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Gao K, van der Heide W, Muijderman D, Nichols S, Karwal C, Kuperus P, Groot AT. Ecological immunology: do sexual attraction and immunity trade-off through a desaturase? INSECT SCIENCE 2024. [PMID: 38769890 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Given the limited availability of resources in nature, sexual attractiveness may trade off with immunocompetence, as the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH) posits. In invertebrates, a direct link between trade-offs through hormonal/molecular effectors in sexual signals and immunity has not been found so far. Here, we assessed how variation in sexual signals affected parasite infection in two sex pheromone selected lines of the moth Chloridea virescens: an attractive line with a low ratio of 16:Ald/Z11-16:Ald and an unattractive line with a high ratio. When infecting these lines with an apicomplexan parasite, we found that the attractive Low line was significantly more susceptible to the parasite infection than the unattractive High line. Since the ratio difference between these two lines is determined by a delta-11-desturase, we hypothesized that this desaturase may have a dual role, i.e., in the quality of the sexual signal as well as an involvement in immune response, comparable to testosterone in vertebrates. However, when we used CRISPR/cas9 to knockout delta-11-desturase in the attractive Low line, we found that the pheromonal phenotype did change to that of the High line, but the infection susceptibility did not. Notably, when checking the genomic location of delta-11-desaturase in the C. virescens, we found that mucin is adjacent to delta-11-desaturase. When comparing the mucin sequences in both lines, we found four nonsynonymous SNPs in the coding sequence, as well as intronic variation between the two lines. These differences suggest that genetic hitchhiking may explain the variation in susceptibility to parasitic infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Gao
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Wout van der Heide
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Daphne Muijderman
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sarah Nichols
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Peter Kuperus
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Astrid T Groot
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Mongue AJ, Martin SH, Manweiler REV, Scullion H, Koehn JL, de Roode JC, Walters JR. Genome sequence of Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, an apicomplexan parasite of monarch butterflies: cryptic diversity and response to host-sequestered plant chemicals. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:278. [PMID: 37226080 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09350-0] [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: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexa are ancient and diverse organisms which have been poorly characterized by modern genomics. To better understand the evolution and diversity of these single-celled eukaryotes, we sequenced the genome of Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, a parasite of monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus. We contextualize our newly generated resources within apicomplexan genomics before answering longstanding questions specific to this host-parasite system. To start, the genome is miniscule, totaling only 9 million bases and containing fewer than 3,000 genes, half the gene content of two other sequenced invertebrate-infecting apicomplexans, Porospora gigantea and Gregarina niphandrodes. We found that O. elektroscirrha shares different orthologs with each sequenced relative, suggesting the true set of universally conserved apicomplexan genes is very small indeed. Next, we show that sequencing data from other potential host butterflies can be used to diagnose infection status as well as to study diversity of parasite sequences. We recovered a similarly sized parasite genome from another butterfly, Danaus chrysippus, that was highly diverged from the O. elektroscirrha reference, possibly representing a distinct species. Using these two new genomes, we investigated potential evolutionary response by parasites to toxic phytochemicals their hosts ingest and sequester. Monarch butterflies are well-known to tolerate toxic cardenolides thanks to changes in the sequence of their Type II ATPase sodium pumps. We show that Ophryocystis completely lacks Type II or Type 4 sodium pumps, and related proteins PMCA calcium pumps show extreme sequence divergence compared to other Apicomplexa, demonstrating new avenues of research opened by genome sequencing of non-model Apicomplexa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Mongue
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
| | - Simon H Martin
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Rachel E V Manweiler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA
| | - Helena Scullion
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | - Jordyn L Koehn
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA
| | | | - James R Walters
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA
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Cuesta EB, Coulibaly B, Bukhari T, Eiglmeier K, Kone R, Coulibaly MB, Zongo S, Barry M, Gneme A, Guelbeogo WM, Beavogui AH, Traore SF, Sagnon N, Vernick KD, Riehle MM. Comprehensive Ecological and Geographic Characterization of Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Microbiomes in African Anopheles. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:635772. [PMID: 34054746 PMCID: PMC8153677 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.635772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure of mosquitoes to numerous eukaryotic and prokaryotic microbes in their associated microbiomes has probably helped drive the evolution of the innate immune system. To our knowledge, a metagenomic catalog of the eukaryotic microbiome has not been reported from any insect. Here we employ a novel approach to preferentially deplete host 18S ribosomal RNA gene amplicons to reveal the composition of the eukaryotic microbial communities of Anopheles larvae sampled in Kenya, Burkina Faso and Republic of Guinea (Conakry). We identified 453 eukaryotic operational taxonomic units (OTUs) associated with Anopheles larvae in nature, but an average of 45% of the 18S rRNA sequences clustered into OTUs that lacked a taxonomic assignment in the Silva database. Thus, the Anopheles microbiome contains a striking proportion of novel eukaryotic taxa. Using sequence similarity matching and de novo phylogenetic placement, the fraction of unassigned sequences was reduced to an average of 4%, and many unclassified OTUs were assigned as relatives of known taxa. A novel taxon of the genus Ophryocystis in the phylum Apicomplexa (which also includes Plasmodium) is widespread in Anopheles larvae from East and West Africa. Notably, Ophryocystis is present at fluctuating abundance among larval breeding sites, consistent with the expected pattern of an epidemic pathogen. Species richness of the eukaryotic microbiome was not significantly different across sites from East to West Africa, while species richness of the prokaryotic microbiome was significantly lower in West Africa. Laboratory colonies of Anopheles coluzzii harbor 26 eukaryotic OTUs, of which 38% (n = 10) are shared with wild populations, while 16 OTUs are unique to the laboratory colonies. Genetically distinct An. coluzzii colonies co-housed in the same facility maintain different prokaryotic microbiome profiles, suggesting a persistent host genetic influence on microbiome composition. These results provide a foundation to understand the role of the Anopheles eukaryotic microbiome in vector immunity and pathogen transmission. We hypothesize that prevalent apicomplexans such as Ophryocystis associated with Anopheles could induce interference or competition against Plasmodium within the vector. This and other members of the eukaryotic microbiome may offer candidates for new vector control tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugeni Belda Cuesta
- Unit of Insect Vector Genetics and Genomics, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- CNRS Unit of Evolutionary Genomics, Modeling, and Health (UMR2000), Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Boubacar Coulibaly
- Malaria Research and Training Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Mali, Bamako, Mali
| | - Tullu Bukhari
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Department of Human Health. Nairobi,Kenya
| | - Karin Eiglmeier
- Unit of Insect Vector Genetics and Genomics, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- CNRS Unit of Evolutionary Genomics, Modeling, and Health (UMR2000), Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Raymond Kone
- Centre de Formation et de Recherche en Santé Rurale de Mafèrinyah, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Mamadou B. Coulibaly
- Malaria Research and Training Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Mali, Bamako, Mali
| | - Soumanaba Zongo
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Mamadou Barry
- Centre de Formation et de Recherche en Santé Rurale de Mafèrinyah, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Awa Gneme
- Département de Biologie et Physiologie Animales, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Wamdaogo M. Guelbeogo
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Abdoul H. Beavogui
- Centre de Formation et de Recherche en Santé Rurale de Mafèrinyah, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Sekou F. Traore
- Malaria Research and Training Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Mali, Bamako, Mali
| | - N’Fale Sagnon
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Kenneth D. Vernick
- Unit of Insect Vector Genetics and Genomics, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- CNRS Unit of Evolutionary Genomics, Modeling, and Health (UMR2000), Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Michelle M. Riehle
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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