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Liu BQ, Bao XY, Yan JY, Zhang D, Sun X, Li CQ, Chen ZB, Luan JB. Rickettsia symbionts spread via mixed mode transmission, increasing female fecundity and sex ratio shift by host hormone modulating. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2406788121. [PMID: 38865267 PMCID: PMC11194588 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2406788121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Heritable symbionts are common among animals in nature, but the molecular mechanisms underpinning symbiont invasions of host populations have been elusive. In this study, we demonstrate the spread of Rickettsia in an invasive agricultural pest, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean (MED), across northeastern China from 2018 to 2023. Here, we show that the beneficial symbiont Rickettsia spreads by manipulating host hormone signals. Our analyses suggest that Rickettsia have been horizontally acquired by B. tabaci MED from another invasive whitefly B. tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 during periods of coexistence. Rickettsia is transmitted maternally and horizontally from female B. tabaci MED individuals. Rickettsia infection enhances fecundity and results in female bias among whiteflies. Our findings reveal that Rickettsia infection stimulates juvenile hormone (JH) synthesis, in turn enhancing fecundity, copulation events, and the female ratio of the offspring. Consequently, Rickettsia infection results in increased whitefly fecundity and female bias by modulating the JH pathway. More female progeny facilitates the transmission of Rickettsia. This study illustrates that the spread of Rickettsia among invasive whiteflies in northeastern China is propelled by host hormone regulation. Such symbiont invasions lead to rapid physiological and molecular evolution in the host, influencing the biology and ecology of an invasive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing-Qi Liu
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang110866, China
| | - Xi-Yu Bao
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang110866, China
| | - Jin-Yang Yan
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang110866, China
| | - Dan Zhang
- Liaoning Agricultural Development Service Center, Shenyang110034, China
| | - Xiang Sun
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang110866, China
| | - Chu-Qiao Li
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang110866, China
| | - Zhan-Bo Chen
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang110866, China
| | - Jun-Bo Luan
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang110866, China
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Li C, Li CQ, Chen ZB, Liu BQ, Sun X, Wei KH, Li CY, Luan JB. Wolbachia symbionts control sex in a parasitoid wasp using a horizontally acquired gene. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2359-2372.e9. [PMID: 38692276 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Host reproduction can be manipulated by bacterial symbionts in various ways. Parthenogenesis induction is the most effective type of reproduction manipulation by symbionts for their transmission. Insect sex is determined by regulation of doublesex (dsx) splicing through transformer2 (tra2) and transformer (tra) interaction. Although parthenogenesis induction by symbionts has been studied since the 1970s, its underlying molecular mechanism is unknown. Here we identify a Wolbachia parthenogenesis-induction feminization factor gene (piff) that targets sex-determining genes and causes female-producing parthenogenesis in the haplodiploid parasitoid Encarsia formosa. We found that Wolbachia elimination repressed expression of female-specific dsx and enhanced expression of male-specific dsx, which led to the production of wasp haploid male offspring. Furthermore, we found that E. formosa tra is truncated and non-functional, and Wolbachia has a functional tra homolog, termed piff, with an insect origin. Wolbachia PIFF can colocalize and interact with wasp TRA2. Moreover, Wolbachia piff has coordinated expression with tra2 and dsx of E. formosa. Our results demonstrate the bacterial symbiont Wolbachia has acquired an insect gene to manipulate the host sex determination cascade and induce parthenogenesis in wasps. This study reveals insect-to-bacteria horizontal gene transfer drives the evolution of animal sex determination systems, elucidating a striking mechanism of insect-microbe symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ce Li
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Chu-Qiao Li
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Zhan-Bo Chen
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Bing-Qi Liu
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Xiang Sun
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Kai-Heng Wei
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Chen-Yi Li
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Jun-Bo Luan
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.
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Shi PQ, Wang L, Chen XY, Wang K, Wu QJ, Turlings TCJ, Zhang PJ, Qiu BL. Rickettsia transmission from whitefly to plants benefits herbivore insects but is detrimental to fungal and viral pathogens. mBio 2024; 15:e0244823. [PMID: 38315036 PMCID: PMC10936170 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02448-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial endosymbionts play important roles in the life histories of herbivorous insects by impacting their development, survival, reproduction, and stress tolerance. How endosymbionts may affect the interactions between plants and insect herbivores is still largely unclear. Here, we show that endosymbiotic Rickettsia belli can provide mutual benefits also outside of their hosts when the sap-sucking whitefly Bemisia tabaci transmits them to plants. This transmission facilitates the spread of Rickettsia but is shown to also enhance the performance of the whitefly and co-infesting caterpillars. In contrast, Rickettsia infection enhanced plant resistance to several pathogens. Inside the plants, Rickettsia triggers the expression of salicylic acid-related genes and the two pathogen-resistance genes TGA 2.1 and VRP, whereas they repressed genes of the jasmonic acid pathway. Performance experiments using wild type and mutant tomato plants confirmed that Rickettsia enhances the plants' suitability for insect herbivores but makes them more resistant to fungal and viral pathogens. Our results imply that endosymbiotic Rickettsia of phloem-feeding insects affects plant defenses in a manner that facilitates their spread and transmission. This novel insight into how insects can exploit endosymbionts to manipulate plant defenses also opens possibilities to interfere with their ability to do so as a crop protection strategy. IMPORTANCE Most insects are associated with symbiotic bacteria in nature. These symbionts play important roles in the life histories of herbivorous insects by impacting their development, survival, reproduction as well as stress tolerance. Rickettsia is one important symbiont to the agricultural pest whitefly Bemisia tabaci. Here, for the first time, we revealed that the persistence of Rickettsia symbionts in tomato leaves significantly changed the defense pattern of tomato plants. These changes benefit both sap-feeding and leaf-chewing herbivore insects, such as increasing the fecundity of whitefly adults, enhancing the growth and development of the noctuid Spodoptera litura, but reducing the pathogenicity of Verticillium fungi and TYLCV virus to tomato plants distinctively. Our study unraveled a new horizon for the multiple interaction theories among plant-insect-bacterial symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Qiong Shi
- Engineering Research Center of Biotechnology for Active Substances, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Biotechnology for Active Substances, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xin-Yi Chen
- Engineering Research Center of Biotechnology for Active Substances, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, School of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Qing-Jun Wu
- Institute of Vegetables & Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ted C. J. Turlings
- FARCE Laboratory, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Peng-Jun Zhang
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Huangzhou, China
| | - Bao-Li Qiu
- Engineering Research Center of Biotechnology for Active Substances, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
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Bai J, Zuo Z, DuanMu H, Li M, Tong H, Mei Y, Xiao Y, He K, Jiang M, Wang S, Li F. Endosymbiont Tremblaya phenacola influences the reproduction of cotton mealybugs by regulating the mechanistic target of rapamycin pathway. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae052. [PMID: 38519099 PMCID: PMC11014885 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
The intricate evolutionary dynamics of endosymbiotic relationships result in unique characteristics among the genomes of symbionts, which profoundly influence host insect phenotypes. Here, we investigated an endosymbiotic system in Phenacoccus solenopsis, a notorious pest of the subfamily Phenacoccinae. The endosymbiont, "Candidatus Tremblaya phenacola" (T. phenacola PSOL), persisted throughout the complete life cycle of female hosts and was more active during oviposition, whereas there was a significant decline in abundance after pupation in males. Genome sequencing yielded an endosymbiont genome of 221.1 kb in size, comprising seven contigs and originating from a chimeric arrangement between betaproteobacteria and gammaproteobacteria. A comprehensive analysis of amino acid metabolic pathways demonstrated complementarity between the host and endosymbiont metabolism. Elimination of T. phenacola PSOL through antibiotic treatment significantly decreased P. solenopsis fecundity. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis demonstrated a correlation between genes associated with essential amino acid synthesis and those associated with host meiosis and oocyte maturation. Moreover, altering endosymbiont abundance activated the host mechanistic target of rapamycin pathway, suggesting that changes in the amino acid abundance affected the host reproductive capabilities via this signal pathway. Taken together, these findings demonstrate a mechanism by which the endosymbiont T. phenacola PSOL contributed to high fecundity in P. solenopsis and provide new insights into nutritional compensation and coevolution of the endosymbiotic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianyang Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Zhangqi Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Haonan DuanMu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Meizhen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Haojie Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yang Mei
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yiqi Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Kang He
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Mingxing Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shuping Wang
- Technical Centre for Animal, Plant & Food Inspection and Quarantine, Shanghai Customs, Shanghai 200135, China
| | - Fei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology & Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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Chang X, Xue S, Li R, Zhang Y. Episyrphus balteatus symbiont variation across developmental stages, living states, two sexes, and potential horizontal transmission from prey or environment. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1308393. [PMID: 38249471 PMCID: PMC10797133 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1308393] [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: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Episyrphus balteatus is one representative Syrphidae insect which can provide extensive pollination and pest control services. To date, the symbiont composition and potential acquisition approaches in Syrphidae remain unclear. Methods Herein, we investigated microbiota dynamics across developmental stages, different living states, and two sexes in E. balteatus via full-length 16S rRNA genes sequencing, followed by an attempt to explore the possibility of symbiont transmission from prey Megoura crassicauda to the hoverfly. Results Overall, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the dominant bacteria phyla with fluctuating relative abundances across the life stage. Cosenzaea myxofaciens is dominant in adulthood, while Enterococcus silesiacus and Morganella morganii dominate in larvae and pupae of E. balteatus, respectively. Unexpectedly, Serratia symbiotica, one facultative endosymbiont commonly harbored in aphids, was one of the predominant bacteria in larvae of E. balteatus, just behind Enterococcus silesiacus. In addition, S. symbiotica was also surprisingly most dominated in M. crassicauda aphids (92.1% relative abundance), which are significantly higher than Buchnera aphidicola (4.7% relative abundance), the primary obligate symbiont of most aphid species. Approximately 25% mortality was observed among newly emerged adults, of which microbiota was also disordered, similar to normally dying individuals. Sexually biased symbionts and 41 bacteria species with pairwise co-occurrence in E. balteatus and 23 biomarker species for each group were identified eventually. Functional prediction showed symbionts of hoverflies and aphids, both mainly focusing on metabolic pathways. In brief, we comprehensively explored the microbiome in one Syrphidae hoverfly using E. balteatus reared indoors on M. morganii as the model, revealed its dominated symbiont species, identified sexually biased symbionts, and found an aphid facultative endosymbiont inhabited in the hoverfly. We also found that the dominated symbiotic bacteria in M. crassicauda are S. symbiotica other than Buchnera aphidicola. Discussion Taken together, this study provides new valuable resources about symbionts in hoverflies and prey aphids jointly, which will benefit further exploring the potential roles of microbiota in E. balteatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Chang
- National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-Breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Anyang, Henan, China
- School of Biological and Food Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, China
- Research Base, Anyang Institute of Technology, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Inte-grated Utilization, Anyang, Henan, China
- Taihang Mountain Forest Pests Observation and Research Station of Henan Province, Linzhou, China
| | - Shuang Xue
- School of Biological and Food Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, China
- Research Base, Anyang Institute of Technology, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Inte-grated Utilization, Anyang, Henan, China
- Taihang Mountain Forest Pests Observation and Research Station of Henan Province, Linzhou, China
| | - Ruimin Li
- School of Biological and Food Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, China
- Research Base, Anyang Institute of Technology, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Inte-grated Utilization, Anyang, Henan, China
- Taihang Mountain Forest Pests Observation and Research Station of Henan Province, Linzhou, China
| | - Yuanchen Zhang
- School of Biological and Food Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, China
- Research Base, Anyang Institute of Technology, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Inte-grated Utilization, Anyang, Henan, China
- Taihang Mountain Forest Pests Observation and Research Station of Henan Province, Linzhou, China
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