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Polymorphism of 16s rRNA Gene: Any Effect on the Biomolecular Quantitation of the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L., 1758) Pathogen Nosema ceranae? APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12010422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The microsporidian Nosema ceranae is a severe threat to the western honey bee Apis mellifera, as it is responsible for nosemosis type C, which leads the colonies to dwindle and collapse. Infection quantification is essential to clinical and research aims. Assessment is made often with molecular assays based on rRNA genes, which are present in the N. ceranae genome as multiple and polymorphic copies. This study aims to compare two different methods of Real-Time PCR (qPCR), respectively relying on the 16S rRNA and Hsp70 genes, the first of which is described as a multiple and polymorphic gene. Young worker bees, hatched in the laboratory and artificially inoculated with N. ceranae spores, were incubated at 33 °C and subject to different treatment regimens. Samples were taken post-infection and analyzed with both qPCR methods. Compared to Hsp70, the 16S rRNA method systematically detected higher abundance. Straightforward conversion between the two methods is made impossible by erratic 16s rRNA/Hsp70 ratios. The 16s rRNA polymorphism showed an increase around the inoculated dose, where a higher prevalence of ungerminated spores was expected due to the treatment effects. The possible genetic background of that irregular distribution is discussed in detail. The polymorphic nature of 16S rRNA showed to be a limit in the infection quantification. More reliably, the N. ceranae abundance can be assessed in honey bee samples with methods based on the single-copy gene Hsp70.
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Quiles A, Bacela-Spychalska K, Teixeira M, Lambin N, Grabowski M, Rigaud T, Wattier RA. Microsporidian infections in the species complex Gammarus roeselii (Amphipoda) over its geographical range: evidence for both host-parasite co-diversification and recent host shifts. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:327. [PMID: 31253176 PMCID: PMC6599290 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3571-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microsporidians are obligate endoparasites infecting taxonomically diverse hosts. Both vertical (from mother to eggs) and horizontal (between conspecifics or between species) transmission routes are known. While the former may promote co-speciation and host-specificity, the latter may promote shifts between host species. Among aquatic arthropods, freshwater amphipod crustaceans are hosts for many microsporidian species. However, despite numerous studies, no general pattern emerged about host specificity and co-diversification. In south-eastern Europe, the gammarid Gammarus roeselii is composed of 13 cryptic lineages of Miocene to Pleistocene age but few genotypes of one lineage have spread postglacially throughout north-western Europe. Based on nearly 100 sampling sites covering its entire range, we aim to: (i) explore the microsporidian diversity present in G. roeselii and their phylogenetic relationships, especially in relation to the parasites infecting other Gammaridae; (ii) test if the host phylogeographical history might have impacted host-parasite association (e.g. co-diversifications or recent host shifts from local fauna). METHODS We used part of the small subunit rRNA gene as source of sequences to identify and determine the phylogenetic position of the microsporidian taxa infecting G. roeselii. RESULTS Microsporidian diversity was high in G. roeselii with 24 detected haplogroups, clustered into 18 species-level taxa. Ten microsporidian species were rare, infecting a few individual hosts in a few populations, and were mostly phylogenetically related to parasites from other amphipods or various crustaceans. Other microsporidians were represented by widespread genera with high prevalence: Nosema, Cucumispora and Dictyocoela. Two contrasting host association patterns could be observed. First, two vertically transmitted microsporidian species, Nosema granulosis and Dictyocoela roeselum, share the pattern of infecting G. roeselii over most of its range and are specific to this host suggesting the co-diversification scenario. This pattern contrasted with that of Dictyocoela muelleri, the three species of Cucumispora, and the rare parasites, present only in the recently colonised region by the host. These patterns suggest recent acquisitions from local host species, after the recent spread of G. roeselii. CONCLUSIONS Microsporidians infecting G. roeselii revealed two scenarios of host-parasite associations: (i) ancient associations with vertically transmitted parasites that probably co-diversified with their hosts, and (ii) host shifts from local host species, after the postglacial spread of G. roeselii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien Quiles
- Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Laboratoire Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Lodz, 12/16 Banacha Street, 90-237, Lodz, Poland
| | - Karolina Bacela-Spychalska
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Lodz, 12/16 Banacha Street, 90-237, Lodz, Poland
| | - Maria Teixeira
- Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Laboratoire Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Nicolas Lambin
- Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Laboratoire Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Michal Grabowski
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Lodz, 12/16 Banacha Street, 90-237, Lodz, Poland
| | - Thierry Rigaud
- Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Laboratoire Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Rémi André Wattier
- Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Laboratoire Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
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Sagastume S, Martín-Hernández R, Higes M, Henriques-Gil N. Genotype diversity in the honey bee parasite Nosema ceranae: multi-strain isolates, cryptic sex or both? BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:216. [PMID: 27756211 PMCID: PMC5069816 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0797-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There is great controversy as to whether Microsporidia undergo a sexual cycle. In the paradigmatic case of Nosema ceranae, although there is no morphological evidence of sex, some meiosis-specific genes are present in its reduced genome and there is also high intraspecific variability, with incongruent phylogenies having been systematically obtained. The possibility of sexual recombination is important from an epidemiological standpoint, particularly as N. ceranae is considered to be a major factor in the current disquieting epidemic of widespread bee colony losses. This parasite apparently originated in oriental honey bees, spreading out of Asia and Australia to infect honey bees worldwide. This study had three main objectives: i) to obtain genetic markers that are not part of known multi-copy arrays for strain determination; ii) to shed light on the intraspecific variability and recombination of N. ceranae; and iii) to assess the variability in N. ceranae populations. The answers to these questions are critical to understand the capacity of adaptation of microsporidia. Results Biallelic polymorphisms were detected at a number of specific points in the five coding loci analyzed from European and Australian isolates of N. ceranae. Heterozygous genotypes were abundant and cloning experiments demonstrate that they reflect the existence of multiple alternative sequences in each isolate. The comparisons of different clones and genotypes clearly indicate that new haplotypes are generated by homologous recombination. Conclusions The N. ceranae isolates from honey bees correspond to genotypically distinct populations, revealing that individual honey bees may not be infected by a particular clone but rather, a pool of different strains. Homologous recombination implies the existence of a cryptic sex cycle yet to be described in N. ceranae. There are no diagnostic alleles associated with Australian or European origins, nor are there differences between the two hosts, A. cerana and A. mellifera, supporting the absence of biological barriers for N. ceranae transmission. Diversity is high among microsporidia of both these origins, and the maintenance of a high heterozygosis in the recently invaded European populations, could hypothetically underlie the stronger virulence of N. ceranae observed in A. mellifera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soledad Sagastume
- Centro Apícola Regional, Bee Pathology Laboratory, 19180, Marchamalo, Guadalajara, Spain.
| | - Raquel Martín-Hernández
- Centro Apícola Regional, Bee Pathology Laboratory, 19180, Marchamalo, Guadalajara, Spain.,Instituto de Recursos Humanos para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (INCRECYT), Parque Científico de Albacete, Spain
| | - Mariano Higes
- Centro Apícola Regional, Bee Pathology Laboratory, 19180, Marchamalo, Guadalajara, Spain
| | - Nuno Henriques-Gil
- Departamento de Ciencias Médicas Básicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad CEU San Pablo, Campus de Montepríncipe, 28668, Madrid, Spain
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González-Tortuero E, Rusek J, Maayan I, Petrusek A, Piálek L, Laurent S, Wolinska J. Genetic diversity of two Daphnia-infecting microsporidian parasites, based on sequence variation in the internal transcribed spacer region. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:293. [PMID: 27206473 PMCID: PMC4875737 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1584-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Microsporidia are spore-forming obligate intracellular parasites that include both emerging pathogens and economically important disease agents. However, little is known about the genetic diversity of microsporidia. Here, we investigated patterns of geographic population structure, intraspecific genetic variation, and recombination in two microsporidian taxa that commonly infect cladocerans of the Daphnia longispina complex in central Europe. Taken together, this information helps elucidate the reproductive mode and life-cycles of these parasite species. Methods Microsporidia-infected Daphnia were sampled from seven drinking water reservoirs in the Czech Republic. Two microsporidia species (Berwaldia schaefernai and microsporidium lineage MIC1) were sequenced at the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, using the 454 pyrosequencing platform. Geographical structure analyses were performed applying Fisher’s exact tests, analyses of molecular variance, and permutational MANOVA. To evaluate the genetic diversity of the ITS region, the number of polymorphic sites and Tajima’s and Watterson’s estimators of theta were calculated. Tajima’s D was also used to determine if the ITS in these taxa evolved neutrally. Finally, neighbour similarity score and pairwise homology index tests were performed to detect recombination events. Results While there was little variation among Berwaldia parasite strains infecting different host populations, the among-population genetic variation of MIC1 was significant. Likewise, ITS genetic diversity was lower in Berwaldia than in MIC1. Recombination signals were detected only in Berwaldia. Conclusion Genetic tests showed that parasite populations could have expanded recently after a bottleneck or that the ITS could be under negative selection in both microsporidia species. Recombination analyses might indicate cryptic sex in Berwaldia and pure asexuality in MIC1. The differences observed between the two microsporidian species present an exciting opportunity to study the genetic basis of microsporidia-Daphnia coevolution in natural populations, and to better understand reproduction in these parasites. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1584-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique González-Tortuero
- Department of Ecosystem Research, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 301, 12587, Berlin, Germany. .,Berlin Centre for Genomics in Biodiversity Research (BeGenDiv), Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8, 14195, Berlin, Germany. .,Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University, Großhaderner Straße 2, 82512, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Jakub Rusek
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University, Großhaderner Straße 2, 82512, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Inbar Maayan
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University, Großhaderner Straße 2, 82512, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Adam Petrusek
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lubomír Piálek
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Stefan Laurent
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Justyna Wolinska
- Department of Ecosystem Research, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 301, 12587, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany
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Maside X, Gómez-Moracho T, Jara L, Martín-Hernández R, De la Rúa P, Higes M, Bartolomé C. Population Genetics of Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae: One Host (Apis mellifera) and Two Different Histories. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0145609. [PMID: 26720131 PMCID: PMC4699903 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Two microsporidians are known to infect honey bees: Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. Whereas population genetics data for the latter have been released in the last few years, such information is still missing for N. apis. Here we analyze the patterns of nucleotide polymorphism at three single-copy loci (PTP2, PTP3 and RPB1) in a collection of Apis mellifera isolates from all over the world, naturally infected either with N. apis (N = 22) or N. ceranae (N = 23), to provide new insights into the genetic diversity, demography and evolution of N. apis, as well as to compare them with evidence from N. ceranae. Neutral variation in N. apis and N. ceranae is of the order of 1%. This amount of diversity suggests that there is no substantial differentiation between the genetic content of the two nuclei present in these parasites, and evidence for genetic recombination provides a putative mechanism for the flow of genetic information between chromosomes. The analysis of the frequency spectrum of neutral variants reveals a significant surplus of low frequency variants, particularly in N. ceranae, and suggests that the populations of the two pathogens are not in mutation-drift equilibrium and that they have experienced a population expansion. Most of the variation in both species occurs within honey bee colonies (between 62%-90% of the total genetic variance), although in N. apis there is evidence for differentiation between parasites isolated from distinct A. mellifera lineages (20%-34% of the total variance), specifically between those collected from lineages A and C (or M). This scenario is consistent with a long-term host-parasite relationship and contrasts with the lack of differentiation observed among host-lineages in N. ceranae (< 4% of the variance), which suggests that the spread of this emergent pathogen throughout the A. mellifera worldwide population is a recent event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xulio Maside
- Medicina Xenómica, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
- Xenómica Comparada de Parásitos Humanos, IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
- Departamento de Anatomía Patolóxica e Ciencias Forenses, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
| | - Tamara Gómez-Moracho
- Medicina Xenómica, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
- Xenómica Comparada de Parásitos Humanos, IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola. Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Marchamalo, Guadalajara, Spain
| | - Laura Jara
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Raquel Martín-Hernández
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola. Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Marchamalo, Guadalajara, Spain
- Instituto de Recursos Humanos para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (INCRECYT-FEDER), Fundación Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Albacete, Albacete, Spain
| | - Pilar De la Rúa
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Mariano Higes
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola. Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Marchamalo, Guadalajara, Spain
| | - Carolina Bartolomé
- Medicina Xenómica, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
- Xenómica Comparada de Parásitos Humanos, IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Grabner DS, Weigand AM, Leese F, Winking C, Hering D, Tollrian R, Sures B. Invaders, natives and their enemies: distribution patterns of amphipods and their microsporidian parasites in the Ruhr Metropolis, Germany. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:419. [PMID: 26263904 PMCID: PMC4534018 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1036-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The amphipod and microsporidian diversity in freshwaters of a heterogeneous urban region in Germany was assessed. Indigenous and non-indigenous host species provide an ideal framework to test general hypotheses on potentially new host-parasite interactions, parasite spillback and spillover in recently invaded urban freshwater communities. Methods Amphipods were sampled in 17 smaller and larger streams belonging to catchments of the four major rivers in the Ruhr Metropolis (Emscher, Lippe, Ruhr, Rhine), including sites invaded and not invaded by non-indigenous amphipods. Species were identified morphologically (hosts only) and via DNA barcoding (hosts and parasites). Prevalence was obtained by newly designed parasite-specific PCR assays. Results Three indigenous and five non-indigenous amphipod species were detected. Gammarus pulex was further distinguished into three clades (C, D and E) and G. fossarum more precisely identified as type B. Ten microsporidian lineages were detected, including two new isolates (designated as Microsporidium sp. nov. RR1 and RR2). All microsporidians occurred in at least two different host clades or species. Seven genetically distinct microsporidians were present in non-invaded populations, six of those were also found in invaded assemblages. Only Cucumispora dikerogammari and Dictyocoela berillonum can be unambiguously considered as non-indigenous co-introduced parasites. Both were rare and were not observed in indigenous hosts. Overall, microsporidian prevalence ranged from 50 % (in G. roeselii and G. pulex C) to 73 % (G. fossarum) in indigenous and from 10 % (Dikerogammarus villosus) to 100 % (Echinogammarus trichiatus) in non-indigenous amphipods. The most common microsporidians belonged to the Dictyocoela duebenum- /D. muelleri- complex, found in both indigenous and non-indigenous hosts. Some haplotype clades were inclusive for a certain host lineage. Conclusions The Ruhr Metropolis harbours a high diversity of indigenous and non-indigenous amphipod and microsporidian species, and we found indications for an exchange of parasites between indigenous and non-indigenous hosts. No introduced microsporidians were found in indigenous hosts and prevalence of indigenous parasites in non-indigenous hosts was generally low. Therefore, no indication for parasite spillover or spillback was found. We conclude that non-indigenous microsporidians constitute only a minimal threat to the native amphipod fauna. However, this might change e.g. if C. dikerogammari adapts to indigenous amphipod species or if other hosts and parasites invade. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-015-1036-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Grabner
- Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany. .,Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Alexander M Weigand
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitaetsstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Florian Leese
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitaetsstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany. .,Present address: Aquatic Ecosystems Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany. .,Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Caroline Winking
- Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Daniel Hering
- Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany. .,Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Ralph Tollrian
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitaetsstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany. .,Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Bernd Sures
- Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany. .,Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa. .,Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
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Corradi N. Microsporidia: Eukaryotic Intracellular Parasites Shaped by Gene Loss and Horizontal Gene Transfers. Annu Rev Microbiol 2015. [PMID: 26195306 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-091014-104136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Microsporidia are eukaryotic parasites of many animals that appear to have adapted to an obligate intracellular lifestyle by modifying the morphology and content of their cells. Living inside other cells, they have lost many, or all, metabolic functions, resulting in genomes that are always gene poor and often very small. The minute content of microsporidian genomes led many to assume that these parasites are biochemically static and uninteresting. However, recent studies have demonstrated that these organisms can be surprisingly complex and dynamic. In this review I detail the most significant recent advances in microsporidian genomics and discuss how these have affected our understanding of many biological aspects of these peculiar eukaryotic intracellular pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Corradi
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5;
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8
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Peyretaillade E, Boucher D, Parisot N, Gasc C, Butler R, Pombert JF, Lerat E, Peyret P. Exploiting the architecture and the features of the microsporidian genomes to investigate diversity and impact of these parasites on ecosystems. Heredity (Edinb) 2014; 114:441-9. [PMID: 25182222 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2014.78] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal species play extremely important roles in ecosystems. Clustered at the base of the fungal kingdom are Microsporidia, a group of obligate intracellular eukaryotes infecting multiple animal lineages. Because of their large host spectrum and their implications in host population regulation, they influence food webs, and accordingly, ecosystem structure and function. Unfortunately, their ecological role is not well understood. Present also as highly resistant spores in the environment, their characterisation requires special attention. Different techniques based on direct isolation and/or molecular approaches can be considered to elucidate their role in the ecosystems, but integrating environmental and genomic data (for example, genome architecture, core genome, transcriptional and translational signals) is crucial to better understand the diversity and adaptive capacities of Microsporidia. Here, we review the current status of Microsporidia in trophic networks; the various genomics tools that could be used to ensure identification and evaluate diversity and abundance of these organisms; and how these tools could be used to explore the microsporidian life cycle in different environments. Our understanding of the evolution of these widespread parasites is currently impaired by limited sampling, and we have no doubt witnessed but a small subset of their diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Peyretaillade
- Genomics, Clermont Université, Université d'Auvergne, EA 4678 CIDAM, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - D Boucher
- Genomics, Clermont Université, Université d'Auvergne, EA 4678 CIDAM, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - N Parisot
- 1] Genomics, Clermont Université, Université d'Auvergne, EA 4678 CIDAM, Clermont-Ferrand, France [2] CNRS, UMR 6023, LMGE, Aubière, France
| | - C Gasc
- Genomics, Clermont Université, Université d'Auvergne, EA 4678 CIDAM, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - R Butler
- Illinois Institute of Technology, BCHS Biology Division, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - J-F Pombert
- Illinois Institute of Technology, BCHS Biology Division, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - E Lerat
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, Villeurbanne, France
| | - P Peyret
- Genomics, Clermont Université, Université d'Auvergne, EA 4678 CIDAM, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Gómez-Moracho T, Bartolomé C, Martín-Hernández R, Higes M, Maside X. Evidence for weak genetic recombination at the PTP2 locus of Nosema ceranae. Environ Microbiol 2014; 17:1300-9. [PMID: 25052231 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The microsporidian Nosema ceranae is an emergent pathogen that threatens the health of honeybees and other pollinators all over the world. Its recent rapid spread across a wide variety of host species and environments demonstrated an enhanced ability of adaptation, which seems to contradict the lack of evidence for genetic recombination and the absence of a sexual stage in its life cycle. Here we retrieved fresh data of the patterns of genetic variation at the PTP2 locus in naturally infected Apis mellifera colonies, by means of single genome amplification. This technique, designed to prevent the formation of chimeric haplotypes during polymerase chain reaction (PCR), provides more reliable estimates of the diversity levels and haplotype structure than standard PCR-cloning methods. Our results are consistent with low but significant rates of recombination in the history of the haplotypes detected: estimates of the population recombination rate are of the order of 30 and support recent evidence for unexpectedly high levels of variation of the parasites within honeybee colonies. These observations suggest the existence of a diploid stage at some point in the life cycle of this parasite and are relevant for our understanding of the dynamics of its expanding population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Gómez-Moracho
- Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro Apícola Regional, JCCM, Marchamalo, 19180, Spain; Grupo de Medicina Xenómica, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, 15782, Spain; Grupo de Xenómica Comparada de Parásitos Humanos, IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, 15782, Spain
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