged to bacterial lineages that were shared among most host species. When mapped onto the host tree, the changes in community structure coincided with major events in termite evolution, such as acquisition and loss of cellulolytic protists and the ensuing dietary diversification. UniFrac analysis of the core microbiota of termites and cockroaches and construction of phylogenetic tree of individual genus level lineages revealed a general host signal, whereas the branching order often did not match the detailed phylogeny of the host. It remains unclear whether the lineages in question have been associated with the ancestral cockroach since the early Cretaceous (cospeciation) or are diet-specific lineages that were independently acquired from the environment (host selection).
Collapse
|
14
|
Engel P, Moran NA. The gut microbiota of insects – diversity in structure and function. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2013; 37:699-735. [DOI: 10.1111/1574-6976.12025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1300] [Impact Index Per Article: 118.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2013] [Revised: 05/06/2013] [Accepted: 05/13/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
|
15
|
"Methanoplasmatales," Thermoplasmatales-related archaea in termite guts and other environments, are the seventh order of methanogens. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:8245-53. [PMID: 23001661 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02193-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 273] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Euryarchaeota comprise both methanogenic and nonmethanogenic orders and many lineages of uncultivated archaea with unknown properties. One of these deep-branching lineages, distantly related to the Thermoplasmatales, has been discovered in various environments, including marine habitats, soil, and also the intestinal tracts of termites and mammals. By comparative phylogenetic analysis, we connected this lineage of 16S rRNA genes to a large clade of unknown mcrA gene sequences, a functional marker for methanogenesis, obtained from the same habitats. The identical topologies of 16S rRNA and mcrA gene trees and the perfect congruence of all branches, including several novel groups that we obtained from the guts of termites and cockroaches, strongly suggested that they stem from the same microorganisms. This was further corroborated by two highly enriched cultures of closely related methanogens from the guts of a higher termite (Cubitermes ugandensis) and a millipede (Anadenobolus sp.), which represented one of the arthropod-specific clusters in the respective trees. Numerous other pairs of habitat-specific sequence clusters were obtained from the guts of other termites and cockroaches but were also found in previously published data sets from the intestinal tracts of mammals (e.g., rumen cluster C) and other environments. Together with the recently described Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis isolated from human feces, which falls into rice cluster III, the results of our study strongly support the idea that the entire clade of "uncultured Thermoplasmatales" in fact represents the seventh order of methanogenic archaea, for which the provisional name "Methanoplasmatales" is proposed.
Collapse
|
16
|
The bacterial community in the gut of the Cockroach Shelfordella lateralis reflects the close evolutionary relatedness of cockroaches and termites. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:2758-67. [PMID: 22327579 DOI: 10.1128/aem.07788-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Termites and cockroaches are closely related, with molecular phylogenetic analyses even placing termites within the radiation of cockroaches. The intestinal tract of wood-feeding termites harbors a remarkably diverse microbial community that is essential for the digestion of lignocellulose. However, surprisingly little is known about the gut microbiota of their closest relatives, the omnivorous cockroaches. Here, we present a combined characterization of physiological parameters, metabolic activities, and bacterial microbiota in the gut of Shelfordella lateralis, a representative of the cockroach family Blattidae, the sister group of termites. We compared the bacterial communities within each gut compartment using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis and made a 16S rRNA gene clone library of the microbiota in the colon-the dilated part of the hindgut with the highest density and diversity of bacteria. The colonic community was dominated by members of the Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes (mainly Clostridia), and some Deltaproteobacteria. Spirochaetes and Fibrobacteres, which are abundant members of termite gut communities, were conspicuously absent. Nevertheless, detailed phylogenetic analysis revealed that many of the clones from the cockroach colon clustered with sequences previously obtained from the termite gut, which indicated that the composition of the bacterial community reflects at least in part the phylogeny of the host.
Collapse
|