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Hoffmann AA, Cooper BS. Describing endosymbiont-host interactions within the parasitism-mutualism continuum. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11705. [PMID: 38975267 PMCID: PMC11224498 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Endosymbionts are widespread in arthropods, living in host cells with effects that extend from parasitic to mutualistic. Newly acquired endosymbionts tend to be parasitic, but vertical transmission favors coevolution toward mutualism, with hosts sometimes developing dependency. Endosymbionts negatively affecting host fitness may still spread by impacting host reproductive traits, referred to as reproductive "manipulation," although costs for hosts are often assumed rather than demonstrated. For cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) that involves endosymbiont-mediated embryo death, theory predicts directional shifts away from "manipulation" toward reduced CI strength; moreover, CI-causing endosymbionts need to increase host fitness to initially spread. In nature, endosymbiont-host interactions and dynamics are complex, often depending on environmental conditions and evolutionary history. We advocate for capturing this complexity through appropriate datasets, rather than relying on terms like "manipulation." Such imprecision can lead to the misclassification of endosymbionts along the parasitism-mutualism continuum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ary A. Hoffmann
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, School of BioSciences, Bio21 InstituteUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | - Brandon S. Cooper
- Division of Biological SciencesUniversity of MontanaMissoulaMontanaUSA
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2
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Mazel F, Pitteloud C, Guisan A, Pellissier L. Contrasted host specificity of gut and endosymbiont bacterial communities in alpine grasshoppers and crickets. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycad013. [PMID: 38374896 PMCID: PMC10875604 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycad013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Bacteria colonize the body of macroorganisms to form associations ranging from parasitic to mutualistic. Endosymbiont and gut symbiont communities are distinct microbiomes whose compositions are influenced by host ecology and evolution. Although the composition of horizontally acquired symbiont communities can correlate to host species identity (i.e. harbor host specificity) and host phylogeny (i.e. harbor phylosymbiosis), we hypothesize that the microbiota structure of vertically inherited symbionts (e.g. endosymbionts like Wolbachia) is more strongly associated with the host species identity and phylogeny than horizontally acquired symbionts (e.g. most gut symbionts). Here, using 16S metabarcoding on 336 guts from 24 orthopteran species (grasshoppers and crickets) in the Alps, we observed that microbiota correlated to host species identity, i.e. hosts from the same species had more similar microbiota than hosts from different species. This effect was ~5 times stronger for endosymbionts than for putative gut symbionts. Although elevation correlated with microbiome composition, we did not detect phylosymbiosis for endosymbionts and putative gut symbionts: closely related host species did not harbor more similar microbiota than distantly related species. Our findings indicate that gut microbiota of studied orthopteran species is more correlated to host identity and habitat than to the host phylogeny. The higher host specificity in endosymbionts corroborates the idea that-everything else being equal-vertically transmitted microbes harbor stronger host specificity signal, but the absence of phylosymbiosis suggests that host specificity changes quickly on evolutionary time scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Mazel
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Camille Pitteloud
- Département de la mobilité, du territoire et de l'environnement, Service des forêts, de la nature et du paysage, Sion 1950, Switzerland
- Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland
| | - Antoine Guisan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Loïc Pellissier
- Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland
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3
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Patel V, Lynn-Bell N, Chevignon G, Kucuk RA, Higashi CHV, Carpenter M, Russell JA, Oliver KM. Mobile elements create strain-level variation in the services conferred by an aphid symbiont. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:3333-3348. [PMID: 37864320 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Heritable, facultative symbionts are common in arthropods, often functioning in host defence. Despite moderately reduced genomes, facultative symbionts retain evolutionary potential through mobile genetic elements (MGEs). MGEs form the primary basis of strain-level variation in genome content and architecture, and often correlate with variability in symbiont-mediated phenotypes. In pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum), strain-level variation in the type of toxin-encoding bacteriophages (APSEs) carried by the bacterium Hamiltonella defensa correlates with strength of defence against parasitoids. However, co-inheritance creates difficulties for partitioning their relative contributions to aphid defence. Here we identified isolates of H. defensa that were nearly identical except for APSE type. When holding H. defensa genotype constant, protection levels corresponded to APSE virulence module type. Results further indicated that APSEs move repeatedly within some H. defensa clades providing a mechanism for rapid evolution in anti-parasitoid defences. Strain variation in H. defensa also correlates with the presence of a second symbiont Fukatsuia symbiotica. Predictions that nutritional interactions structured this coinfection were not supported by comparative genomics, but bacteriocin-containing plasmids unique to co-infecting strains may contribute to their common pairing. In conclusion, strain diversity, and joint capacities for horizontal transfer of MGEs and symbionts, are emergent players in the rapid evolution of arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vilas Patel
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Nicole Lynn-Bell
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Germain Chevignon
- Laboratoire de Génétique et Pathologie des Mollusques Marins, IFREMER, La Tremblade, France
| | - Roy A Kucuk
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Melissa Carpenter
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jacob A Russell
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kerry M Oliver
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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4
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Owashi Y, Minami T, Kikuchi T, Yoshida A, Nakano R, Kageyama D, Adachi-Hagimori T. Microbiome of Zoophytophagous Biological Control Agent Nesidiocoris tenuis. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 86:2923-2933. [PMID: 37658881 PMCID: PMC10640431 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02290-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Many insects are associated with endosymbionts that influence the feeding, reproduction, and distribution of their hosts. Although the small green mirid, Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae), a zoophytophagous predator that feeds on plants as well as arthropods, is a globally important biological control agent, its microbiome has not been sufficiently studied. In the present study, we assessed the microbiome variation in 96 N. tenuis individuals from 14 locations throughout Japan, based on amplicon sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Nine major bacteria associated with N. tenuis were identified: Rickettsia, two strains of Wolbachia, Spiroplasma, Providencia, Serratia, Pseudochrobactrum, Lactococcus, and Stenotrophomonas. Additionally, a diagnostic PCR analysis for three typical insect reproductive manipulators, Rickettsia, Wolbachia, and Spiroplasma, was performed on a larger sample size (n = 360) of N. tenuis individuals; the most prevalent symbiont was Rickettsia (69.7%), followed by Wolbachia (39.2%) and Spiroplasma (6.1%). Although some symbionts were co-infected, their prevalence did not exhibit any specific tendency, such as a high frequency in specific infection combinations. The infection frequency of Rickettsia was significantly correlated with latitude and temperature, while that of Wolbachia and Spiroplasma was significantly correlated with host plants. The predominance of these bacteria and the absence of obligate symbionts suggested that the N. tenuis microbiome is typical for predatory arthropods rather than sap-feeding insects. Rickettsia and Wolbachia were vertically transmitted rather than horizontally transmitted from the prey. The functional validation of each symbiont would be warranted to develop N. tenuis as a biological control agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Owashi
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Toma Minami
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
| | - Taisei Kikuchi
- Frontier Science Research Center, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akemi Yoshida
- Frontier Science Research Center, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
| | - Ryohei Nakano
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
- Shizuoka Prefectural Research Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kageyama
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
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5
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Ogata S, Umemiya-Shirafuji R, Kusakisako K, Kakisaka K, Chatanga E, Hayashi N, Taya Y, Ohari Y, Pandey GS, Abdelbaset AE, Qiu Y, Matsuno K, Nonaka N, Nakao R. Investigation of vertical and horizontal transmission of Spiroplasma in ticks under laboratory conditions. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13265. [PMID: 37582809 PMCID: PMC10427632 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39128-z] [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: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Many arthropods harbour bacterial symbionts, which are maintained by vertical and/or horizontal transmission. Spiroplasma is one of the most well-known symbionts of ticks and other arthropods. It is still unclear how Spiroplasma infections have spread in tick populations despite its high prevalence in some tick species. In this study, Ixodes ovatus, which has been reported to harbour Spiroplasma ixodetis at high frequencies, was examined for its vertical transmission potential under experimental conditions. Next, two isolates of tick-derived Spiroplasma, S. ixodetis and Spiroplasma mirum, were experimentally inoculated into Spiroplasma-free Haemaphysalis longicornis colonies and the presence of Spiroplasma in their eggs and larvae was tested. Our experimental data confirmed that S. ixodetis was transmitted to eggs and larvae in a vertical manner in the original host I. ovatus. In the second experiment, there was no significant difference in engorged weight, egg weight, and hatching rate between Spiroplasma-inoculated and control H. longicornis groups. This suggested that Spiroplasma infection does not affect tick reproduction. Spiroplasma DNA was only detected in the eggs and larvae derived from some individuals of S. ixodetis-inoculated groups. This has demonstrated the potential of horizontal transmission between different tick species. These findings may help understand the transmission dynamics of Spiroplasma in nature and its adaptation mechanism to host arthropod species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Ogata
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
- Laboratory of Molecular Targeted Therapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Nihon University, Chiba, 274-8555, Japan
- Division of International Research Promotion, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0020, Japan
| | - Rika Umemiya-Shirafuji
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, 080-8555, Japan
| | - Kodai Kusakisako
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
- Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Towada, 034-8628, Japan
| | - Keita Kakisaka
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
| | - Elisha Chatanga
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, P.O. Box 219, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Naoki Hayashi
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
| | - Yurie Taya
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
| | - Yuma Ohari
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, 069-8501, Japan
| | - Gita Sadaula Pandey
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
| | - Abdelbaset Eweda Abdelbaset
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
- Department of Animal Medicine, Clinical Laboratory Diagnosis, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 71515, Egypt
| | - Yongjin Qiu
- Division of International Research Promotion, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0020, Japan
- Department of Virology-I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan
- Management Department of Biosafety, Laboratory Animal, and Pathogen Bank, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan
| | - Keita Matsuno
- Division of Risk Analysis and Management, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0020, Japan
- One Health Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0020, Japan
- International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0020, Japan
| | - Nariaki Nonaka
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
| | - Ryo Nakao
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan.
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Lapadula WJ, Juri Ayub M. Ribosome Inactivating Proteins in Insects: HGT, gene expression, and functional implications. Gene 2023:147547. [PMID: 37286020 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.147547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are RNA N-glycosidases that depurinate an adenine residue in the conserved alpha-sarcin/ricin loop (SRL) of rRNA, inhibiting protein synthesis. Previously, we reported the existence of these toxins in insects, whose presence is restricted to mosquitoes from the Culicinae subfamily (e.g., Aedes aegypti) and whiteflies from the Aleyrodidae family (e.g., Bemisia tabaci). Both groups of genes are derived from two independent horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events and are evolved under purifying selection. Here, we report and characterize the occurrence of a third HGT event in the Sciaroidea superfamily, which supports the recurrent acquisition of RIP genes by insects. Transcriptomic experiments, available in databases, allowed us to describe the temporal and spatial expression profiles for these foreign genes in these organisms. Furthermore, we found that RIP expression is induced after infection with pathogens and provided, for the first time, transcriptomic evidence of parasite SRL depurination. This evidence suggests a possible role of these foreign genes as immune effectors in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter J Lapadula
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis, IMIBIO-SL-CONICET and Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejército de Los Andes, 950, D5700HHW San Luis, Argentina.
| | - Maximiliano Juri Ayub
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis, IMIBIO-SL-CONICET and Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejército de Los Andes, 950, D5700HHW San Luis, Argentina
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7
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Fernandez De Landa G, Alberoni D, Baffoni L, Fernandez De Landa M, Revainera PD, Porrini LP, Brasesco C, Quintana S, Zumpano F, Eguaras MJ, Maggi MD, Di Gioia D. The gut microbiome of solitary bees is mainly affected by pathogen assemblage and partially by land use. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2023; 18:38. [PMID: 37098635 PMCID: PMC10131457 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-023-00494-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Pollinators, including solitary bees, are drastically declining worldwide. Among the factors contributing to this decline, bee pathogens and different land uses are of relevance. The link between the gut microbiome composition and host health has been recently studied for social pollinators (e.g. honeybees), whereas the information related to solitary bees is sparse. This work aimed at the characterization of the gut microbiome of the solitary bees Xylocopa augusti, Eucera fervens and Lasioglossum and attempted to correlate the gut microbial composition with the presence and load of different pathogens and land uses. Solitary bees were sampled in different sites (i.e. a farm, a natural reserve, and an urban plant nursery) showing different land uses. DNA was extracted from the gut, 16S rRNA gene amplified and sequenced. Eight pathogens, known for spillover from managed bees to wild ones, were quantified with qPCR. The results showed that the core microbiome profile of the three solitary bees significantly varied in the different species. Pseudomonas was found as the major core taxa in all solitary bees analyzed, whereas Lactobacillus, Spiroplasma and Sodalis were the second most abundant taxa in X. augusti, E. fervens and Lasioglossum, respectively. The main pathogens detected with qPCR were Nosema ceranae, Nosema bombi and Crithidia bombi, although differently abundant in the different bee species and sampling sites. Most microbial taxa did not show any correlation with the land use, apart from Snodgrassella and Nocardioides, showing higher abundances on less anthropized sites. Conversely, the pathogens species and load strongly affected the gut microbial composition, with Bifidobacterium, Apibacter, Serratia, Snodgrassella and Sodalis abundance that positively or negatively correlated with the detected pathogens load. Therefore, pathogens presence and load appear to be the main factor shaping the gut microbiome of solitary bees in Argentina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregorio Fernandez De Landa
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Asociación Simple CIC PBA, Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas Sociales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, , Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Daniele Alberoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Loredana Baffoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mateo Fernandez De Landa
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Asociación Simple CIC PBA, Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas Sociales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, , Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Pablo Damian Revainera
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Asociación Simple CIC PBA, Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas Sociales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, , Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Leonardo Pablo Porrini
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Asociación Simple CIC PBA, Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas Sociales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, , Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Constanza Brasesco
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Asociación Simple CIC PBA, Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas Sociales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, , Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Silvina Quintana
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Asociación Simple CIC PBA, Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas Sociales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, , Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Francisco Zumpano
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Funes 3350, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-CONICET, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Martìn Javier Eguaras
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Asociación Simple CIC PBA, Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas Sociales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, , Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Matias Daniel Maggi
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Asociación Simple CIC PBA, Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata, CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas Sociales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, , Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Diana Di Gioia
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy
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8
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Barak N, Fadeev E, Brekhman V, Aharonovich D, Lotan T, Sher D. Selecting 16S rRNA Primers for Microbiome Analysis in a Host-Microbe System: The Case of the Jellyfish Rhopilema nomadica. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11040955. [PMID: 37110378 PMCID: PMC10144005 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11040955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene is extensively used to characterize bacterial communities, including those living in association with eukaryotic hosts. Deciding which region of the 16S rRNA gene to analyze and selecting the appropriate PCR primers remains a major decision when initiating any new microbiome study. Based on a detailed literature survey of studies focusing on cnidarian microbiomes, we compared three commonly used primers targeting different hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene, V1V2, V3V4, and V4V5, using the jellyfish Rhopilema nomadica as a model. Although all primers exhibit a similar pattern in bacterial community composition, the performance of the V3V4 primer set was superior to V1V2 and V4V5. The V1V2 primers misclassified bacteria from the Bacilli class and exhibited low classification resolution for Rickettsiales, which represent the second most abundant 16S rRNA gene sequence in all the primers. The V4V5 primer set detected almost the same community composition as the V3V4, but the ability of these primers to also amplify the eukaryotic 18S rRNA gene may hinder bacterial community observations. However, after overcoming the challenges possessed by each one of those primers, we found that all three of them show very similar bacterial community dynamics and compositions. Nevertheless, based on our results, we propose that the V3V4 primer set is potentially the most suitable for studying jellyfish-associated bacterial communities. Our results suggest that, at least for jellyfish samples, it may be feasible to directly compare microbial community estimates from different studies, each using different primers but otherwise similar experimental protocols. More generally, we recommend specifically testing different primers for each new organism or system as a prelude to large-scale 16S rRNA gene amplicon analyses, especially of previously unstudied host-microbe associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noga Barak
- Marine Biology Department, The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Eduard Fadeev
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Vera Brekhman
- Marine Biology Department, The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Dikla Aharonovich
- Marine Biology Department, The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Tamar Lotan
- Marine Biology Department, The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Daniel Sher
- Marine Biology Department, The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
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Trzebny A, Slodkowicz-Kowalska A, Björkroth J, Dabert M. Microsporidian Infection in Mosquitoes (Culicidae) Is Associated with Gut Microbiome Composition and Predicted Gut Microbiome Functional Content. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 85:247-263. [PMID: 34939130 PMCID: PMC9849180 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01944-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The animal gut microbiota consist of many different microorganisms, mainly bacteria, but archaea, fungi, protozoans, and viruses may also be present. This complex and dynamic community of microorganisms may change during parasitic infection. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the presence of microsporidians on the composition of the mosquito gut microbiota and linked some microbiome taxa and functionalities to infections caused by these parasites. We characterised bacterial communities of 188 mosquito females, of which 108 were positive for microsporidian DNA. To assess how bacterial communities change during microsporidian infection, microbiome structures were identified using 16S rRNA microbial profiling. In total, we identified 46 families and four higher taxa, of which Comamonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Flavobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae were the most abundant mosquito-associated bacterial families. Our data suggest that the mosquito gut microbial composition varies among host species. In addition, we found a correlation between the microbiome composition and the presence of microsporidians. The prediction of metagenome functional content from the 16S rRNA gene sequencing suggests that microsporidian infection is characterised by some bacterial species capable of specific metabolic functions, especially the biosynthesis of ansamycins and vancomycin antibiotics and the pentose phosphate pathway. Moreover, we detected a positive correlation between the presence of microsporidian DNA and bacteria belonging to Spiroplasmataceae and Leuconostocaceae, each represented by a single species, Spiroplasma sp. PL03 and Weissella cf. viridescens, respectively. Additionally, W. cf. viridescens was observed only in microsporidian-infected mosquitoes. More extensive research, including intensive and varied host sampling, as well as determination of metabolic activities based on quantitative methods, should be carried out to confirm our results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artur Trzebny
- Molecular Biology Techniques Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.
| | - Anna Slodkowicz-Kowalska
- Department of Biology and Medical Parasitology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | - Johanna Björkroth
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Miroslawa Dabert
- Molecular Biology Techniques Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
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10
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Magagnoli S, Alberoni D, Baffoni L, Martini A, Marini F, Di Gioia D, Mazzon M, Marzadori C, Campanelli G, Burgio G. The ground beetle Pseudoophonus rufipes gut microbiome is influenced by the farm management system. Sci Rep 2022; 12:22638. [PMID: 36587034 PMCID: PMC9805440 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25408-7] [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: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Intensive conventional farm management, characterized by high agrochemicals input, could alter the composition of microbial communities with potential negative effects on both functional traits and the ecosystem services provided. In this study, we investigated the gut microbial composition of a high ecological relevance carabid Pseudoophonus rufipes, sampled in two fields subjected to conventional and organic management practices. Carabids' gut microbiota was analyzed via qPCR and NGS. Profound differences between the microbial composition of organic and conventional samples were detected: the abundance of Tenericutes and Proteobacteria was significant higher in organic and conventional samples, respectively. Spiroplasmataceae and Bifidobacteriaceae families were significantly more abundant in samples from organic management, while Enterococcaceae, Morganellaceae and Yersiniaceae were more abundant in samples from conventional management. The diverse gut microbial composition of insects between the two management systems is related to the pressure of environmental stressors and it may representing an important bioindication of ecological functions and services provided by a carabid species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Magagnoli
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari (DISTAL), Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Daniele Alberoni
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari (DISTAL), Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Loredana Baffoni
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari (DISTAL), Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Antonio Martini
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari (DISTAL), Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesca Marini
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari (DISTAL), Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Diana Di Gioia
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari (DISTAL), Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Martina Mazzon
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari (DISTAL), Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudio Marzadori
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari (DISTAL), Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Gabriele Campanelli
- Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia – Centro di ricerca Orticoltura e Florovivaismo (CREA -OF) - Sede di Monsampolo del Tronto, via Salaria 1, 63077 Monsampolo del Tronto, Italy
| | - Giovanni Burgio
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari (DISTAL), Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
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11
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Ou J, Liu Q, Bian Y, Luan X, Meng Y, Dong H, Cao M, Zhang B, Wang Z, Zhao W. Integrated analysis of mRNA and microRNA transcriptome related to immunity and autophagy in shrimp hemocytes infected with Spiroplasma eriocheiris. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 130:436-452. [PMID: 36184970 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2022.09.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, the industry in charge of the cultivation of Macrobrachium nipponense (M.nipponense) has suffered significant economic losses due to an infectious pathogen called Spiroplasma eriocheiris (S.eriocheiris). There has therefore been a need to identify the key immune and autophagy genes that respond to M.nipponense's infection with S. eriocheiris to analyze its immune response mechanism and the regulation of related microRNAs (miRNAs). In this study, the mRNA and miRNA transcriptome of M.nipponense's hemocytes were analyzed at different stages of infection. This analysis employed the second and third-generation sequencing technologies. In the mRNA transcriptome, 1656 genes were expressed in healthy and susceptible M.nipponense. 892 of these were significantly up-regulated, while 764 were down-regulated. 118 genes with significant differences in autophagy, endocytosis, lysosome, Toll, IMD, and VEGF pathways were obtained from the transcriptome. In the miRNA transcriptome, 312 miRNAs (Conserved: 112, PN-type: 18, PC-type: 182) were sequenced. 74 were significantly up-regulated, and 57 were down-regulated. There were 25 miRNAs involved in regulating the Toll and IMD pathways, 41 in endocytosis, 30 in lysosome, and 12 in the VEGF pathway. An integrated analysis of immune-related miRNAs and mRNAs showed that miRNAs with significant differences (P < 0.05) such as ame-miR-29b-3p, dpu-miR-1and PC-3p-945_4074, had corresponding regulatory relationships with 118 important immune genes such as Relish, Dorsal, Caspase-3, and NF-κB. This study obtained the key immune and autophagy-related genes and corresponding regulatory miRNAs in M. nipponense's hemocytes in response to an infection by S.eriocheiris. The results can provide vital data that further reveals the defense mechanism of M.nipponense's immune system against S.eriocheiris. It can also help further comprehension and interpretation of M.nipponense's resistance mechanism to the invading S.eriocheiris, and provide molecular research information for the realization of host-directed therapies (HDT) for M.nipponense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangtao Ou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China.
| | - Qiao Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China; The Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Medicinal Plants of Jiangsu Province, School of Life Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Yunxia Bian
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaoqi Luan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity & Biotechnology and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Aquatic Crustacean Diseases, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yusuo Meng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Huizi Dong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Miao Cao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Benhou Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Zisheng Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Weihong Zhao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
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12
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Kakizawa S, Hosokawa T, Oguchi K, Miyakoshi K, Fukatsu T. Spiroplasma as facultative bacterial symbionts of stinkbugs. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1044771. [PMID: 36353457 PMCID: PMC9638005 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1044771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Many insects are associated with facultative symbiotic bacteria, and their infection prevalence provides an important clue to understand the biological impact of such microbial associates. Here we surveyed diverse stinkbugs representing 13 families, 69 genera, 97 species and 468 individuals for Spiroplasma infection. Diagnostic PCR detection revealed that 4 families (30.8%), 7 genera (10.1%), 11 species (11.3%) and 21 individuals (4.5%) were Spiroplasma positive. All the 21 stinkbug samples with Spiroplasma infection were subjected to PCR amplification and sequencing of Spiroplasma’s 16S rRNA gene. Molecular phylogenetic analysis uncovered that the stinkbug-associated Spiroplasma symbionts were placed in three distinct clades in the Spiroplasmataceae, highlighting multiple evolutionary origins of the stinkbug-Spiroplasma associations. The Spiroplasma phylogeny did not reflect the host stinkbug phylogeny, indicating the absence of host-symbiont co-speciation. On the other hand, the Spiroplasma symbionts associated with the same stinkbug family tended to be related to each other, suggesting the possibility of certain levels of host-symbiont specificity and/or ecological symbiont sharing. Amplicon sequencing analysis targeting bacterial 16S rRNA gene, FISH visualization of the symbiotic bacteria, and rearing experiments of the host stinkbugs uncovered that the Spiroplasma symbionts are generally much less abundant in comparison with the primary gut symbiotic bacteria, localized to various tissues and organs at relatively low densities, and vertically transmitted to the offspring. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the Spiroplasma symbionts are, in general, facultative bacterial associates of low infection prevalence that are not essential but rather commensalistic for the host stinkbugs, like the Spiroplasma symbionts of fruit flies and aphids, although their impact on the host phenotypes should be evaluated in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeyuki Kakizawa
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- *Correspondence: Shigeyuki Kakizawa, ; Takema Fukatsu,
| | - Takahiro Hosokawa
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kohei Oguchi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Misaki Marine Biological Station (MMBS), School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Miura, Japan
| | - Kaori Miyakoshi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- *Correspondence: Shigeyuki Kakizawa, ; Takema Fukatsu,
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13
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Sentis A, Hemptinne J, Magro A, Outreman Y. Biological control needs evolutionary perspectives of ecological interactions. Evol Appl 2022; 15:1537-1554. [PMID: 36330295 PMCID: PMC9624075 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
While ecological interactions have been identified as determinant for biological control efficiency, the role of evolution remains largely underestimated in biological control programs. With the restrictions on the use of both pesticides and exotic biological control agents (BCAs), the evolutionary optimization of local BCAs becomes central for improving the efficiency and the resilience of biological control. In particular, we need to better account for the natural processes of evolution to fully understand the interactions of pests and BCAs, including in biocontrol strategies integrating human manipulations of evolution (i.e., artificial selection and genetic engineering). In agroecosystems, the evolution of BCAs traits and performance depends on heritable phenotypic variation, trait genetic architecture, selection strength, stochastic processes, and other selective forces. Humans can manipulate these natural processes to increase the likelihood of evolutionary trait improvement, by artificially increasing heritable phenotypic variation, strengthening selection, controlling stochastic processes, or overpassing evolution through genetic engineering. We highlight these facets by reviewing recent studies addressing the importance of natural processes of evolution and human manipulations of these processes in biological control. We then discuss the interactions between the natural processes of evolution occurring in agroecosystems and affecting the artificially improved BCAs after their release. We emphasize that biological control cannot be summarized by interactions between species pairs because pests and biological control agents are entangled in diverse communities and are exposed to a multitude of deterministic and stochastic selective forces that can change rapidly in direction and intensity. We conclude that the combination of different evolutionary approaches can help optimize BCAs to remain efficient under changing environmental conditions and, ultimately, favor agroecosystem sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Sentis
- INRAEAix Marseille University, UMR RECOVERAix‐en‐ProvenceFrance
| | - Jean‐Louis Hemptinne
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité biologiqueUMR 5174 CNRS/UPS/IRDToulouseFrance
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi‐Pyrénées – ENSFEACastanet‐TolosanFrance
| | - Alexandra Magro
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité biologiqueUMR 5174 CNRS/UPS/IRDToulouseFrance
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi‐Pyrénées – ENSFEACastanet‐TolosanFrance
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14
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Wertheim B. Adaptations and counter-adaptations in Drosophila host-parasitoid interactions: advances in the molecular mechanisms. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 51:100896. [PMID: 35240335 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Both hosts and parasitoids evolved a diverse array of traits and strategies for their antagonistic interactions, affecting their chances of encounter, attack and survival after parasitoid attack. This review summarizes the recent progress that has been made in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of these adaptations and counter-adaptations in various Drosophila host-parasitoid interactions. For the hosts, it focuses on the neurobiological and genetic control of strategies in Drosophila adults and larvae of avoidance or escape behaviours upon sensing the parasitoids, and the immunological defences involving diverse classes of haemocytes. For the parasitoids, it highlights their behavioural strategies in host finding, as well as the rich variety of venom components that evolved and were partially acquired through horizontal gene transfer. Recent studies revealed the mechanisms by which these venom components manipulate their parasitized hosts in exhibiting escape behaviour to avoid superparasitism, and their counter-strategies to evade or obstruct the hosts' immunological defences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bregje Wertheim
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
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15
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Pollmann M, Moore LD, Krimmer E, D'Alvise P, Hasselmann M, Perlman SJ, Ballinger MJ, Steidle JL, Gottlieb Y. Highly transmissible cytoplasmic incompatibility by the extracellular insect symbiont Spiroplasma. iScience 2022; 25:104335. [PMID: 35602967 PMCID: PMC9118660 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is a form of reproductive manipulation caused by maternally inherited endosymbionts infecting arthropods, like Wolbachia, whereby matings between infected males and uninfected females produce few or no offspring. We report the discovery of a new CI symbiont, a strain of Spiroplasma causing CI in the parasitoid wasp Lariophagus distinguendus. Its extracellular occurrence enabled us to establish CI in uninfected adult insects by transferring Spiroplasma-infected hemolymph. We sequenced the CI-Spiroplasma genome and did not find any homologues of any of the cif genes discovered to cause CI in Wolbachia, suggesting independent evolution of CI. Instead, the genome contains other potential CI-causing candidate genes, such as homologues of high-mobility group (HMG) box proteins that are crucial in eukaryotic development but rare in bacterial genomes. Spiroplasma's extracellular nature and broad host range encompassing medically and agriculturally important arthropods make it a promising tool to study CI and its applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Pollmann
- Department of Chemical Ecology 190t, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Logan D. Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Elena Krimmer
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Paul D'Alvise
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Tuebingen, 72016 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Martin Hasselmann
- Department of Livestock Population Genomics 460h, Institute of Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Steve J. Perlman
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3N5, Canada
| | - Matthew J. Ballinger
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Johannes L.M. Steidle
- Department of Chemical Ecology 190t, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
- KomBioTa - Center of Biodiversity and Integrative Taxonomy, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Yuval Gottlieb
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, POB 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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16
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Illumina Short-Read Sequencing of the Mitogenomes of Novel Scarites subterraneus Isolates Allows for Taxonomic Refinement of the Genus Scarites Fabricius 1775, within the Carabidae Family. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13020190. [PMID: 35206763 PMCID: PMC8874491 DOI: 10.3390/insects13020190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary Ground beetles (Carabidae) have important ecological functions and serve as food, biological pest control, and models in biological research. Although there are over 40,000 ground beetle species worldwide, only a small fraction of those has genomic information currently available, which limits their classification and understanding of diversity. Since next-generation genome sequencing has become more mainstream, we used Illumina short-read sequencing to obtain complete mitogenomes from two Scarites beetles that we collected ourselves in Nebraska and Arkansas. Scarites are large ground beetles that resemble tropical beetles with a big head and large mandibles, and their role as predator and prey helps maintain sustainability in local ecosystems. This straightforward sequencing and analysis was found to be accurate and sufficient to help classify these isolates to the subspecies level. This is the first report of mitogenomes for Scarites subterraneus and only the second in that genus. This method is easily applicable to more beetle species and can be used to increase our understanding of beetles worldwide. Abstract We sequenced the complete mitogenomes, 18S and 28S rRNA of two new Scarites isolates, collected in Eastern Nebraska and Northern Arkansas (US). Based on molecular sequence data comparison and morphological characteristics, the new isolates were identified as a subspecies of Scarites subterraneus Fabricius 1775, for which we propose the subspecies names ‘nebraskensis’ and ‘arkansensis’. The new 18S and 28S rRNA sequences were found to be 99% and 98% identical to Scarites subterraneus. There are no other Scarites 18S or 28S rRNA sequences in the Genbank database, however, phylogenetic analysis of the Cox1 genes showed S. vicinus Chaudoir, 1843, and S. aterrimus Morawitz, 1863, as the closest relatives. This is the first report of a mitogenome for S. subterraneus, and only the second mitogenome for that genus. The nucleotide sequence identity between the mitogenomes of the two isolates is 98.8%, while the earlier sequenced S. buparius Forster 1771 mitogenome is more distantly related, with only 90% (to ssp. nebraskensis) and 89% (to ssp. arkansensis) overall nucleotide sequence identity. These new mitogenomes, and their phylogenetic analysis, firmly establish the position of Scarites on the Carabidae family tree and further refine the genus. In addition to the molecular data provided for the Scarites species, this approach also allowed us to identify bacterial and viral signatures for Providencia, Myroides, Spiroplasma, and a giant Nucleocytoviricota virus, associated with the Scarites species. We hereby present a simple and efficient protocol for identification and phylogenetic analysis of Scarites, that is applicable to other Coleoptera, based on total DNA extraction and Illumina short-read Next-Gen sequencing.
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17
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Massey JH, Newton ILG. Diversity and function of arthropod endosymbiont toxins. Trends Microbiol 2022; 30:185-198. [PMID: 34253453 PMCID: PMC8742837 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2021.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial endosymbionts induce dramatic phenotypes in their arthropod hosts, including cytoplasmic incompatibility, feminization, parthenogenesis, male killing, parasitoid defense, and pathogen blocking. The molecular mechanisms underlying these effects remain largely unknown but recent evidence suggests that protein toxins secreted by the endosymbionts play a role. Here, we describe the diversity and function of endosymbiont proteins with homology to known bacterial toxins. We focus on maternally transmitted endosymbionts belonging to the Wolbachia, Rickettsia, Arsenophonus, Hamiltonella, Spiroplasma, and Cardinium genera because of their ability to induce the above phenotypes. We identify at least 16 distinct toxin families with diverse enzymatic activities, including AMPylases, nucleases, proteases, and glycosyltransferases. Notably, several annotated toxins contain domains with homology to eukaryotic proteins, suggesting that arthropod endosymbionts mimic host biochemistry to manipulate host physiology, similar to bacterial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Irene L. G. Newton
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA,Corresponding author,
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18
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Nakabachi A, Inoue H, Hirose Y. Microbiome analyses of 12 psyllid species of the family Psyllidae identified various bacteria including Fukatsuia and Serratia symbiotica, known as secondary symbionts of aphids. BMC Microbiol 2022; 22:15. [PMID: 34996376 PMCID: PMC8740488 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-021-02429-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) comprise a group of plant sap-sucking insects that includes important agricultural pests. They have close associations not only with plant pathogens, but also with various microbes, including obligate mutualists and facultative symbionts. Recent studies are revealing that interactions among such bacterial populations are important for psyllid biology and host plant pathology. In the present study, to obtain further insight into the ecological and evolutionary behaviors of bacteria in Psylloidea, we analyzed the microbiomes of 12 psyllid species belonging to the family Psyllidae (11 from Psyllinae and one from Macrocorsinae), using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Results The analysis showed that all 12 psyllids have the primary symbiont, Candidatus Carsonella ruddii (Gammaproteobacteria: Oceanospirillales), and at least one secondary symbiont. The majority of the secondary symbionts were gammaproteobacteria, especially those of the family Enterobacteriaceae (order: Enterobacteriales). Among them, symbionts belonging to “endosymbionts3”, which is a genus-level monophyletic group assigned by the SILVA rRNA database, were the most prevalent and were found in 9 of 11 Psyllinae species. Ca. Fukatsuia symbiotica and Serratia symbiotica, which were recognized only as secondary symbionts of aphids, were also identified. In addition to other Enterobacteriaceae bacteria, including Arsenophonus, Sodalis, and “endosymbionts2”, which is another genus-level clade, Pseudomonas (Pseudomonadales: Pseudomonadaceae) and Diplorickettsia (Diplorickettsiales: Diplorickettsiaceae) were identified. Regarding Alphaproteobacteria, the potential plant pathogen Ca. Liberibacter europaeus (Rhizobiales: Rhizobiaceae) was detected for the first time in Anomoneura mori (Psyllinae), a mulberry pest. Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) and Rickettsia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), plausible host reproduction manipulators that are potential tools to control pest insects, were also detected. Conclusions The present study identified various bacterial symbionts including previously unexpected lineages in psyllids, suggesting considerable interspecific transfer of arthropod symbionts. The findings provide deeper insights into the evolution of interactions among insects, bacteria, and plants, which may be exploited to facilitate the control of pest psyllids in the future. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-021-02429-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Nakabachi
- Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute (EIIRIS), Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan. .,Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan.
| | - Hiromitsu Inoue
- Institute for Plant Protection, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-2494, Japan
| | - Yuu Hirose
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan
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19
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Prigot-Maurice C, Beltran-Bech S, Braquart-Varnier C. Why and how do protective symbionts impact immune priming with pathogens in invertebrates? DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 126:104245. [PMID: 34453995 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2021.104245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Growing evidence demonstrates that invertebrates display adaptive-like immune abilities, commonly known as "immune priming". Immune priming is a process by which a host improves its immune defences following an initial pathogenic exposure, leading to better protection after a subsequent infection with the same - or different - pathogens. Nevertheless, beneficial symbionts can enhance similar immune priming processes in hosts, such as when they face repeated infections with pathogens. This "symbiotic immune priming" protects the host against pathogenic viruses, bacteria, fungi, or eukaryotic parasites. In this review, we explore the extent to which protective symbionts interfere and impact immune priming against pathogens from both a mechanical (proximal) and an evolutionary (ultimate) point of view. We highlight that the immune priming of invertebrates is the cornerstone of the tripartite interaction of hosts/symbionts/pathogens. The main shared mechanism of immune priming (induced by symbionts or pathogens) is the sustained immune response at the beginning of host-microbial interactions. However, the evolutionary outcome of immune priming leads to a specific discrimination, which provides enhanced tolerance or resistance depending on the type of microbe. Based on several studies testing immune priming against pathogens in the presence or absence of protective symbionts, we observed that both types of immune priming could overlap and affect each other inside the same hosts. As protective symbionts could be an evolutionary force that influences immune priming, they may help us to better understand the heterogeneity of pathogenic immune priming across invertebrate populations and species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cybèle Prigot-Maurice
- Université de Poitiers - UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, Laboratoire Écologie et Biologie des Interactions - UMR CNRS 7267, Bâtiment B8-B35, 5 rue Albert Turpin, TSA 51106, F, 86073, POITIERS Cedex 9, France.
| | - Sophie Beltran-Bech
- Université de Poitiers - UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, Laboratoire Écologie et Biologie des Interactions - UMR CNRS 7267, Bâtiment B8-B35, 5 rue Albert Turpin, TSA 51106, F, 86073, POITIERS Cedex 9, France
| | - Christine Braquart-Varnier
- Université de Poitiers - UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, Laboratoire Écologie et Biologie des Interactions - UMR CNRS 7267, Bâtiment B8-B35, 5 rue Albert Turpin, TSA 51106, F, 86073, POITIERS Cedex 9, France
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20
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Ou J, Chen H, Liu Q, Bian Y, Luan X, Jiang Q, Ji H, Wang Z, Lv L, Dong X, Zhao W, Zhang Q. Integrated transcriptome analysis of immune-related mRNAs and microRNAs in Macrobrachium rosenbergii infected with Spiroplasma eriocheiris. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2021; 119:651-669. [PMID: 34742900 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2021.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Macrobrachium rosenbergii (M. rosenbergii), is a major aquaculture species in China and Southeast Asia. However, infection with Spiroplasma eriocheiris (S. eriocheiris) has caused huge economic losses to the cultivation of M. rosenbergii. Currently, there are few reports on the immune response mechanism of M. rosenbergii that are infected with S. eriocheiris. To clarify the immune response mechanism of M. rosenbergii infected with S. eriocheiris, the key immune genes which respond to the infection with the pathogen and the regulation of related microRNAs (miRNAs) on them were identified. In this study, the mRNA and miRNA transcriptome of hepatopancreas of M. rosenbergii at different infection stages were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing and qRT-PCR. In the mRNA transcriptome, 27,703 and 33,402 genes were expressed in healthy and susceptible M. rosenbergii, respectively. By digital gene-expression profiling analysis, 23,929 and 24,325 genes were expressed, and 223 and 373 genes were significantly up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively. A total of 145 key genes related to Toll, IMD, JAK/STAT and MAPK were excavated from the transcriptome. In the miRNA transcriptome, 549 miRNAs (Conserved: 41, PN-type: 83, PC-type: 425) were sequenced, of which 87 were significantly up-regulated and 23 were significantly down-regulated. Among the related immune pathways, there are 259 miRNAs involved in the regulation of target genes in the Toll and IMD pathways, 231 JAK/STAT pathways and 122 MAPK pathways. qRT-PCR differential detection of immune-related miRNAs and mRNAs showed that 22 miRNAs with significant differences (P < 0.05) such as mro-miR-100, PC-mro-3p-27 and PN-mro-miR-316 had corresponding regulatory relationships with 22 important immune genes such as TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, MyD88, Pelle and Relish in different stages after infection. In this study, the immune genes and related regulatory miRNAs of M. rosenbergii in response to S. eriocheiris infection were obtained. The results can provide basic data to further reveal the immune defense mechanism of M. rosenbergii against S. eriocheiris infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangtao Ou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China.
| | - Hao Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Qiao Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Yunxia Bian
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaoqi Luan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Qicheng Jiang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Hao Ji
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Zisheng Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Linlan Lv
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Xuexing Dong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Weihong Zhao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
| | - Qihuan Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Marine Wetland, School of Marine and Biological Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, Province Jiangsu, China
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21
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Nakabachi A, Piel J, Malenovský I, Hirose Y. Comparative Genomics Underlines Multiple Roles of Profftella, an Obligate Symbiont of Psyllids: Providing Toxins, Vitamins, and Carotenoids. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 12:1975-1987. [PMID: 32797185 PMCID: PMC7643613 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri (Insecta: Hemiptera: Psylloidea), a serious pest of citrus species worldwide, harbors vertically transmitted intracellular mutualists, Candidatus Profftella armatura (Profftella_DC, Gammaproteobacteria: Burkholderiales) and Candidatus Carsonella ruddii (Carsonella_DC, Gammaproteobacteria: Oceanospirillales). Whereas Carsonella_DC is a typical nutritional symbiont, Profftella_DC is a unique defensive symbiont with organelle-like features, including intracellular localization within the host, perfect infection in host populations, vertical transmission over evolutionary time, and drastic genome reduction down to much less than 1 Mb. Large parts of the 460-kb genome of Profftella_DC are devoted to genes for synthesizing a polyketide toxin; diaphorin. To better understand the evolution of this unusual symbiont, the present study analyzed the genome of Profftella_Dco, a sister lineage to Profftella_DC, using Diaphorina cf. continua, a host psyllid congeneric with D. citri. The genome of coresiding Carsonella (Carsonella_Dco) was also analyzed. The analysis revealed nearly perfect synteny conservation in these genomes with their counterparts from D. citri. The substitution rate analysis further demonstrated genomic stability of Profftella which is comparable to that of Carsonella. Profftella_Dco and Profftella_DC shared all genes for the biosynthesis of diaphorin, hemolysin, riboflavin, biotin, and carotenoids, underlining multiple roles of Profftella, which may contribute to stabilizing symbiotic relationships with the host. However, acyl carrier proteins were extensively amplified in polyketide synthases DipP and DipT for diaphorin synthesis in Profftella_Dco. This level of acyl carrier protein augmentation, unprecedented in modular polyketide synthases of any known organism, is not thought to influence the polyketide structure but may improve the synthesis efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Nakabachi
- Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute (EIIRIS), Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan.,Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan
| | - Jörn Piel
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Igor Malenovský
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Yuu Hirose
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan
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22
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Son JH, Weiss BL, Schneider DI, Dera KSM, Gstöttenmayer F, Opiro R, Echodu R, Saarman NP, Attardo GM, Onyango M, Abd-Alla AMM, Aksoy S. Infection with endosymbiotic Spiroplasma disrupts tsetse (Glossina fuscipes fuscipes) metabolic and reproductive homeostasis. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009539. [PMID: 34529715 PMCID: PMC8478229 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) house a population-dependent assortment of microorganisms that can include pathogenic African trypanosomes and maternally transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria, the latter of which mediate numerous aspects of their host's metabolic, reproductive, and immune physiologies. One of these endosymbionts, Spiroplasma, was recently discovered to reside within multiple tissues of field captured and laboratory colonized tsetse flies grouped in the Palpalis subgenera. In various arthropods, Spiroplasma induces reproductive abnormalities and pathogen protective phenotypes. In tsetse, Spiroplasma infections also induce a protective phenotype by enhancing the fly's resistance to infection with trypanosomes. However, the potential impact of Spiroplasma on tsetse's viviparous reproductive physiology remains unknown. Herein we employed high-throughput RNA sequencing and laboratory-based functional assays to better characterize the association between Spiroplasma and the metabolic and reproductive physiologies of G. fuscipes fuscipes (Gff), a prominent vector of human disease. Using field-captured Gff, we discovered that Spiroplasma infection induces changes of sex-biased gene expression in reproductive tissues that may be critical for tsetse's reproductive fitness. Using a Gff lab line composed of individuals heterogeneously infected with Spiroplasma, we observed that the bacterium and tsetse host compete for finite nutrients, which negatively impact female fecundity by increasing the length of intrauterine larval development. Additionally, we found that when males are infected with Spiroplasma, the motility of their sperm is compromised following transfer to the female spermatheca. As such, Spiroplasma infections appear to adversely impact male reproductive fitness by decreasing the competitiveness of their sperm. Finally, we determined that the bacterium is maternally transmitted to intrauterine larva at a high frequency, while paternal transmission was also noted in a small number of matings. Taken together, our findings indicate that Spiroplasma exerts a negative impact on tsetse fecundity, an outcome that could be exploited for reducing tsetse population size and thus disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Hak Son
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Brian L. Weiss
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Daniela I. Schneider
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Kiswend-sida M. Dera
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna, Austria
- Insectarium de Bobo-Dioulasso—Campagne d’Eradication de la mouche Tse´-tse´ et de la Trypanosomiase (IBD-CETT), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Fabian Gstöttenmayer
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna, Austria
| | - Robert Opiro
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda
| | - Richard Echodu
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda
| | - Norah P. Saarman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Geoffrey M. Attardo
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Maria Onyango
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Adly M. M. Abd-Alla
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna, Austria
| | - Serap Aksoy
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
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23
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Weng YM, Francoeur CB, Currie CR, Kavanaugh DH, Schoville SD. A high-quality carabid genome assembly provides insights into beetle genome evolution and cold adaptation. Mol Ecol Resour 2021; 21:2145-2165. [PMID: 33938156 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The hyperdiverse order Coleoptera comprises a staggering ~25% of known species on Earth. Despite recent breakthroughs in next generation sequencing, there remains a limited representation of beetle diversity in assembled genomes. Most notably, the ground beetle family Carabidae, comprising more than 40,000 described species, has not been studied in a comparative genomics framework using whole genome data. Here we generate a high-quality genome assembly for Nebria riversi, to examine sources of novelty in the genome evolution of beetles, as well as genetic changes associated with specialization to high-elevation alpine habitats. In particular, this genome resource provides a foundation for expanding comparative molecular research into mechanisms of insect cold adaptation. Comparison to other beetles shows a strong signature of genome compaction, with N. riversi possessing a relatively small genome (~147 Mb) compared to other beetles, with associated reductions in repeat element content and intron length. Small genome size is not, however, associated with fewer protein-coding genes, and an analysis of gene family diversity shows significant expansions of genes associated with cellular membranes and membrane transport, as well as protein phosphorylation and muscle filament structure. Finally, our genomic analyses show that these high-elevation beetles have endosymbiotic Spiroplasma, with several metabolic pathways (e.g., propanoate biosynthesis) that might complement N. riversi, although its role as a beneficial symbiont or as a reproductive parasite remains equivocal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ming Weng
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Charlotte B Francoeur
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Energy Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Cameron R Currie
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Energy Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - David H Kavanaugh
- Department of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sean D Schoville
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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24
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Vera-Ponce León A, Dominguez-Mirazo M, Bustamante-Brito R, Higareda-Alvear V, Rosenblueth M, Martínez-Romero E. Functional genomics of a Spiroplasma associated with the carmine cochineals Dactylopius coccus and Dactylopius opuntiae. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:240. [PMID: 33823812 PMCID: PMC8025503 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07540-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spiroplasma is a widely distributed endosymbiont of insects, arthropods, and plants. In insects, Spiroplasma colonizes the gut, hemolymph, and reproductive organs of the host. Previous metagenomic surveys of the domesticated carmine cochineal Dactylopius coccus and the wild cochineal D. opuntiae reported sequences of Spiroplasma associated with these insects. However, there is no analysis of the genomic capabilities and the interaction of this Spiroplasma with Dactylopius. RESULTS Here we present three Spiroplasma genomes independently recovered from metagenomes of adult males and females of D. coccus, from two different populations, as well as from adult females of D. opuntiae. Single-copy gene analysis showed that these genomes were > 92% complete. Phylogenomic analyses classified these genomes as new members of Spiroplasma ixodetis. Comparative genome analysis indicated that they exhibit fewer genes involved in amino acid and carbon catabolism compared to other spiroplasmas. Moreover, virulence factor-encoding genes (i.e., glpO, spaid and rip2) were found incomplete in these S. ixodetis genomes. We also detected an enrichment of genes encoding the type IV secretion system (T4SS) in S. ixodetis genomes of Dactylopius. A metratranscriptomic analysis of D. coccus showed that some of these T4SS genes (i.e., traG, virB4 and virD4) in addition to the superoxide dismutase sodA of S. ixodetis were overexpressed in the ovaries. CONCLUSION The symbiont S. ixodetis is a new member of the bacterial community of D. coccus and D. opuntiae. The recovery of incomplete virulence factor-encoding genes in S. ixodetis of Dactylopius suggests that this bacterium is a non-pathogenic symbiont. A high number of genes encoding the T4SS, in the S. ixodetis genomes and the overexpression of these genes in the ovary and hemolymph of the host suggest that S. ixodetis use the T4SS to interact with the Dactylopius cells. Moreover, the transcriptional differences of S. ixodetis among the gut, hemolymph and ovary tissues of D. coccus indicate that this bacterium can respond and adapt to the different conditions (e.g., oxidative stress) present within the host. All this evidence proposes that there is a strong interaction and molecular signaling in the symbiosis between S. ixodetis and the carmine cochineal Dactylopius.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arturo Vera-Ponce León
- Programa de Ecología Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico. .,Present Address: Faculty of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1433, Ås, Norway.
| | - Marian Dominguez-Mirazo
- Programa de Ecología Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico.,Present Address: School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Rafael Bustamante-Brito
- Programa de Ecología Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Víctor Higareda-Alvear
- Programa de Ecología Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Mónica Rosenblueth
- Programa de Ecología Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Esperanza Martínez-Romero
- Programa de Ecología Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico
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25
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Discovering symbiosis in the supralittoral: bacterial metabarcoding analysis from the hepatopancreas of Orchestia and Tylos (Crustacea). Symbiosis 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-021-00749-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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26
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Gerth M, Martinez-Montoya H, Ramirez P, Masson F, Griffin JS, Aramayo R, Siozios S, Lemaitre B, Mateos M, Hurst GDD. Rapid molecular evolution of Spiroplasma symbionts of Drosophila. Microb Genom 2021; 7:000503. [PMID: 33591248 PMCID: PMC8208695 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Spiroplasma is a genus of Mollicutes whose members include plant pathogens, insect pathogens and endosymbionts of animals. Spiroplasma phenotypes have been repeatedly observed to be spontaneously lost in Drosophila cultures, and several studies have documented a high genomic turnover in Spiroplasma symbionts and plant pathogens. These observations suggest that Spiroplasma evolves quickly in comparison to other insect symbionts. Here, we systematically assess evolutionary rates and patterns of Spiroplasma poulsonii, a natural symbiont of Drosophila. We analysed genomic evolution of sHy within flies, and sMel within in vitro culture over several years. We observed that S. poulsonii substitution rates are among the highest reported for any bacteria, and around two orders of magnitude higher compared with other inherited arthropod endosymbionts. The absence of mismatch repair loci mutS and mutL is conserved across Spiroplasma, and likely contributes to elevated substitution rates. Further, the closely related strains sMel and sHy (>99.5 % sequence identity in shared loci) show extensive structural genomic differences, which potentially indicates a higher degree of host adaptation in sHy, a protective symbiont of Drosophila hydei. Finally, comparison across diverse Spiroplasma lineages confirms previous reports of dynamic evolution of toxins, and identifies loci similar to the male-killing toxin Spaid in several Spiroplasma lineages and other endosymbionts. Overall, our results highlight the peculiar nature of Spiroplasma genome evolution, which may explain unusual features of its evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Gerth
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Present address: Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Humberto Martinez-Montoya
- Laboratorio de Genética y Genómica Comparativa, Unidad Académica Multidisciplinaria Reynosa Aztlán, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Reynosa, Mexico
| | - Paulino Ramirez
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Florent Masson
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Joanne S. Griffin
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Rodolfo Aramayo
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Stefanos Siozios
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Bruno Lemaitre
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mariana Mateos
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Gregory D. D. Hurst
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Masson F, Lemaitre B. Growing Ungrowable Bacteria: Overview and Perspectives on Insect Symbiont Culturability. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2020; 84:e00089-20. [PMID: 33177190 PMCID: PMC7667007 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00089-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects are often involved in endosymbiosis, that is, the housing of symbiotic microbes within their tissues or within their cells. Endosymbionts are a major driving force in insects' evolution, because they dramatically affect their host physiology and allow them to adapt to new niches, for example, by complementing their diet or by protecting them against pathogens. Endosymbiotic bacteria are, however, fastidious and therefore difficult to manipulate outside of their hosts, especially intracellular species. The coevolution between hosts and endosymbionts leads to alterations in the genomes of endosymbionts, limiting their ability to cope with changing environments. Consequently, few insect endosymbionts are culturable in vitro and genetically tractable, making functional genetics studies impracticable on most endosymbiotic bacteria. However, recently, major progress has been made in manipulating several intracellular endosymbiont species in vitro, leading to astonishing discoveries on their physiology and the way they interact with their host. This review establishes a comprehensive picture of the in vitro tractability of insect endosymbiotic bacteria and addresses the reason why most species are not culturable. By compiling and discussing the latest developments in the design of custom media and genetic manipulation protocols, it aims at providing new leads to expand the range of tractable endosymbionts and foster genetic research on these models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Masson
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bruno Lemaitre
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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28
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Nyholm SV. In the beginning: egg-microbe interactions and consequences for animal hosts. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190593. [PMID: 32772674 PMCID: PMC7435154 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms are associated with the eggs of many animals. For some hosts, the egg serves as the ideal environment for the vertical transmission of beneficial symbionts between generations, while some bacteria use the egg to parasitize their hosts. In a number of animal groups, egg microbiomes often perform other essential functions. The eggs of aquatic and some terrestrial animals are especially susceptible to fouling and disease since they are exposed to high densities of microorganisms. To overcome this challenge, some hosts form beneficial associations with microorganisms, directly incorporating microbes and/or microbial products on or in their eggs to inhibit pathogens and biofouling. Other functional roles for egg-associated microbiomes are hypothesized to involve oxygen and nutrient acquisition. Although some egg-associated microbiomes are correlated with increased host fitness and are essential for successful development, the mechanisms that lead to such outcomes are often not well understood. This review article will discuss different functions of egg microbiomes and how these associations have influenced the biology and evolution of animal hosts. This article is part of the theme issue 'The role of the microbiome in host evolution'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer V. Nyholm
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269USA
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29
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Jones JE, Hurst GDD. Symbiont-mediated fly survival is independent of defensive symbiont genotype in the Drosophila melanogaster-Spiroplasma-wasp interaction. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1625-1633. [PMID: 32964555 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
When a parasite attacks an insect, the outcome is commonly modulated by the presence of defensive heritable symbionts residing within the insect host. Previous studies noted markedly different strengths of Spiroplasma-mediated fly survival following attack by the same strain of wasp. One difference between the two studies was the strain of Spiroplasma used. We therefore performed a laboratory experiment to assess whether Spiroplasma-mediated protection depends upon the strain of Spiroplasma. We perform this analysis using the two strains of male-killing Spiroplasma used previously, and examined response to challenge by two strains of Leptopilina boulardi and two strains of Leptopilina heterotoma wasp. We found no evidence Spiroplasma strain affected fly survival following wasp attack. In contrast, analysis of the overall level of protection, including the fecundity of survivors of wasp attack, did indicate the two Spiroplasma strains tested varied in protective efficiency against three of the four wasp strains tested. These data highlight the sensitivity of symbiont-mediated protection phenotypes to laboratory conditions, and the importance of common garden comparison. Our results also indicate that Spiroplasma strains can vary in protective capacity in Drosophila, but these differences may exist in the relative performance of survivors of wasp attack, rather than in survival of attack per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan E Jones
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Gregory D D Hurst
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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30
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Whitefly genomes contain ribotoxin coding genes acquired from plants. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15503. [PMID: 32968092 PMCID: PMC7511414 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72267-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs) are RNA N-glycosidases that depurinate a specific adenine residue in the conserved sarcin/ricin loop of 28S rRNA. These enzymes are widely distributed among plants and bacteria. Previously, we have described for the first time RIP genes in mosquitoes belonging to the Culicidae family. We showed that these genes are derived from a single event of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from a prokaryotic donor. Mosquito RIP genes are evolving under purifying selection, strongly suggesting that these toxins have acquired a functional role. In this work, we show the existence of two RIP encoding genes in the genome of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, a hemiptera species belonging to the Aleyrodidae family distantly related to mosquitoes. Contamination artifacts were ruled out analyzing three independent B. tabaci genome databases. In contrast to mosquito RIPs, whitefly genes harbor introns and according to transcriptomic evidence are transcribed and spliced. Phylogeny and the taxonomic distribution strongly support that whitefly RIP genes are derived from an independent HGT event from a plant source. These results, along with our previous description of RIPs in Diptera, suggest that the acquired genes are functional in these insects and confer some fitness advantage.
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31
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Nakabachi A, Malenovský I, Gjonov I, Hirose Y. 16S rRNA Sequencing Detected Profftella, Liberibacter, Wolbachia, and Diplorickettsia from Relatives of the Asian Citrus Psyllid. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2020; 80:410-422. [PMID: 32052099 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01491-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) is a serious pest of citrus species worldwide because it transmits Candidatus Liberibacter spp. (Alphaproteobacteria: Rhizobiales), the causative agents of the incurable citrus disease, huanglongbing or greening disease. Diaphorina citri possesses a specialized organ called a bacteriome, which harbors vertically transmitted intracellular mutualists, Ca. Carsonella ruddii (Gammaproteobacteria: Oceanospirillales) and Ca. Profftella armatura (Gammaproteobacteria: Betaproteobacteriales). Whereas Carsonella is a typical nutritional symbiont, Profftella is an unprecedented type of toxin-producing defensive symbiont, unusually sharing organelle-like features with nutritional symbionts. Additionally, many D. citri strains are infected with Wolbachia, which manipulate reproduction in various arthropod hosts. In the present study, in an effort to obtain insights into the evolution of symbioses between Diaphorina and bacteria, microbiomes of psyllids closely related to D. citri were investigated. Bacterial populations of Diaphorina cf. continua and Diaphorina lycii were analyzed using Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons and compared with data obtained from D. citri. The analysis revealed that all three Diaphorina spp. harbor Profftella as well as Carsonella lineages, implying that Profftella is widespread within the genus Diaphorina. Moreover, the analysis identified Ca. Liberibacter europaeus and Diplorickettsia sp. (Gammaproteobacteria: Diplorickettsiales) in D. cf. continua, and a total of four Wolbachia (Alphaproteobacteria: Rickettsiales) lineages in the three psyllid species. These results provide deeper insights into the interactions among insects, bacteria, and plants, which would eventually help to better manage horticulture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Nakabachi
- Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute (EIIRIS), Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan.
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan.
| | - Igor Malenovský
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ilia Gjonov
- Department of Zoology and Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University, Dragan Tzankov 8, 1164, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Yuu Hirose
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan
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32
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Transformation of the Drosophila Sex-Manipulative Endosymbiont Spiroplasma poulsonii and Persisting Hurdles for Functional Genetic Studies. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:AEM.00835-20. [PMID: 32444468 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00835-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Insects are frequently infected by bacterial symbionts that greatly affect their physiology and ecology. Most of these endosymbionts are, however, barely tractable outside their native host, rendering functional genetics studies difficult or impossible. Spiroplasma poulsonii is a facultative bacterial endosymbiont of Drosophila melanogaster that manipulates the reproduction of its host by killing its male progeny at the embryonic stage. S. poulsonii, although a very fastidious bacterium, is closely related to pathogenic Spiroplasma species that are cultivable and genetically modifiable. In this work, we present the transformation of S. poulsonii with a plasmid bearing a fluorescence cassette, leveraging techniques adapted from those used to modify the pathogenic species Spiroplasma citri We demonstrate the feasibility of S. poulsonii transformation and discuss approaches for mutant selection and fly colonization, which are persisting hurdles that must be overcome to allow functional bacterial genetics studies of this endosymbiont in vivo IMPORTANCE Dozens of bacterial endosymbiont species have been described and estimated to infect about half of all insect species. However, only a few them are tractable in vitro, which hampers our understanding of the bacterial determinants of the host-symbiont interaction. Developing a transformation method for S. poulsonii is a major step toward genomic engineering of this symbiont, which will foster basic research on endosymbiosis. This could also open the way to practical uses of endosymbiont engineering through paratransgenesis of vector or pest insects.
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33
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Lapadula WJ, Marcet PL, Taracena ML, Lenhart A, Juri Ayub M. Characterization of horizontally acquired ribotoxin encoding genes and their transcripts in Aedes aegypti. Gene 2020; 754:144857. [PMID: 32512159 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2020.144857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Ribosome Inactivating Proteins (RIPs) are RNA N-glycosidases that depurinate a specific adenine residue in the conserved sarcin/ricin loop of the 28S rRNA. The occurrence of RIP genes has been described in a wide range of plant taxa, as well as in several species of bacteria and fungi. A remarkable case is the presence of these genes in metazoans belonging to the Culicinae subfamily. We reported that these genes are derived from a single horizontal gene transfer event, most likely from a bacterial donor species. Moreover, we have shown evidence that mosquito RIP genes are evolving under purifying selection, suggesting that these toxins have acquired a functional role in these organisms. In the present work, we characterized the intra-specific sequence variability of Aedes aegypti RIP genes (RIPAe1, RIPAe2, and RIPAe3) and tested their expression at the mRNA level. Our results show that RIPAe2 and RIPAe3 are transcribed and polyadenylated, and their expression levels are modulated across the developmental stages. Varibility among genes was observed, including the existence of null alleles for RIPAe1 and RIPAe2, with variants showing partial deletions. These results further support the existence of a physiological function for these foreign genes in mosquitoes. The possible nature of this functionality is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter J Lapadula
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis, IMIBIO-SL-CONICET and Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejercito de Los Andes, 950, D5700HHW San Luis, Argentina
| | - Paula L Marcet
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Entomology Branch. 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
| | - Mabel L Taracena
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Entomology Branch. 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
| | - Audrey Lenhart
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Entomology Branch. 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
| | - Maximiliano Juri Ayub
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis, IMIBIO-SL-CONICET and Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejercito de Los Andes, 950, D5700HHW San Luis, Argentina.
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34
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Herren JK, Mbaisi L, Mararo E, Makhulu EE, Mobegi VA, Butungi H, Mancini MV, Oundo JW, Teal ET, Pinaud S, Lawniczak MKN, Jabara J, Nattoh G, Sinkins SP. A microsporidian impairs Plasmodium falciparum transmission in Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2187. [PMID: 32366903 PMCID: PMC7198529 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16121-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A possible malaria control approach involves the dissemination in mosquitoes of inherited symbiotic microbes to block Plasmodium transmission. However, in the Anopheles gambiae complex, the primary African vectors of malaria, there are limited reports of inherited symbionts that impair transmission. We show that a vertically transmitted microsporidian symbiont (Microsporidia MB) in the An. gambiae complex can impair Plasmodium transmission. Microsporidia MB is present at moderate prevalence in geographically dispersed populations of An. arabiensis in Kenya, localized to the mosquito midgut and ovaries, and is not associated with significant reductions in adult host fecundity or survival. Field-collected Microsporidia MB infected An. arabiensis tested negative for P. falciparum gametocytes and, on experimental infection with P. falciparum, sporozoites aren't detected in Microsporidia MB infected mosquitoes. As a microbe that impairs Plasmodium transmission that is non-virulent and vertically transmitted, Microsporidia MB could be investigated as a strategy to limit malaria transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy K Herren
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya.
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK.
| | - Lilian Mbaisi
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya
- Centre for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics (CEBIB), University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Enock Mararo
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Edward E Makhulu
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Victor A Mobegi
- Centre for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics (CEBIB), University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Hellen Butungi
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya
- University of the Witwaterstrand, Wits Research Institute for Malaria, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Maria Vittoria Mancini
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Joseph W Oundo
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Evan T Teal
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Silvain Pinaud
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Mara K N Lawniczak
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Jordan Jabara
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Godfrey Nattoh
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya
- Pan African University Institute for Basic Sciences Technology & Innovation, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Steven P Sinkins
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
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35
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Verster KI, Wisecaver JH, Karageorgi M, Duncan RP, Gloss AD, Armstrong EE, Price DK, Menon AR, Ali ZM, Whiteman NK. Horizontal Transfer of Bacterial Cytolethal Distending Toxin B Genes to Insects. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 36:2105-2110. [PMID: 31236589 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer events have played a major role in the evolution of microbial species, but their importance in animals is less clear. Here, we report horizontal gene transfer of cytolethal distending toxin B (cdtB), prokaryotic genes encoding eukaryote-targeting DNase I toxins, into the genomes of vinegar flies (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae). We found insect-encoded cdtB genes are most closely related to orthologs from bacteriophage that infect Candidatus Hamiltonella defensa, a bacterial mutualistic symbiont of aphids that confers resistance to parasitoid wasps. In drosophilids, cdtB orthologs are highly expressed during the parasitoid-prone larval stage and encode a protein with ancestral DNase activity. We show that cdtB has been domesticated by diverse insects and hypothesize that it functions in defense against their natural enemies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten I Verster
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | | | - Marianthi Karageorgi
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Rebecca P Duncan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Andrew D Gloss
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | | | - Donald K Price
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
| | - Aruna R Menon
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Zainab M Ali
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Noah K Whiteman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
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36
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Symbiont-mediated protection varies with wasp genotype in the Drosophila melanogaster-Spiroplasma interaction. Heredity (Edinb) 2020; 124:592-602. [PMID: 31896821 PMCID: PMC7080759 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-019-0291-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of an insect to survive attack by natural enemies can be modulated by the presence of defensive symbionts. Study of aphid-symbiont-enemy interactions has indicated that protection may depend on the interplay of symbiont, host and attacking parasite genotypes. However, the importance of these interactions is poorly understood outside of this model system. Here, we study interactions within a Drosophila model system, in which Spiroplasma protect their host against parasitoid wasps and nematodes. We examine whether the strength of protection conferred by Spiroplasma to its host, Drosophila melanogaster varies with strain of attacking Leptopilina heterotoma wasp. We perform this analysis in the presence and absence of ethanol, an environmental factor that also impacts the outcome of parasitism. We observed that Spiroplasma killed all strains of wasp. However, the protection produced by Spiroplasma following wasp attack depended on wasp strain. A composite measure of protection, including both the chance of the fly surviving attack and the relative fecundity/fertility of the survivors, varied from a <4% positive effect of the symbiont following attack of the fly host by the Lh14 strain of wasp to 21% for the Lh-Fr strain in the absence of ethanol. We also observed that environmental ethanol altered the pattern of protection against wasp strains. These data indicate that the dynamics of the Spiroplasma-Drosophila-wasp tripartite interaction depend upon the genetic diversity within the attacking wasp population, and that prediction of symbiont dynamics in natural systems will thus require analysis across natural enemy genotypes and levels of environmental ethanol.
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37
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Yeoman CJ, Brutscher LM, Esen ÖC, Ibaoglu F, Fowler C, Eren AM, Wanner K, Weaver DK. Genome-resolved insights into a novel Spiroplasma symbiont of the Wheat Stem Sawfly ( Cephus cinctus). PeerJ 2019; 7:e7548. [PMID: 31523509 PMCID: PMC6716498 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Arthropods often have obligate relationships with symbiotic microbes, and recent investigations have demonstrated that such host-microbe relationships could be exploited to suppress natural populations of vector carrying mosquitos. Strategies that target the interplay between agricultural pests and their symbionts could decrease the burden caused by agricultural pests; however, the lack of comprehensive genomic insights into naturally occurring microbial symbionts presents a significant bottleneck. Here we employed amplicon surveys, genome-resolved metagenomics, and scanning electron microscopy to investigate symbionts of the wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus), a major pest that causes an estimated $350 million dollars or more in wheat yield losses in the northwestern United States annually. Through 16S rRNA gene sequencing of two major haplotypes and life stages of wheat stem sawfly, we show a novel Spiroplasma species is ever-present and predominant, with phylogenomic analyses placing it as a member of the ixodetis clade of mollicutes. Using state-of-the-art metagenomic assembly and binning strategies we were able to reconstruct a 714 Kb, 72.7%-complete Spiroplasma genome, which represents just the second draft genome from the ixodetis clade of mollicutes. Functional annotation of the Spiroplasma genome indicated carbohydrate-metabolism involved PTS-mediated import of glucose and fructose followed by glycolysis to lactate, acetate, and propionoate. The bacterium also encoded biosynthetic pathways for essential vitamins B2, B3, and B9. We identified putative Spiroplasma virulence genes: cardiolipin and chitinase. These results identify a previously undescribed symbiosis between wheat stem sawfly and a novel Spiroplasma sp., availing insight into their molecular relationship, and may yield new opportunities for microbially-mediated pest control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl J Yeoman
- Department of Animal & Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States of America
| | - Laura M Brutscher
- Department of Animal & Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States of America.,Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States of America
| | - Özcan C Esen
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Furkan Ibaoglu
- Department of Animal & Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States of America.,Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States of America
| | - Curtis Fowler
- Department of Animal & Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States of America
| | - A Murat Eren
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America.,Marine Biological Laboratory, The Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Woods Hole, Massachuetts, United States of America
| | - Kevin Wanner
- Department of Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States of America
| | - David K Weaver
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States of America
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38
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Hajek AE, Morris EE, Hendry TA. Context-dependent interactions of insects and defensive symbionts: insights from a novel system in siricid woodwasps. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 33:77-83. [PMID: 31358200 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Many insect species derive fitness benefits from associations with defensive microbial symbionts that confer protection against pathogens and parasites. These relationships are varied and diverse, but a number of studies highlight important trends. The effects of defensive symbionts can be context-dependent and influenced by variable selection imposed by the organism against which the symbiont protects. Additionally, genetic variation in both hosts and symbionts can greatly influence the outcome of these interactions. Here, we describe interactions between siricid woodwasps, their fungal symbionts and parasitic nematodes and show how defense by symbionts in this system is also context-dependent. The species or strain of the white rot fungus used as a symbiont by Sirex can influence parasitism of these hosts by Deladenus nematodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann E Hajek
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-2601, USA.
| | - Elizabeth Erin Morris
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03823, USA
| | - Tory A Hendry
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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39
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Oliver KM. Editorial overview: Microbial manipulation of insect-parasite interactions. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 32:vi-ix. [PMID: 31113641 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kerry M Oliver
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
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