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Whittle M, Bonsall MB, Barreaux AMG, Ponton F, English S. A theoretical model for host-controlled regulation of symbiont density. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1731-1744. [PMID: 37955420 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14246] [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] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
There is growing empirical evidence that animal hosts actively control the density of their mutualistic symbionts according to their requirements. Such active regulation can be facilitated by compartmentalization of symbionts within host tissues, which confers a high degree of control of the symbiosis to the host. Here, we build a general theoretical framework to predict the underlying ecological drivers and evolutionary consequences of host-controlled endosymbiont density regulation for a mutually obligate association between a host and a compartmentalized, vertically transmitted symbiont. Building on the assumption that the costs and benefits of hosting a symbiont population increase with symbiont density, we use state-dependent dynamic programming to determine an optimal strategy for the host, i.e., that which maximizes host fitness, when regulating the density of symbionts. Simulations of active host-controlled regulation governed by the optimal strategy predict that the density of the symbiont should converge to a constant level during host development, and following perturbation. However, a similar trend also emerges from alternative strategies of symbiont regulation. The strategy which maximizes host fitness also promotes symbiont fitness compared to alternative strategies, suggesting that active host-controlled regulation of symbiont density could be adaptive for the symbiont as well as the host. Adaptation of the framework allowed the dynamics of symbiont density to be predicted for other host-symbiont ecologies, such as for non-essential symbionts, demonstrating the versatility of this modelling approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilda Whittle
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Michael B Bonsall
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- St Peter's College, Oxford, UK
| | - Antoine M G Barreaux
- UMR INTERTRYP, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
- Animal Health Theme, ICIPE, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Fleur Ponton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sinead English
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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2
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Ferrarini MG, Dell’Aglio E, Vallier A, Balmand S, Vincent-Monégat C, Hughes S, Gillet B, Parisot N, Zaidman-Rémy A, Vieira C, Heddi A, Rebollo R. Efficient compartmentalization in insect bacteriomes protects symbiotic bacteria from host immune system. MICROBIOME 2022; 10:156. [PMID: 36163269 PMCID: PMC9513942 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-022-01334-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many insects house symbiotic intracellular bacteria (endosymbionts) that provide them with essential nutrients, thus promoting the usage of nutrient-poor habitats. Endosymbiont seclusion within host specialized cells, called bacteriocytes, often organized in a dedicated organ, the bacteriome, is crucial in protecting them from host immune defenses while avoiding chronic host immune activation. Previous evidence obtained in the cereal weevil Sitophilus oryzae has shown that bacteriome immunity is activated against invading pathogens, suggesting endosymbionts might be targeted and impacted by immune effectors during an immune challenge. To pinpoint any molecular determinants associated with such challenges, we conducted a dual transcriptomic analysis of S. oryzae's bacteriome subjected to immunogenic peptidoglycan fragments. RESULTS We show that upon immune challenge, the bacteriome actively participates in the innate immune response via induction of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Surprisingly, endosymbionts do not undergo any transcriptomic changes, indicating that this potential threat goes unnoticed. Immunohistochemistry showed that TCT-induced AMPs are located outside the bacteriome, excluding direct contact with the endosymbionts. CONCLUSIONS This work demonstrates that endosymbiont protection during an immune challenge is mainly achieved by efficient confinement within bacteriomes, which provides physical separation between host systemic response and endosymbionts. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Galvão Ferrarini
- Univ Lyon, INRAE, INSA-Lyon, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, Université Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Elisa Dell’Aglio
- Univ Lyon, INRAE, INSA-Lyon, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Agnès Vallier
- Univ Lyon, INRAE, INSA-Lyon, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Séverine Balmand
- Univ Lyon, INRAE, INSA-Lyon, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | | | - Sandrine Hughes
- UMR5242, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon (IGFL), Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon (Univ Lyon), F-69007 Lyon, France
| | - Benjamin Gillet
- UMR5242, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon (IGFL), Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon (Univ Lyon), F-69007 Lyon, France
| | - Nicolas Parisot
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Anna Zaidman-Rémy
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Cristina Vieira
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, Université Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Abdelaziz Heddi
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Rita Rebollo
- Univ Lyon, INRAE, INSA-Lyon, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
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3
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Whittle M, Barreaux AMG, Bonsall MB, Ponton F, English S. Insect-host control of obligate, intracellular symbiont density. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211993. [PMID: 34814751 PMCID: PMC8611330 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many insects rely on intracellular bacterial symbionts to supplement their specialized diets with micronutrients. Using data from diverse and well-studied insect systems, we propose three lines of evidence suggesting that hosts have tight control over the density of their obligate, intracellular bacterial partners. First, empirical studies have demonstrated that the within-host symbiont density varies depending on the nutritional and developmental requirements of the host. Second, symbiont genomes are highly reduced and have limited capacity for self-replication or transcriptional regulation. Third, several mechanisms exist for hosts to tolerate, regulate and remove symbionts including physical compartmentalization and autophagy. We then consider whether such regulation is adaptive, by discussing the relationship between symbiont density and host fitness. We discuss current limitations of empirical studies for exploring fitness effects in host-symbiont relationships, and emphasize the potential for using mathematical models to formalize evolutionary hypotheses and to generate testable predictions for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilda Whittle
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | | | - Michael B. Bonsall
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- St Peter's College, Oxford, OX1 2DL
| | - Fleur Ponton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sinead English
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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4
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Habenstein J, Thamm M, Rössler W. Neuropeptides as potential modulators of behavioral transitions in the ant Cataglyphis nodus. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:3155-3170. [PMID: 33950523 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Age-related behavioral plasticity is a major prerequisite for the ecological success of insect societies. Although ecological aspects of behavioral flexibility have been targeted in many studies, the underlying intrinsic mechanisms controlling the diverse changes in behavior along the individual life history of social insects are not completely understood. Recently, the neuropeptides allatostatin-A, corazonin, and tachykinin have been associated with the regulation of behavioral transitions in social insects. Here, we investigated changes in brain localization and expression of these neuropeptides following major behavioral transitions in Cataglyphis nodus ants. Our immunohistochemical analyses in the brain revealed that the overall branching pattern of neurons immunoreactive (ir) for the three neuropeptides is largely independent of the behavioral stages. Numerous allatostatin-A- and tachykinin-ir neurons innervate primary sensory neuropils and high-order integration centers of the brain. In contrast, the number of corazonergic neurons is restricted to only four neurons per brain hemisphere with cell bodies located in the pars lateralis and axons extending to the medial protocerebrum and the retrocerebral complex. Most interestingly, the cell-body volumes of these neurons are significantly increased in foragers compared to freshly eclosed ants and interior workers. Quantification of mRNA expression levels revealed a stage-related change in the expression of allatostatin-A and corazonin mRNA in the brain. Given the presence of the neuropeptides in major control centers of the brain and the neurohemal organs, these mRNA-changes strongly suggest an important modulatory role of both neuropeptides in the behavioral maturation of Cataglyphis ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Habenstein
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Markus Thamm
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Rössler
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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5
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Scharf I, Stoldt M, Libbrecht R, Höpfner AL, Jongepier E, Kever M, Foitzik S. Social isolation causes downregulation of immune and stress response genes and behavioural changes in a social insect. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:2378-2389. [PMID: 33772940 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Humans and other social mammals experience isolation from their group as stressful, triggering behavioural and physiological anomalies that reduce fitness. While social isolation has been intensely studied in social mammals, it is less clear how social insects, which evolved sociality independently, respond to isolation. Here we examined whether the typical mammalian responses to social isolation, e.g., an impaired ability to interact socially and immune suppression are also found in social insects. We studied the consequences of social isolation on behaviour and brain gene expression in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi. Following isolation, workers interacted moderately less with adult nestmates, increased the duration of brood contact, and reduced the time spent self-grooming, an important sanitary behaviour. Our brain transcriptome analysis revealed that only a few behaviour-related genes had altered their expression with isolation time. Rather, many genes linked to immune system functioning and stress response had been downregulated. This probably sensitizes isolated individuals to various stressors, in particular because isolated workers exhibit reduced sanitary behaviour. We provide evidence of the diverse consequences of social isolation in social insects, some of which resemble those found in social mammals, suggesting a general link between social well-being, stress tolerance, and immune competence in social animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inon Scharf
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Anna Lena Höpfner
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Evelien Jongepier
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Marion Kever
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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6
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Tragust S, Herrmann C, Häfner J, Braasch R, Tilgen C, Hoock M, Milidakis MA, Gross R, Feldhaar H. Formicine ants swallow their highly acidic poison for gut microbial selection and control. eLife 2020; 9:e60287. [PMID: 33138912 PMCID: PMC7609056 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals continuously encounter microorganisms that are essential for health or cause disease. They are thus challenged to control harmful microbes while allowing the acquisition of beneficial microbes. This challenge is likely especially important for social insects with respect to microbes in food, as they often store food and exchange food among colony members. Here we show that formicine ants actively swallow their antimicrobial, highly acidic poison gland secretion. The ensuing acidic environment in the stomach, the crop, can limit the establishment of pathogenic and opportunistic microbes ingested with food and improve the survival of ants when faced with pathogen contaminated food. At the same time, crop acidity selectively allows acquisition and colonization by Acetobacteraceae, known bacterial gut associates of formicine ants. This suggests that swallowing of the poison in formicine ants acts as a microbial filter and that antimicrobials have a potentially widespread but so far underappreciated dual role in host-microbe interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Tragust
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, UniversitätsstraßeBayreuthGermany
| | - Claudia Herrmann
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, UniversitätsstraßeBayreuthGermany
| | - Jane Häfner
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, UniversitätsstraßeBayreuthGermany
| | - Ronja Braasch
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, UniversitätsstraßeBayreuthGermany
| | - Christina Tilgen
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, UniversitätsstraßeBayreuthGermany
| | - Maria Hoock
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, UniversitätsstraßeBayreuthGermany
| | - Margarita Artemis Milidakis
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, UniversitätsstraßeBayreuthGermany
| | - Roy Gross
- Microbiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am HublandWürzburgGermany
| | - Heike Feldhaar
- Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, UniversitätsstraßeBayreuthGermany
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7
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Genetic Underpinnings of Host Manipulation by Ophiocordyceps as Revealed by Comparative Transcriptomics. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2020; 10:2275-2296. [PMID: 32354705 PMCID: PMC7341126 DOI: 10.1534/g3.120.401290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Ant-infecting Ophiocordyceps fungi are globally distributed, host manipulating, specialist parasites that drive aberrant behaviors in infected ants, at a lethal cost to the host. An apparent increase in activity and wandering behaviors precedes a final summiting and biting behavior onto vegetation, which positions the manipulated ant in a site beneficial for fungal growth and transmission. We investigated the genetic underpinnings of host manipulation by: (i) producing a high-quality hybrid assembly and annotation of the Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani genome, (ii) conducting laboratory infections coupled with RNAseq of O. camponoti-floridani and its host, Camponotus floridanus, and (iii) comparing these data to RNAseq data of Ophiocordyceps kimflemingiae and Camponotus castaneus as a powerful method to identify gene expression patterns that suggest shared behavioral manipulation mechanisms across Ophiocordyceps-ant species interactions. We propose differentially expressed genes tied to ant neurobiology, odor response, circadian rhythms, and foraging behavior may result by activity of putative fungal effectors such as enterotoxins, aflatrem, and mechanisms disrupting feeding behaviors in the ant.
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8
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Tragust S, Brinker P, Rossel N, Otti O. Balancing Life History Investment Decisions in Founding Ant Queens. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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9
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Meng J, Lei J, Davitt A, Holt JR, Huang J, Gold R, Vargo EL, Tarone AM, Zhu-Salzman K. Suppressing tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) by RNAi technology. INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 27:113-121. [PMID: 29790281 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) is a new invasive pest in the United States. At present, its management mainly relies on the use of synthetic insecticides, which are generally ineffective at producing lasting control of the pest, necessitating alternative environmentally friendly measures. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of gene silencing to control this ant species. Six housekeeping genes encoding actin (NfActin), coatomer subunit β (NfCOPβ), arginine kinase (NfArgK), and V-type proton ATPase subunits A (NfvATPaseA), B (NfvATPaseB) and E (NfvATPaseE) were cloned. Phylogenetic analysis revealed high sequence similarity to homologs from other ant species, particularly the Florida carpenter ant (Camponotus floridanus). To silence these genes, vector L4440 was used to generate six specific RNAi constructs for bacterial expression. Heat-inactivated, dsRNA-expressing Escherichia coli were incorporated into artificial diet. Worker ants exhibited reduced endogenous gene expression after feeding on such diet for 9 d. However, only ingestion of dsRNAs of NfCOPβ (a gene involved in protein trafficking) and NfArgK (a cellular energy reserve regulatory gene in invertebrates) caused modest but significantly higher ant mortality than the control. These results suggest that bacterially expressed dsRNA can be orally delivered to ant cells as a mean to target its vulnerabilities. Improved efficacy is necessary for the RNAi-based approach to be useful in tawny crazy ant management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Meng
- College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Institute for Plant Genomics & Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Jiaxin Lei
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Institute for Plant Genomics & Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Andrew Davitt
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Jocelyn R Holt
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Jian Huang
- College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Roger Gold
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Edward L Vargo
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Aaron M Tarone
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Keyan Zhu-Salzman
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Institute for Plant Genomics & Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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10
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Sinotte VM, Freedman SN, Ugelvig LV, Seid MA. Camponotusfloridanus Ants Incur a Trade-Off between Phenotypic Development and Pathogen Susceptibility from Their Mutualistic Endosymbiont Blochmannia. INSECTS 2018; 9:E58. [PMID: 29857577 PMCID: PMC6023366 DOI: 10.3390/insects9020058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Various insects engage in microbial mutualisms in which the reciprocal benefits exceed the costs. Ants of the genus Camponotus benefit from nutrient supplementation by their mutualistic endosymbiotic bacteria, Blochmannia, but suffer a cost in tolerating and regulating the symbiont. This cost suggests that the ants face secondary consequences such as susceptibility to pathogenic infection and transmission. In order to elucidate the symbiont's effects on development and disease defence, Blochmannia floridanus was reduced in colonies of Camponotus floridanus using antibiotics. Colonies with reduced symbiont levels exhibited workers of smaller body size, smaller colony size, and a lower major-to-minor worker caste ratio, indicating the symbiont's crucial role in development. Moreover, these ants had decreased cuticular melanisation, yet higher resistance to the entomopathogen Metarhizium brunneum, suggesting that the symbiont reduces the ants' ability to fight infection, despite the availability of melanin to aid in mounting an immune response. While the benefits of improved growth and development likely drive the mutualism, the symbiont imposes a critical trade-off. The ants' increased susceptibility to infection exacerbates the danger of pathogen transmission, a significant risk given ants' social lifestyle. Thus, the results warrant research into potential adaptations of the ants and pathogens that remedy and exploit the described disease vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica M Sinotte
- Department of Biology, Program of Neuroscience, University of Scranton, Loyola Science Center, Scranton, PA 1851-4699, USA.
- Centre for Social Evolution, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Samantha N Freedman
- Department of Biology, Program of Neuroscience, University of Scranton, Loyola Science Center, Scranton, PA 1851-4699, USA.
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, 1080 Medical Laboratories, 500 Newton Road, Iowa City, IA 52242-8205, USA.
| | - Line V Ugelvig
- Centre for Social Evolution, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Marc A Seid
- Department of Biology, Program of Neuroscience, University of Scranton, Loyola Science Center, Scranton, PA 1851-4699, USA.
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11
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Xin B, Liu P, Xu X, Zhang S, Zheng Y. Identification of Venom Proteins of the Indigenous Endoparasitoid Chouioia cunea (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2017; 110:2022-2030. [PMID: 28981711 DOI: 10.1093/jee/tox200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Chouioia cunea (Yang) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is an indigenous pupal endoparasitoid that effectively attacks the exotic fall webworm Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) in China. In this novel association, the parasitoid's venom has played an important role in subduing the immune defense of the host although little is known about the composition and functions of the parasitoid's venom. We therefore first identified the parasitoid's major venom proteins using electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Approximately 207 different proteins were identified from C. cunea's venom; among them 26 types widely existed in other endoparasitoids' venom, including calreticulin and arginine kinase, which inhibited the host immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Xin
- College of Forestry, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Peixuan Liu
- College of Forestry, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Xiaorui Xu
- College of Forestry, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Shun Zhang
- College of Forestry, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Yanan Zheng
- College of Forestry, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
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12
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Hussain M, Akutse KS, Ravindran K, Lin Y, Bamisile BS, Qasim M, Dash CK, Wang L. Effects of different temperature regimes on survival of Diaphorina citri and its endosymbiotic bacterial communities. Environ Microbiol 2017; 19:3439-3449. [PMID: 28618183 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, is a major pest of citrus and vector of citrus greening (huanglongbing) in Asian. In our field-collected psyllid samples, we discovered that Fuzhou (China) and Faisalabad (Pakistan), populations harbored an obligate primary endosymbiont Candidatus Carsonella (gen. nov.) with a single species, Candidatus Carsonella ruddii (sp. nov.) and a secondary endosymbiont, Wolbachia surface proteins (WSP) which are intracellular endosymbionts residing in the bacteriomes. Responses of these symbionts to different temperatures were examined and their host survival assessed. Diagnostic PCR assays showed that the endosymbionts infection rates were not significantly reduced in both D. citri populations after 24 h exposure to cold or heat treatments. Although quantitative PCR assays showed significant reduction of WSP relative densities at 40°C for 24 h, a substantial decrease occurred as the exposure duration increased beyond 3 days. Under the same temperature regimes, Ca. C. ruddii density was initially less affected during the first exposure day, but rapidly reduced at 3-5 days compared to WSP. However, the mortality of the psyllids increased rapidly as exposure time to heat treatment increased. The responses of the two symbionts to unfavorable temperature regimes highlight the complex host-symbionts interactions between D. citri and its associated endosymbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mubasher Hussain
- Plant Protection College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Komivi Senyo Akutse
- Plant Protection College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Plant Health Division, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Keppanan Ravindran
- Plant Protection College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yongwen Lin
- Plant Protection College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Bamisope Steve Bamisile
- Plant Protection College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Muhammad Qasim
- Plant Protection College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Chandra Kanta Dash
- Plant Protection College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Faculty of Agriculture, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3300, Bangladesh
| | - Liande Wang
- Plant Protection College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China.,Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.,State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
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13
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Kupper M, Stigloher C, Feldhaar H, Gross R. Distribution of the obligate endosymbiont Blochmannia floridanus and expression analysis of putative immune genes in ovaries of the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus. ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2016; 45:475-487. [PMID: 27664781 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2016.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The bacterial endosymbiont Blochmannia floridanus of the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus contributes to its hosts' ontogeny via nutritional upgrading during metamorphosis. This primary endosymbiosis is essential for both partners and vertical transmission of the endosymbionts is guaranteed by bacterial infestation of oocytes. Here we present a detailed analysis of the presence and localisation of B. floridanus in the ants' ovaries obtained by FISH and TEM analyses. The most apical part of the germarium harbouring germ-line stem cells (GSCs) is not infected by the bacteria. The bacteria are detectable for the first time in lower parts of the germarium when cystocytes undergo the 4th and 5th division and B. floridanus infects somatic cells lying under the basal lamina surrounding the ovarioles. With the beginning of cystocyte differentiation, the endosymbionts are exclusively transported from follicle cells into the growing oocytes. This infestation of the oocytes by bacteria very likely involves exocytosis-endocytosis processes between follicle cells and the oocytes. Nurse cells were never found to harbour the endosymbionts. Furthermore we present first gene expression data in C. floridanus ovaries. These data indicate a modulation of immune gene expression which may facilitate tolerance towards the endosymbionts and thus may contribute to their transovarial transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Kupper
- Department of Microbiology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Christian Stigloher
- Division of Electron Microscopy, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Heike Feldhaar
- Department of Animal Ecology I, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Roy Gross
- Department of Microbiology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.
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14
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Abstract
As much as vertical transmission of microbial symbionts requires their deep integration into the host reproductive and developmental biology, symbiotic lifestyle might profoundly affect bacterial growth and proliferation. This review describes the reproductive oddities displayed by bacteria associated - more or less intimately - with multicellular eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Bulgheresi
- Department of Ecogenetics & Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, Vienna, 1090, Austria
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15
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Eliautout R, Dubrana MP, Vincent-Monégat C, Vallier A, Braquart-Varnier C, Poirié M, Saillard C, Heddi A, Arricau-Bouvery N. Immune response and survival of Circulifer haematoceps to Spiroplasma citri infection requires expression of the gene hexamerin. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2016; 54:7-19. [PMID: 26279217 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2015.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2015] [Revised: 08/10/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Spiroplasma citri is a cell wall-less bacterium that infects plants. It is transmitted by the leafhopper Circulifer haematoceps, which hosts this bacterium in the haemocel and insect tissues. Bacterial factors involved in spiroplasma colonization of the insect host have been identified, but the immune response of the leafhopper to S. citri infection remains unknown. In this study, we showed that C. haematoceps activates both humoral and cellular immune responses when challenged with bacteria. When infected by S. citri, C. haematoceps displayed a specific immune response, evidenced by activation of phagocytosis and upregulation of a gene encoding the protein hexamerin. S. citri infection also resulted in decreased phenoloxidase-like activity. Inhibition of hexamerin by RNA interference resulted in a significant reduction in phenoloxidase-like activity and increased mortality of infected leafhoppers. Therefore, the gene hexamerin is involved in S. citri control by interfering with insect phenoloxidase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémi Eliautout
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, Villenave d'Ornon, France; Université de Bordeaux, UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Marie-Pierre Dubrana
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, Villenave d'Ornon, France; Université de Bordeaux, UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Carole Vincent-Monégat
- Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Agnès Vallier
- Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Christine Braquart-Varnier
- Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7267 Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie, Evolution, Symbiose
| | - Marylène Poirié
- INRA, Evolution and Specificity of Multitrophic Interactions (ESIM), UMR 1355 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech (ISA), Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Colette Saillard
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, Villenave d'Ornon, France; Université de Bordeaux, UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Abdelaziz Heddi
- Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Nathalie Arricau-Bouvery
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, Villenave d'Ornon, France; Université de Bordeaux, UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, Villenave d'Ornon, France.
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16
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de Bekker C, Ohm RA, Loreto RG, Sebastian A, Albert I, Merrow M, Brachmann A, Hughes DP. Gene expression during zombie ant biting behavior reflects the complexity underlying fungal parasitic behavioral manipulation. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:620. [PMID: 26285697 PMCID: PMC4545319 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1812-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adaptive manipulation of animal behavior by parasites functions to increase parasite transmission through changes in host behavior. These changes can range from slight alterations in existing behaviors of the host to the establishment of wholly novel behaviors. The biting behavior observed in Carpenter ants infected by the specialized fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis s.l. is an example of the latter. Though parasitic manipulation of host behavior is generally assumed to be due to the parasite's gene expression, few studies have set out to test this. RESULTS We experimentally infected Carpenter ants to collect tissue from both parasite and host during the time period when manipulated biting behavior is experienced. Upon observation of synchronized biting, samples were collected and subjected to mixed RNA-Seq analysis. We also sequenced and annotated the O. unilateralis s.l. genome as a reference for the fungal sequencing reads. CONCLUSIONS Our mixed transcriptomics approach, together with a comparative genomics study, shows that the majority of the fungal genes that are up-regulated during manipulated biting behavior are unique to the O. unilateralis s.l. genome. This study furthermore reveals that the fungal parasite might be regulating immune- and neuronal stress responses in the host during manipulated biting, as well as impairing its chemosensory communication and causing apoptosis. Moreover, we found genes up-regulated during manipulation that putatively encode for proteins with reported effects on behavioral outputs, proteins involved in various neuropathologies and proteins involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charissa de Bekker
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Goethestrasse 31, 80336, Munich, Germany.
- Department of Entomology and Department of Biology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, Pennsylvania, 16802, PA, USA.
| | - Robin A Ohm
- Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584, CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Raquel G Loreto
- Department of Entomology and Department of Biology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, Pennsylvania, 16802, PA, USA
- CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasília, 70040-020, DF, Brazil
| | - Aswathy Sebastian
- Bioinformatics Consulting Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, Pennsylvania, 16802, PA, USA
| | - Istvan Albert
- Bioinformatics Consulting Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, Pennsylvania, 16802, PA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, Pennsylvania, 16802, PA, USA
| | - Martha Merrow
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Goethestrasse 31, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Brachmann
- Faculty of Biology, Section Genetics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Grosshaderner Strasse 2-4, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - David P Hughes
- Department of Entomology and Department of Biology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, Pennsylvania, 16802, PA, USA.
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17
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Gupta SK, Kupper M, Ratzka C, Feldhaar H, Vilcinskas A, Gross R, Dandekar T, Förster F. Scrutinizing the immune defence inventory of Camponotus floridanus applying total transcriptome sequencing. BMC Genomics 2015. [PMID: 26198742 PMCID: PMC4508827 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1748-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Defence mechanisms of organisms are shaped by their lifestyle, environment and pathogen pressure. Carpenter ants are social insects which live in huge colonies comprising genetically closely related individuals in high densities within nests. This lifestyle potentially facilitates the rapid spread of pathogens between individuals. In concert with their innate immune system, social insects may apply external immune defences to manipulate the microbial community among individuals and within nests. Additionally, carpenter ants carry a mutualistic intracellular and obligate endosymbiotic bacterium, possibly maintained and regulated by the innate immune system. Thus, different selective forces could shape internal immune defences of Camponotus floridanus. RESULTS The immune gene repertoire of C. floridanus was investigated by re-evaluating its genome sequence combined with a full transcriptome analysis of immune challenged and control animals using Illumina sequencing. The genome was re-annotated by mapping transcriptome reads and masking repeats. A total of 978 protein sequences were characterised further by annotating functional domains, leading to a change in their original annotation regarding function and domain composition in about 8% of all proteins. Based on homology analysis with key components of major immune pathways of insects, the C. floridanus immune-related genes were compared to those of Drosophila melanogaster, Apis mellifera, and other hymenoptera. This analysis revealed that overall the immune system of carpenter ants comprises many components found in these insects. In addition, several C. floridanus specific genes of yet unknown functions but which are strongly induced after immune challenge were discovered. In contrast to solitary insects like Drosophila or the hymenopteran Nasonia vitripennis, the number of genes encoding pattern recognition receptors specific for bacterial peptidoglycan (PGN) and a variety of known antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes is lower in C. floridanus. The comparative analysis of gene expression post immune-challenge in different developmental stages of C. floridanus suggests a stronger induction of immune gene expression in larvae in comparison to adults. CONCLUSIONS The comparison of the immune system of C. floridanus with that of other insects revealed the presence of a broad immune repertoire. However, the relatively low number of PGN recognition proteins and AMPs, the identification of Camponotus specific putative immune genes, and stage specific differences in immune gene regulation reflects Camponotus specific evolution including adaptations to its lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shishir K Gupta
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany. .,Department of Microbiology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Maria Kupper
- Department of Microbiology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Carolin Ratzka
- Department of Microbiology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Heike Feldhaar
- Department of Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Andreas Vilcinskas
- Institute of Phytopathology and Applied Zoology, Justus-Liebig University of Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Roy Gross
- Department of Microbiology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Thomas Dandekar
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany. .,EMBL Heidelberg, BioComputing Unit, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Frank Förster
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany.
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18
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Otti O, Tragust S, Feldhaar H. Unifying external and internal immune defences. Trends Ecol Evol 2014; 29:625-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2014.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2014] [Revised: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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19
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Kupper M, Gupta SK, Feldhaar H, Gross R. Versatile roles of the chaperonin GroEL in microorganism-insect interactions. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2014; 353:1-10. [DOI: 10.1111/1574-6968.12390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Revised: 01/20/2014] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Kupper
- Chair of Microbiology; Biocenter; University of Würzburg; Würzburg Germany
| | - Shishir K. Gupta
- Chair of Microbiology; Biocenter; University of Würzburg; Würzburg Germany
- Chair of Bioinformatics; Biocenter; University of Würzburg; Würzburg Germany
| | - Heike Feldhaar
- Animal Ecology I; Bayreuth Center for Environment and Ecology Research (BayCEER); University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
| | - Roy Gross
- Chair of Microbiology; Biocenter; University of Würzburg; Würzburg Germany
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20
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Libbrecht R, Oxley PR, Kronauer DJC, Keller L. Ant genomics sheds light on the molecular regulation of social organization. Genome Biol 2013; 14:212. [PMID: 23895728 PMCID: PMC4053786 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2013-14-7-212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Ants are powerful model systems for the study of cooperation and sociality. In this review, we discuss how recent advances in ant genomics have contributed to our understanding of the evolution and organization of insect societies at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Libbrecht
- Laboratory of Insect Social Evolution, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore Building, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Peter R Oxley
- Laboratory of Insect Social Evolution, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Daniel JC Kronauer
- Laboratory of Insect Social Evolution, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore Building, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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21
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Ratzka C, Gross R, Feldhaar H. Gene expression analysis of the endosymbiont-bearing midgut tissue during ontogeny of the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2013; 59:611-623. [PMID: 23570961 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2013.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2012] [Revised: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 03/29/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Insects have frequently evolved mutualistic relationships with extracellular and/or intracellular bacterial endosymbionts. Infection with endosymbionts seems to affect several cellular functions of the host such as immune pathways, oxidative stress regulation and autophagy. Our current knowledge about specific host factors leading to endosymbiont tolerance and/or control is still scarce and is based on very few associations between insect hosts and bacteria only. Camponotus floridanus ants harbour the obligate intracellular bacterium Blochmannia floridanus within specialized midgut cells called bacteriocytes. The number of Blochmannia endosymbionts within the midgut tissue increases strongly during host development and reaches a maximum at the late pupal stage, where the entire midgut is transformed into a symbiotic organ. After eclosion of workers the number of Blochmannia strongly decreases again. We chose 15 candidate genes from C. floridanus likely to be involved in host-symbiont interactions based on their significant homology to previously investigated symbiosis-relevant genes from other insects. We determined the expression of these genes in the endosymbiont-bearing midgut tissue in comparison to the residual body tissue at different developmental stages of C. floridanus in order to reveal changes in gene expression correlating with changes in endosymbiont number per host. Strikingly, two pattern recognition receptors (amidase PGRP-LB and PGRP-SC2) were highly expressed in the midgut tissue at the pupal stage, potentially down-modulating the IMD pathway to enable endosymbiont tolerance. Moreover, we investigated the immune gene expression in response to bacterial challenge at the pupal stage. Results showed that the midgut tissue differs in expression pattern in contrast to the residual body. Our results support a key role for amidase PGRPs, especially PGRP-LB, in regulation of the immune response towards endosymbionts in C. floridanus and suggest an involvement of the lysosomal system in control of Blochmannia endosymbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Ratzka
- Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, Biozentrum, Universität Würzburg, Germany.
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22
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Yek SH, Boomsma JJ, Schiøtt M. Differential gene expression in Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants after challenges with two fungal pathogens. Mol Ecol 2013; 22:2173-87. [PMID: 23480581 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2012] [Revised: 01/03/2013] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Social insects in general and leaf-cutting ants in particular have increased selection pressures on their innate immune system due to their social lifestyle and monoclonality of the symbiotic fungal cultivar. As this symbiosis is obligate for both parties, prophylactic behavioural defences against infections are expected to increase either ant survival or fungus-garden survival, but also to possibly trade off when specific infections differ in potential danger. We examined the effectiveness of prophylactic behaviours and modulations of innate immune defences by a combination of inoculation bioassays and genome-wide transcriptomic studies (RNA-Seq), using an ant pathogen (Metarhizium brunneum) and a fungus-garden pathogen (Escovopsis weberi) and administering inoculations both directly and indirectly (via the symbiotic partner). Upon detection of pathogen conidia, ant workers responded by increasing both general activity and the frequency of specific defence behaviours (self-grooming, allo-grooming, garden-grooming) independent of the pathogen encountered. This trend was also evident in the patterns of gene expression change. Both direct and indirect (via fungus garden) inoculations with Metarhizium induced a general up-regulation of gene expression, including a number of well-known immune-related genes. In contrast, direct inoculation of the fungus garden by Escovopsis induced an overall down-regulation of ant gene expression, whereas indirect inoculation (via the ants) did not, suggesting that increased activity of ants to remove this fungus-garden pathogen is costly and involves trade-offs with the activation of other physiological pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sze H Yek
- Department of Biology, Centre for Social Evolution, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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23
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Login FH, Heddi A. Insect immune system maintains long-term resident bacteria through a local response. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2013; 59:232-239. [PMID: 22771302 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2012.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2012] [Revised: 06/23/2012] [Accepted: 06/27/2012] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Long-term associations between bacteria and animals are widely represented in nature and play an important role in animal adaptation and evolution. In insects thriving on nutritionally unbalanced diets, intracellular symbiotic bacteria (endosymbionts) complement the host nutrients with amino acids and vitamins and interfere with host physiology and reproduction. Endosymbionts permanently infect host cells, called bacteriocytes, which express an adapted local immune response that permits symbiont maintenance and control. Among the immune players in bacteriocytes, the coleoptericin A (ColA) antimicrobial peptide of the cereal weevil, Sitophilus zeamais, was recently found to specifically trigger endosymbionts and to inhibit their cytokinesis, thereby limiting bacterial cell division and dispersion throughout the insect tissues. This review focuses on the biological and evolutionary features of Sitophilus symbiosis, and discusses the possible interactions of ColA with weevil endosymbiont proteins and pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric H Login
- INSA-Lyon, UMR203 BF2I, INRA, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Bat. Louis-Pasteur 20 ave. Albert Einstein, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France
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24
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Zhang Z, Zhu S. Comparative genomics analysis of five families of antimicrobial peptide-like genes in seven ant species. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 38:262-274. [PMID: 22617650 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2012.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2012] [Revised: 05/02/2012] [Accepted: 05/09/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Ants, as eusocial insects, live in dense groups with high connectivity, increasing the risk of pathogen spread and possibly driving the evolution of their antimicrobial immune system. Draft genomes of seven ant species provide a new source to undertake comparative study of their antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), key components of insect innate immunity. By using computational approaches, we analyzed five AMP families that include abaecins, hymenoptaecins, insect defensins, tachystatins, and crustins in ants, which comprise 69 new members. Among them, a new type of proline-rich abaecins was recognized and they are exclusively present in ants. Hymenoptaecins, a family of glycine-rich AMPs from Hymenoptera and Diptera, exhibit variable numbers of intragenic tandem repeats in a lineage-specific manner and all hymenoptaecins in ants have evolved an acidic C-terminal propeptide. In some ant species, insect defensins with the cysteine-stabilized α-helical and β-sheet (CSαβ) fold and tachystatin-like AMPs with the inhibitor cysteine knot (ICK) fold have undergone gene expansion and differential gene loss. Moreover, extensive sequence diversity exists in the C-termini of the defensins and the ICK-type peptides and the n-loop of the defensins. Also, we identified for the first time a crustin-type AMP in ants, which are only known in crustaceans previously. These ant crustins evolutionarily gain an aromatic amino acid-rich insertion when compared with those of crustaceans. Our work not only enlarges the insect AMP resource, but also sheds light on the complexity and dynamic evolution of AMPs in ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenting Zhang
- Group of Animal Innate Immunity, State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects & Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, PR China
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Ratzka C, Förster F, Liang C, Kupper M, Dandekar T, Feldhaar H, Gross R. Molecular characterization of antimicrobial peptide genes of the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus. PLoS One 2012; 7:e43036. [PMID: 22912782 PMCID: PMC3415428 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2012] [Accepted: 07/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is a major defense mechanism against pathogen infestation and of particular importance for insects relying exclusively on an innate immune system. Here, we report on the characterization of three AMPs from the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus. Due to sequence similarities and amino acid composition these peptides can be classified into the cysteine-rich (e.g. defensin) and glycine-rich (e.g. hymenoptaecin) AMP groups, respectively. The gene and cDNA sequences of these AMPs were established and their expression was shown to be induced by microbial challenge. We characterized two different defensin genes. The defensin-2 gene has a single intron, whereas the defensin-1 gene has two introns. The deduced amino acid sequence of the C. floridanus defensins is very similar to other known ant defensins with the exception of a short C-terminal extension of defensin-1. The hymenoptaecin gene has a single intron and a very peculiar domain structure. The corresponding precursor protein consists of a signal- and a pro-sequence followed by a hymenoptaecin-like domain and six directly repeated hymenoptaecin domains. Each of the hymenoptaecin domains is flanked by an EAEP-spacer sequence and a RR-site known to be a proteolytic processing site. Thus, proteolytic processing of the multipeptide precursor may generate several mature AMPs leading to an amplification of the immune response. Bioinformatical analyses revealed the presence of hymenoptaecin genes with similar multipeptide precursor structure in genomes of other ant species suggesting an evolutionary conserved important role of this gene in ant immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Ratzka
- Department of Microbiology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
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Wernegreen JJ. Strategies of genomic integration within insect-bacterial mutualisms. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2012; 223:112-22. [PMID: 22983037 PMCID: PMC3609409 DOI: 10.1086/bblv223n1p112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Insects, the most diverse group of macroorganisms with 900,000 known species, have been a rich playground for the evolution of symbiotic associations. Symbionts of this enormous animal group include a range of microbial partners. Insects are prone to establishing relationships with intracellular bacteria, which include the most intimate, highly integrated mutualisms known in the biological world. In recent years, an explosion of genomic studies has offered new insights into the molecular, functional, and evolutionary consequences of these insect-bacterial partnerships. In this review, I highlight some insights from genome sequences of bacterial endosymbionts and select insect hosts. Notably, comparisons between facultative and obligate bacterial mutualists have revealed distinct genome features representing different stages along a shared trajectory of genome reduction. Bacteria associated with the cedar aphid offer a snapshot of a transition from facultative to obligate mutualism, illustrating the genomic basis of this key step along the symbiotic spectrum. In addition, genomes of stable, dual bacterial symbionts reflect independent instances of astonishing metabolic integration. In these systems, synthesis of key nutrients, and perhaps basic cellular processes, require collaboration among co-residing bacteria and their insect host. These findings provide a launching point for a new era of genomic explorations of bacterial-animal symbioses. Future studies promise to reveal symbiotic strategies across a broad ecological and phylogenetic range, to clarify key transitions along a spectrum of interaction types, and to fuel new experimental approaches to dissect the mechanistic basis of intimate host-symbiont associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer J Wernegreen
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
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Ratzka C, Gross R, Feldhaar H. Endosymbiont Tolerance and Control within Insect Hosts. INSECTS 2012; 3:553-72. [PMID: 26466544 PMCID: PMC4553611 DOI: 10.3390/insects3020553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2012] [Revised: 05/31/2012] [Accepted: 06/05/2012] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial endosymbioses are very common in insects and can range from obligate to facultative as well as from mutualistic to pathogenic associations. Several recent studies provide new insight into how endosymbionts manage to establish chronic infections of their hosts without being eliminated by the host immune system. Endosymbiont tolerance may be achieved either by specific bacterial adaptations or by host measurements shielding bacteria from innate defense mechanisms. Nevertheless, insect hosts also need to sustain control mechanisms to prevent endosymbionts from unregulated proliferation. Emerging evidence indicates that in some cases the mutual adaptations of the two organisms may have led to the integration of the endosymbionts as a part of the host immune system. In fact, endosymbionts may provide protective traits against pathogens and predators and may even be required for the proper development of the host immune system during host ontogeny. This review gives an overview of current knowledge of molecular mechanisms ensuring maintenance of chronic infections with mutualistic endosymbionts and the impact of endosymbionts on host immune competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Ratzka
- Department of Microbiology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, 97074, Germany.
| | - Roy Gross
- Department of Microbiology, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, 97074, Germany.
| | - Heike Feldhaar
- Animal Ecology I, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Germany.
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Gruber CW, Muttenthaler M. Discovery of defense- and neuropeptides in social ants by genome-mining. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32559. [PMID: 22448224 PMCID: PMC3308954 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2011] [Accepted: 01/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural peptides of great number and diversity occur in all organisms, but analyzing their peptidome is often difficult. With natural product drug discovery in mind, we devised a genome-mining approach to identify defense- and neuropeptides in the genomes of social ants from Atta cephalotes (leaf-cutter ant), Camponotus floridanus (carpenter ant) and Harpegnathos saltator (basal genus). Numerous peptide-encoding genes of defense peptides, in particular defensins, and neuropeptides or regulatory peptide hormones, such as allatostatins and tachykinins, were identified and analyzed. Most interestingly we annotated genes that encode oxytocin/vasopressin-related peptides (inotocins) and their putative receptors. This is the first piece of evidence for the existence of this nonapeptide hormone system in ants (Formicidae) and supports recent findings in Tribolium castaneum (red flour beetle) and Nasonia vitripennis (parasitoid wasp), and therefore its confinement to some basal holometabolous insects. By contrast, the absence of the inotocin hormone system in Apis mellifera (honeybee), another closely-related member of the eusocial Hymenoptera clade, establishes the basis for future studies on the molecular evolution and physiological function of oxytocin/vasopressin-related peptides (vasotocin nonapeptide family) and their receptors in social insects. Particularly the identification of ant inotocin and defensin peptide sequences will provide a basis for future pharmacological characterization in the quest for potent and selective lead compounds of therapeutic value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian W Gruber
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Vienna, Austria.
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