1
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Tian Z, Guo X, Michaud JP, Zha M, Zhu L, Liu X, Liu X. The gut microbiome of Helicoverpa armigera enhances immune response to baculovirus infection via suppression of Duox-mediated reactive oxygen species. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:3611-3621. [PMID: 37184157 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Baculoviruses such as Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV) infect their lepidopteran hosts via the larval midgut where they interact with host immune responses and gut microbiota. Here we demonstrate that gut microbiota proliferating in response to HearNPV infection promote larval immune responses which impede the infection process. RESULTS The microbial load of the larval midgut increased following HearNPV infection, due primarily to increases in Enterococcus spp., whereas most other bacterial genera declined, with Firmicutes replacing Proteobacteria as the dominant phylum. Injection of abdominal prolegs of infected larvae with H2 O2 promoted viral infection, diminished microbial abundance, and accelerated larval death, mimicking the effects of HearNPV infection, which up-regulated dual oxidase (Duox) expression, increasing H2 O2 levels in the midgut. Knockdown of Duox with RNAi reduced H2 O2 production in the guts of infected larvae, increased bacterial loads, decreased viral replication, and improved larval survival. Germ-free larvae were more susceptible to HearNPV than control larvae, exhibiting greater expression of Duox, higher levels of H2 O2 , and lower survival. Replenishment of gut bacteria in germ-free larvae restored the base-line immunity to HearNPV observed in normal larvae. Enterococcus spp., Levilactobacillus brevis, and Lactobacillus sp. bacteria were isolated and implicated in immunity restoration via replenishment in germ-free larvae. CONCLUSION These findings illuminate how gut microbiota play important roles in larval defense against oral baculovirus infection, and suggest novel avenues of investigation to enhance the efficacy of baculoviruses and improve control of lepidopteran pests. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqiang Tian
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xi Guo
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - J P Michaud
- Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Agricultural Research Center-Hays, Hays, KS, USA
| | - Meng Zha
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Zhu
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoming Liu
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoxia Liu
- Department of Entomology, MOA Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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2
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Camargo TS, Nickele MA, Filho WR, do Rocio Chiarello Penteado S, de Queiroz EC, Auer CG. Fungal Community Associated with the Leaf-Cutting Ant Acromyrmex crassispinus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Colonies: a Search for Potential Biocontrol Agents. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 86:1281-1291. [PMID: 37115262 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02217-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex crassispinus is considered an important pest in forest plantations in southern Brazil. This work aimed to study the fungal community associated with A. crassispinus colonies, subjected to treatments with subdoses of granulated baits (sulfluramid), which might reduce the ability of the ants to care for their symbiotic fungus and other fungi (maybe biocontrol fungi) would take over, to prospect for potential biological control agents. Samplings of fungus gardens and dead ants allowed the identification of 195 fungal isolates, distributed in 29 families, 36 genera, and 53 species. The most frequent genera were Trichoderma (49.2%), Penicillium (13.8%), Chaetomium (6.2%), and Fusarium (3.6%). This is the first study that conducted a survey of antagonistic and entomopathogenic fungi to A. crassispinus and its symbiotic fungus, reporting for the first time the occurrence of potential biological control agents. Escovopsis weberi, Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizomucor variabilis, Trichoderma atroviride, Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma koningiopsis, and Trichoderma spirale are considered some of the potential biocontrol organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiele Sides Camargo
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal Do Paraná, Av. Pref. Lothário Meissner, 900, Jardim Botânico, Curitiba, Curitiba, Paraná, 80210-170, Brazil.
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3
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Barrett BT, Kubik TD, Golightly PR, Kellner K, Kardish MR, Mueller UG. Ant genotype, but not genotype of cultivated fungi, predicts queen acceptance in the asexual fungus-farming ant Mycocepurus smithii (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03276-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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4
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Efimenko TA, Glukhova AA, Demiankova MV, Boykova YV, Malkina ND, Sumarukova IG, Vasilieva BF, Rogozhin EA, Ivanov IA, Krassilnikov VA, Efremenkova OV. Antimicrobial Activity of Microorganisms Isolated from Ant Nests of Lasius niger. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10060091. [PMID: 32580283 PMCID: PMC7345392 DOI: 10.3390/life10060091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, the microbial communities of two nests of black garden ants (Lasius niger) in the hollows of stem branches of old apple trees were found to have similar species compositions: each community contained representatives of three species from the Bacillaceae family and one species of actinomycetes from the genus Streptomyces. In total, four types of bacilli and two actinomycetes were isolated. Actinomycetes were identified as Streptomyces antibioticus-like and Streptomyces sp. None of the bacilli had antibiotic activity, whereas both streptomycetes produced antibiotics that inhibited the growth of Gram-positive bacteria in vitro, including isolates from their community. Antibiotic compounds of S. antibioticus-like strain INA 01148 (Institute of New Antibiotics) were identified as actinomycin D and its closest homologue, actinomycin A. Actinomycins presumably change the microbial community of the ant nest substrate as they act against Gram-positive bacteria and against fungi and Gram-negative bacteria. The antibiotic activity of the isolated Streptomyces sp. INA 01156 is of interest, since the substances produced by this strain inhibit the growth of drug-resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus INA 00761 (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant strain Leuconostoc mesenteroides VKPM B-4177 (VR) (VKPM-National Collection of Industrial Microorganisms (Russian acronym)).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana A. Efimenko
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.G.); (M.V.D.); (Y.V.B.); (N.D.M.); (I.G.S.); (B.F.V.); (E.A.R.); (O.V.E.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Alla A. Glukhova
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.G.); (M.V.D.); (Y.V.B.); (N.D.M.); (I.G.S.); (B.F.V.); (E.A.R.); (O.V.E.)
| | - Mariia V. Demiankova
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.G.); (M.V.D.); (Y.V.B.); (N.D.M.); (I.G.S.); (B.F.V.); (E.A.R.); (O.V.E.)
| | - Yuliya V. Boykova
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.G.); (M.V.D.); (Y.V.B.); (N.D.M.); (I.G.S.); (B.F.V.); (E.A.R.); (O.V.E.)
| | - Natalia D. Malkina
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.G.); (M.V.D.); (Y.V.B.); (N.D.M.); (I.G.S.); (B.F.V.); (E.A.R.); (O.V.E.)
| | - Irina G. Sumarukova
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.G.); (M.V.D.); (Y.V.B.); (N.D.M.); (I.G.S.); (B.F.V.); (E.A.R.); (O.V.E.)
| | - Byazilya F. Vasilieva
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.G.); (M.V.D.); (Y.V.B.); (N.D.M.); (I.G.S.); (B.F.V.); (E.A.R.); (O.V.E.)
| | - Eugene A. Rogozhin
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.G.); (M.V.D.); (Y.V.B.); (N.D.M.); (I.G.S.); (B.F.V.); (E.A.R.); (O.V.E.)
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Igor A. Ivanov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia;
| | | | - Olga V. Efremenkova
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.G.); (M.V.D.); (Y.V.B.); (N.D.M.); (I.G.S.); (B.F.V.); (E.A.R.); (O.V.E.)
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5
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Martinez AFC, de Almeida LG, Moraes LAB, Cônsoli FL. Microbial Diversity and Chemical Multiplicity of Culturable, Taxonomically Similar Bacterial Symbionts of the Leaf-Cutting Ant Acromyrmex coronatus. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2019; 77:1067-1081. [PMID: 30789995 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-019-01341-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Insects are a highly diverse group, exploit a wide range of habitats, and harbor bacterial symbionts of largely unknown diversity. Insect-associated bacterial symbionts are underexplored but promising sources of bioactive compounds. The community of culturable bacteria associated with the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex coronatus (Fabricius) and the diversity of their metabolites produced were investigated. Forty-six phylotypes belonging to Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria were identified. The chemical profiles of 65 isolates were further analyzed by LC-MS/MS, and principal components analysis (PCA) was used to group the isolates according to their chemical profiles. Historically, selection of bacterial strains for drug discovery has been based on phenotypic and/or genotypic traits. Use of such traits may well impede the discovery of new compounds; in this study, several indistinguishable phylotypes cultured in identical nutritional and environmental conditions produced completely different chemical profiles. Our data also demonstrated the wide chemical diversity to be explored in insect-associated symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Flávia Canovas Martinez
- Laboratório de Interações em Insetos, Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz", Universidade de São Paulo, Av Pádua Dias 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Luís Gustavo de Almeida
- Laboratório de Interações em Insetos, Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz", Universidade de São Paulo, Av Pádua Dias 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Luiz Alberto Beraldo Moraes
- Laboratório de Espectrometria de Massas aplicada a Produtos Naturais, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av dos Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Fernando Luís Cônsoli
- Laboratório de Interações em Insetos, Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz", Universidade de São Paulo, Av Pádua Dias 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil.
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6
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Zakalyukina YV, Birykov MV, Lukianov DA, Shiriaev DI, Komarova ES, Skvortsov DA, Kostyukevich Y, Tashlitsky VN, Polshakov VI, Nikolaev E, Sergiev PV, Osterman IA. Nybomycin-producing Streptomyces isolated from carpenter ant Camponotus vagus. Biochimie 2019; 160:93-99. [PMID: 30797881 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2019.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A novel strain of Actinomycetes was isolated from the body of an ant (Camponotus vagus Scopoli) and its genetic and morphological properties were characterized. The 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis of the isolate revealed its high phylogenetic relationship with type strains of Streptomyces violaceochromogenes NBRC 13100T. As a result of antimicrobial activity assessment, it was found that the fermentation broth of the isolated strain both inhibited the growth and induced the SOS response in E. coli BW25113 ΔtolC strain cells. Using bioassay-guided fractionation, mass spectrometric and NMR analyses we identified the active compound to be nybomycin, a previously described antibiotic. Here we report for the first time Streptomyces producer of nybomycin in association with carpenter ants and demonstrate cytotoxic activity of nybomycin against human cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya V Zakalyukina
- Department of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russia
| | - Mikhail V Birykov
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russia
| | - Dmitrii A Lukianov
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Moscow Region, 143025, Russia
| | - Dmitrii I Shiriaev
- Department of Chemistry and A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia
| | - Ekaterina S Komarova
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Moscow Region, 143025, Russia; Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russia
| | - Dmitry A Skvortsov
- Department of Chemistry and A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia
| | - Yury Kostyukevich
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Moscow Region, 143025, Russia
| | - Vadim N Tashlitsky
- Department of Chemistry and A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia
| | - Vladimir I Polshakov
- Center for Magnetic Tomography and Spectroscopy, Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, M.V., Russia
| | - Eugene Nikolaev
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Moscow Region, 143025, Russia
| | - Petr V Sergiev
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Moscow Region, 143025, Russia; Department of Chemistry and A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia
| | - Ilya A Osterman
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Moscow Region, 143025, Russia; Department of Chemistry and A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia.
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7
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Chouvenc T, Elliott ML, Šobotník J, Efstathion CA, Su NY. The Termite Fecal Nest: A Framework for the Opportunistic Acquisition of Beneficial Soil Streptomyces (Actinomycetales: Streptomycetaceae). ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 47:1431-1439. [PMID: 30321327 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvy152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Mutualistic associations between insects and microorganisms must imply gains for both partners, and the emphasis has mostly focused on coevolved host-symbiont systems. However, some insect hosts may have evolved traits that allow for various means of association with opportunistic microbial communities, especially when the microbes are omnipresent in their environment. It was previously shown that colonies of the subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) build nests out of fecal material that host a community of Streptomyces Waksman and Henrici (Actinomycetales: Streptomycetaceae). These Actinobacteria produce an array of bioactive metabolites that provides a level of protection for termites against certain entomopathogenic fungi. How C. formosanus acquires and maintains this association remains unknown. This study shows that the majority of Streptomyces isolates found in field termite fecal nest materials are identical to Streptomyces isolates from soils surrounding the nests and are not vertically inherited. A survey of Streptomyces communities from C. formosanus fecal nest materials sampled at 20 locations around the world revealed that all nests are reliably associated with a diverse Streptomyces community. The C. formosanus fecal nest material therefore provides a nutritional framework that can recruit beneficial Streptomyces from the soil environment, in the absence of long-term coevolutionary processes. A diverse Streptomyces community is reliably present in soils, and subterranean termite colonies can acquire such facultative symbionts each social cycle into their fecal nest. This association probably emerged as an exaptation from the existing termite nest structure and benefits both the termite and the opportunistic colonizing bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Chouvenc
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL
| | - Monica L Elliott
- Department of Plant Pathology, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Termite Research Team, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences CULS, Kamýcká, Prague Suchdol, Czechia, EU
| | - Caroline A Efstathion
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL
| | - Nan-Yao Su
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL
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8
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Wang Z, Peng AH, Lu DD, Song YJ, Wang CL, Xie WD. Manumycin-type Derivatives from a Streptomyces sp. Associated with Meson Bee Osmia cornifrons. Nat Prod Commun 2018. [DOI: 10.1177/1934578x1801300605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Two new manumycin-type derivatives named as cornifronin A and cornifronin B, and one known analogue antibiotic SW-B were isolated from the liquid fermentation of Streptomyces sp. OC1401 obtained from body surface of a meson bee Osmia cornifrons. The structures of all isolates were identified by spectroscopic methods (HRESIMS, IR, 1D and 2D NMR) and comparison with literature data. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of these manumycin-type derivatives were evaluated by disc diffusion method and more accurate data on the antibacterial activity were obtained through the MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) and MBC (Minimal bactericidal concentration) values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Marine Science, Shandong University at Weihai, Weihai 264209, P. R. China
| | - Ai-Hong Peng
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Marine Science, Shandong University at Weihai, Weihai 264209, P. R. China
| | - Dan-Dan Lu
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Marine Science, Shandong University at Weihai, Weihai 264209, P. R. China
| | - Ya-Jie Song
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Marine Science, Shandong University at Weihai, Weihai 264209, P. R. China
| | - Cheng-Lei Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Marine Science, Shandong University at Weihai, Weihai 264209, P. R. China
| | - Wei-Dong Xie
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Marine Science, Shandong University at Weihai, Weihai 264209, P. R. China
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9
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Mueller UG, Kardish MR, Ishak HD, Wright AM, Solomon SE, Bruschi SM, Carlson AL, Bacci M. Phylogenetic patterns of ant-fungus associations indicate that farming strategies, not only a superior fungal cultivar, explain the ecological success of leafcutter ants. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:2414-2434. [PMID: 29740906 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Revised: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
To elucidate fungicultural specializations contributing to ecological dominance of leafcutter ants, we estimate the phylogeny of fungi cultivated by fungus-growing (attine) ants, including fungal cultivars from (i) the entire leafcutter range from southern South America to southern North America, (ii) all higher-attine ant lineages (leafcutting genera Atta, Acromyrmex; nonleafcutting genera Trachymyrmex, Sericomyrmex) and (iii) all lower-attine lineages. Higher-attine fungi form two clades, Clade-A fungi (Leucocoprinus gongylophorus, formerly Attamyces) previously thought to be cultivated only by leafcutter ants, and a sister clade, Clade-B fungi, previously thought to be cultivated only by Trachymyrmex and Sericomyrmex ants. Contradicting this traditional view, we find that (i) leafcutter ants are not specialized to cultivate only Clade-A fungi because some leafcutter species ranging across South America cultivate Clade-B fungi; (ii) Trachymyrmex ants are not specialized to cultivate only Clade-B fungi because some Trachymyrmex species cultivate Clade-A fungi and other Trachymyrmex species cultivate fungi known so far only from lower-attine ants; (iii) in some locations, single higher-attine ant species or closely related cryptic species cultivate both Clade-A and Clade-B fungi; and (iv) ant-fungus co-evolution among higher-attine mutualisms is therefore less specialized than previously thought. Sympatric leafcutter ants can be ecologically dominant when cultivating either Clade-A or Clade-B fungi, sustaining with either cultivar-type huge nests that command large foraging territories; conversely, sympatric Trachymyrmex ants cultivating either Clade-A or Clade-B fungi can be locally abundant without achieving the ecological dominance of leafcutter ants. Ecological dominance of leafcutter ants therefore does not depend primarily on specialized fungiculture of L. gongylophorus (Clade-A), but must derive from ant-fungus synergisms and unique ant adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich G Mueller
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Melissa R Kardish
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.,Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Heather D Ishak
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.,Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - April M Wright
- Department of Biological Science, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana
| | - Scott E Solomon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, Texas.,Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Sofia M Bruschi
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.,Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alexis L Carlson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Maurício Bacci
- Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
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10
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Vasse M, Voglmayr H, Mayer V, Gueidan C, Nepel M, Moreno L, de Hoog S, Selosse MA, McKey D, Blatrix R. A phylogenetic perspective on the association between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and black yeasts (Ascomycota: Chaetothyriales). Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2519. [PMID: 28298348 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The frequency and the geographical extent of symbiotic associations between ants and fungi of the order Chaetothyriales have been highlighted only recently. Using a phylogenetic approach based on seven molecular markers, we showed that ant-associated Chaetothyriales are scattered through the phylogeny of this order. There was no clustering according to geographical origin or to the taxonomy of the ant host. However, strains tended to be clustered according to the type of association with ants: strains from ant-made carton and strains from plant cavities occupied by ants ('domatia') rarely clustered together. Defining molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) with an internal transcribed spacer sequence similarity cut-off of 99% revealed that a single MOTU could be composed of strains collected from various ant species and from several continents. Some ant-associated MOTUs also contained strains isolated from habitats other than ant-associated structures. Altogether, our results suggest that the degree of specialization of the interactions between ants and their fungal partners is highly variable. A better knowledge of the ecology of these interactions and a more comprehensive sampling of the fungal order are needed to elucidate the evolutionary history of mutualistic symbioses between ants and Chaetothyriales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Vasse
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul Valéry Montpellier-EPHE, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Hermann Voglmayr
- Division of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Wien, Austria
| | - Veronika Mayer
- Division of Structural and Functional Botany, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Wien, Austria
| | - Cécile Gueidan
- National Facilities and Collections, National Research Collections Australia, Australian National Herbarium, CSIRO, PO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Maximilian Nepel
- Division of Structural and Functional Botany, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Wien, Austria.,Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Leandro Moreno
- CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre, PO Box 85167, 3508 AD Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sybren de Hoog
- CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre, PO Box 85167, 3508 AD Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marc-André Selosse
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB-UMR 7205-CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 Rue Cuvier (CP50), 75005 Paris, France.,Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, University of Gdansk, ul. Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Doyle McKey
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul Valéry Montpellier-EPHE, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Rumsaïs Blatrix
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul Valéry Montpellier-EPHE, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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11
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Uchiumi Y, Ohtsuki H, Sasaki A. Evolutionary emergence and maintenance of horizontally transmitted mutualism that do not rely on the supply of standing variation in symbiont quality. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:2211-2221. [PMID: 28977715 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2016] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Mutualism based on reciprocal exchange of costly services must avoid exploitation by 'free-rides'. Accordingly, hosts discriminate against free-riding symbionts in many mutualistic relationships. However, as the selective advantage of discriminators comes from the presence of variability in symbiont quality that they eliminate, discrimination and thus mutualism have been considered to be maintained with exogenous supply of free-riders. In this study, we tried to resolve the 'paradoxical' co-evolution of discrimination by hosts and cooperation by symbionts, by comparing two different types of discrimination: 'one-shot' discrimination, where a host does not reacquire new symbionts after evicting free-riders, and 'resampling' discrimination, where a host does from the environment. Our study shows that this apparently minor difference in discrimination types leads to qualitatively different evolutionary outcomes. First, although it has been usually considered that the benefit of discriminators is derived from the variability of symbiont quality, the benefit of a certain type of discriminators (e.g. one-shot discrimination) is proportional to the frequency of free-riders, which is in stark contrast to the case of resampling discrimination. As a result, one-shot discriminators can invade the free-rider/nondiscriminator population, even if standing variation for symbiont quality is absent. Second, our one-shot discriminators can also be maintained without exogenous supply of free-riders and hence is free from the paradox of discrimination. Therefore, our result indicates that the paradox is not a common feature of evolution of discrimination but is a problem of specific types of discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Uchiumi
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - H Ohtsuki
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - A Sasaki
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan.,Evolution and Ecology Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria
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12
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Abstract
Covering: 2010 up to 2017Life on Earth is characterized by a remarkable abundance of symbiotic and highly refined relationships among life forms. Defined as any kind of close, long-term association between two organisms, symbioses can be mutualistic, commensalistic or parasitic. Historically speaking, selective pressures have shaped symbioses in which one organism (typically a bacterium or fungus) generates bioactive small molecules that impact the host (and possibly other symbionts); the symbiosis is driven fundamentally by the genetic machineries available to the small molecule producer. The human microbiome is now integral to the most recent chapter in animal-microbe symbiosis studies and plant-microbe symbioses have significantly advanced our understanding of natural products biosynthesis; this also is the case for studies of fungal-microbe symbioses. However, much less is known about microbe-microbe systems involving interspecies interactions. Microbe-derived small molecules (i.e. antibiotics and quorum sensing molecules, etc.) have been shown to regulate transcription in microbes within the same environmental niche, suggesting interspecies interactions whereas, intraspecies interactions, such as those that exploit autoinducing small molecules, also modulate gene expression based on environmental cues. We, and others, contend that symbioses provide almost unlimited opportunities for the discovery of new bioactive compounds whose activities and applications have been evolutionarily optimized. Particularly intriguing is the possibility that environmental effectors can guide laboratory expression of secondary metabolites from "orphan", or silent, biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Notably, many of the studies summarized here result from advances in "omics" technologies and highlight how symbioses have given rise to new anti-bacterial and antifungal natural products now being discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navid Adnani
- University of Wisconsin Madison, School of Pharmacy, Div. of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 777 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705-2222, USA.
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13
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Martinez AFC, de Almeida LG, Moraes LAB, Cônsoli FL. Tapping the biotechnological potential of insect microbial symbionts: new insecticidal porphyrins. BMC Microbiol 2017; 17:143. [PMID: 28655338 PMCID: PMC5488367 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-017-1054-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The demand for sustainable agricultural practices and the limited progress toward newer and safer chemicals for use in pest control maintain the impetus for research and identification of new natural molecules. Natural molecules are preferable to synthetic organic molecules because they are biodegradable, have low toxicity, are often selective and can be applied at low concentrations. Microbes are one source of natural insecticides, and microbial insect symbionts have attracted attention as a source of new bioactive molecules because these microbes are exposed to various selection pressures in their association with insects. Analytical techniques must be used to isolate and characterize new compounds, and sensitive analytical tools such as mass spectrometry and high-resolution chromatography are required to identify the least-abundant molecules. RESULTS We used classical fermentation techniques combined with tandem mass spectrometry to prospect for insecticidal substances produced by the ant symbiont Streptomyces caniferus. Crude extracts from this bacterium showed low biological activity (less than 10% mortality) against the larval stage of the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda. Because of the complexity of the crude extract, we used fractionation-guided bioassays to investigate if the low toxicity was related to the relative abundance of the active molecule, leading to the isolation of porphyrins as active molecules. Porphyrins are a class of photoactive molecules with a broad range of bioactivity, including insecticidal. The active fraction, containing a mixture of porphyrins, induced up to 100% larval mortality (LD50 = 37.7 μg.cm-2). Tandem mass-spectrometry analyses provided structural information for two new porphyrin structures. Data on the availability of porphyrins in 67 other crude extracts of ant ectosymbionts were also obtained with ion-monitoring experiments. CONCLUSIONS Insect-associated bacterial symbionts are a rich source of bioactive compounds. Exploring microbial diversity through mass-spectrometry analyses is a useful approach for isolating and identifying new compounds. Our results showed high insecticidal activity of porphyrin compounds. Applications of different experiments in mass spectrometry allowed the characterization of two new porphyrins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Flávia Canovas Martinez
- Laboratório de Interações em Insetos, Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Pádua Dias 11, 13418–900, Piracicaba, SP Brazil
| | - Luís Gustavo de Almeida
- Laboratório de Interações em Insetos, Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Pádua Dias 11, 13418–900, Piracicaba, SP Brazil
| | - Luiz Alberto Beraldo Moraes
- Laboratório de Espectrometria de Massas Aplicada a Produtos Naturais, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Bandeirantes 3900, 14040–901, Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil
| | - Fernando Luís Cônsoli
- Laboratório de Interações em Insetos, Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Pádua Dias 11, 13418–900, Piracicaba, SP Brazil
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14
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Łukasik P, Newton JA, Sanders JG, Hu Y, Moreau CS, Kronauer DJC, O'Donnell S, Koga R, Russell JA. The structured diversity of specialized gut symbionts of the New World army ants. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:3808-3825. [PMID: 28393425 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2016] [Revised: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic bacteria play important roles in the biology of their arthropod hosts. Yet the microbiota of many diverse and influential groups remain understudied, resulting in a paucity of information on the fidelities and histories of these associations. Motivated by prior findings from a smaller scale, 16S rRNA-based study, we conducted a broad phylogenetic and geographic survey of microbial communities in the ecologically dominant New World army ants (Formicidae: Dorylinae). Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene across 28 species spanning the five New World genera showed that the microbial communities of army ants consist of very few common and abundant bacterial species. The two most abundant microbes, referred to as Unclassified Firmicutes and Unclassified Entomoplasmatales, appear to be specialized army ant associates that dominate microbial communities in the gut lumen of three host genera, Eciton, Labidus and Nomamyrmex. Both are present in other army ant genera, including those from the Old World, suggesting that army ant symbioses date back to the Cretaceous. Extensive sequencing of bacterial protein-coding genes revealed multiple strains of these symbionts coexisting within colonies, but seldom within the same individual ant. Bacterial strains formed multiple host species-specific lineages on phylogenies, which often grouped strains from distant geographic locations. These patterns deviate from those seen in other social insects and raise intriguing questions about the influence of army ant colony swarm-founding and within-colony genetic diversity on strain coexistence, and the effects of hosting a diverse suite of symbiont strains on colony ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Łukasik
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Justin A Newton
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jon G Sanders
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yi Hu
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Corrie S Moreau
- Department of Science and Education, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sean O'Donnell
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ryuichi Koga
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Jacob A Russell
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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15
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DeMilto AM, Rouquette M, Mueller UG, Kellner K, Seal JN. Effects of substrate, ant and fungal species on plant fiber degradation in a fungus-gardening ant symbiosis. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 98:301-308. [PMID: 28193479 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2016] [Revised: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Fungus-gardening or attine ants have outsourced most of their digestive function to a symbiotic fungus. The ants feed their fungus - essentially an external digestive organ - a variety of substrates of botanical origin, including fresh and dried flowers, leaves and insect frass (processed leaves). Although plant tissues are rich in fibers (lignocelluloses, hemicelluloses, pectins and starches) and the symbiotic fungus possesses the genetic and enzymatic machinery to metabolize these compounds, the highly derived attines, the leaf-cutters (Atta and Acromyrmex), are known to produce fiber-rich waste. While leaf-cutting ants are important consumers of primary plant tissue, there have been fewer studies on physiological activity of fungi grown by closely related ant species in the genus Trachymyrmex, which generally grow related species of fungi, have smaller colonies and consume a wider variety of fungal substrates in addition to fresh leaves and flowers. In this study, we measured the cellulase activity of the fungus-gardening ants Atta texana, Trachymyrmex arizonensis and T. septentrionalis. We then quantified fiber consumption of the fungus-gardening ants Trachymyrmex septentrionalis and Trachymyrmex arizonensis by comparing the amounts and percentages present in their food and in fungus garden refuse during a controlled feeding experiment over the span of several months. Finally, we compared waste composition of T. arizonensis colonies growing different fungal strains, because this species is known to cultivate multiple strains of Leucoagaricus in its native range. The leaf-cutting ant A. texana was found to have lower cellulytic activity than T. arizonensis or T. septentrionalis. Total lignocellulose and hemicellulose amounts were significantly lower in refuse piles than in the substrates fed to the Trachymyrmex colonies, thus these fibers were consumed by the fungal symbionts of these ant species. Although lignocellulose utilization was similar in two distinct fungal species grown by T. arizonensis colonies, hemicellulose utilization was higher in T. arizonensis colonies growing a derived leaf-cutting ant fungal symbiont than when growing a native type of symbiont. The results of this study demonstrate that fiber digestion in fungus-gardening ants is an outcome of ant-fungal interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria M DeMilto
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd, Tyler, TX 75799, USA.
| | - Monte Rouquette
- Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Overton, Overton, TX 75684, USA.
| | - Ulrich G Mueller
- Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station #C0930, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
| | - Katrin Kellner
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd, Tyler, TX 75799, USA.
| | - Jon N Seal
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd, Tyler, TX 75799, USA; Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station #C0930, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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16
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Toth AL, Rehan SM. Molecular Evolution of Insect Sociality: An Eco-Evo-Devo Perspective. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2017; 62:419-442. [PMID: 27912247 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-031616-035601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of eusociality is a perennial issue in evolutionary biology, and genomic advances have fueled steadily growing interest in the genetic changes underlying social evolution. Along with a recent flurry of research on comparative and evolutionary genomics in different eusocial insect groups (bees, ants, wasps, and termites), several mechanistic explanations have emerged to describe the molecular evolution of eusociality from solitary behavior. These include solitary physiological ground plans, genetic toolkits of deeply conserved genes, evolutionary changes in protein-coding genes, cis regulation, and the structure of gene networks, epigenetics, and novel genes. Despite this proliferation of ideas, there has been little synthesis, even though these ideas are not mutually exclusive and may in fact be complementary. We review available data on molecular evolution of insect sociality and highlight key biotic and abiotic factors influencing social insect genomes. We then suggest both phylogenetic and ecological evolutionary developmental biology (eco-evo-devo) perspectives for a more synthetic view of molecular evolution in insect societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011;
- Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824;
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17
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18
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Lu M, Hulcr J, Sun J. The Role of Symbiotic Microbes in Insect Invasions. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2016. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-121415-032050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Min Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China;
| | - Jiri Hulcr
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation and the Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Jianghua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China;
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19
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Meirelles LA, McFrederick QS, Rodrigues A, Mantovani JD, de Melo Rodovalho C, Ferreira H, Bacci M, Mueller UG. Bacterial microbiomes from vertically transmitted fungal inocula of the leaf-cutting ant Atta texana. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2016; 8:630-640. [PMID: 27273758 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Microbiome surveys provide clues for the functional roles of symbiotic microbial communities and their hosts. In this study, we elucidated bacterial microbiomes associated with the vertically transmitted fungal inocula (pellets) used by foundress queens of the leaf-cutting ant Atta texana as starter-cultures for new gardens. As reference microbiomes, we also surveyed bacterial microbiomes of foundress queens, gardens and brood of incipient nests. Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Propionibacterium and Corynebacterium were consistently present in high abundance in microbiomes. Some pellet and ant samples contained abundant bacteria from an Entomoplasmatales-clade, and a separate PCR-based survey of Entomoplasmatales bacteria in eight attine ant-genera from Brazil placed these bacteria in a monophyletic clade within the bacterial genus Mesoplasma. The attine ant-Mesoplasma association parallels a similar association between a closely related, monophyletic Entomoplasmatales-clade and army ants. Of thirteen A. texana nests surveyed, three nests with exceptionally high Mesoplasma abundance died, whereas the other nests survived. It is unclear whether Mesoplasma was the primary cause of mortality, or Mesoplasma became abundant in moribund nests for non-pathogenic reasons. However, the consistent and geographically widespread presence of Mesoplasma suggests an important functional role in the association with attine ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas A Meirelles
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Andre Rodrigues
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Joana D Mantovani
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Cynara de Melo Rodovalho
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Controle de Artrópodes Vetores, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz
| | - Henrique Ferreira
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Maurício Bacci
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Ulrich G Mueller
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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20
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Duarte APM, Ferro M, Rodrigues A, Bacci M, Nagamoto NS, Forti LC, Pagnocca FC. Prevalence of the genus Cladosporium on the integument of leaf-cutting ants characterized by 454 pyrosequencing. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2016; 109:1235-43. [PMID: 27307255 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-016-0724-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The relationship of attine ants with their mutualistic fungus and other microorganisms has been studied during the last two centuries. However, previous studies about the diversity of fungi in the ants' microenvironment are based mostly on culture-dependent approaches, lacking a broad characterization of the fungal ant-associated community. Here, we analysed the fungal diversity found on the integument of Atta capiguara and Atta laevigata alate ants using 454 pyrosequencing. We obtained 35,453 ITS reads grouped into 99 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). Data analysis revealed that A. capiguara drones had the highest diversity of MOTUs. Besides the occurrence of several uncultured fungi, the mycobiota analysis revealed that the most abundant taxa were the Cladosporium-complex, Cryptococcus laurentii and Epicoccum sp. Taxa in the genus Cladosporium were predominant in all samples, comprising 67.9 % of all reads. The remarkable presence of the genus Cladosporium on the integument of leaf-cutting ants alates from distinct ant species suggests that this fungus is favored in this microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P M Duarte
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Avenida 24-A, n. 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13.506-900, Brazil.
| | - M Ferro
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Avenida 24-A, n. 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13.506-900, Brazil
| | - A Rodrigues
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Avenida 24-A, n. 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13.506-900, Brazil.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - M Bacci
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Avenida 24-A, n. 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13.506-900, Brazil.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - N S Nagamoto
- Department of Plant Protection, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - L C Forti
- Department of Plant Protection, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - F C Pagnocca
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Avenida 24-A, n. 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13.506-900, Brazil.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
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21
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Pereira JS, Costa RR, Nagamoto NS, Forti LC, Pagnocca FC, Rodrigues A. Comparative analysis of fungal communities in colonies of two leaf-cutting ant species with different substratum preferences. FUNGAL ECOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2016.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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22
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Beemelmanns C, Guo H, Rischer M, Poulsen M. Natural products from microbes associated with insects. Beilstein J Org Chem 2016; 12:314-27. [PMID: 26977191 PMCID: PMC4778507 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.12.34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we review discoveries of secondary metabolites from microbes associated with insects. We mainly focus on natural products, where the ecological role has been at least partially elucidated, and/or the pharmaceutical properties evaluated, and on compounds with unique structural features. We demonstrate that the exploration of specific microbial–host interactions, in combination with multidisciplinary dereplication processes, has emerged as a successful strategy to identify novel chemical entities and to shed light on the ecology and evolution of defensive associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Beemelmanns
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e.V., Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Huijuan Guo
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e.V., Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Maja Rischer
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e.V., Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Michael Poulsen
- Centre for Social Evolution, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, Building 3, 1st floor, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
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23
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Bracewell RR, Six DL. Experimental evidence of bark beetle adaptation to a fungal symbiont. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:5109-19. [PMID: 26640686 PMCID: PMC4662301 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2015] [Revised: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of symbiotic microbes to insects cannot be overstated; however, we have a poor understanding of the evolutionary processes that shape most insect-microbe interactions. Many bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) species are involved in what have been described as obligate mutualisms with symbiotic fungi. Beetles benefit through supplementing their nutrient-poor diet with fungi and the fungi benefit through gaining transportation to resources. However, only a few beetle-fungal symbioses have been experimentally manipulated to test whether the relationship is obligate. Furthermore, none have tested for adaptation of beetles to their specific symbionts, one of the requirements for coevolution. We experimentally manipulated the western pine beetle-fungus symbiosis to determine whether the beetle is obligately dependent upon fungi and to test for fine-scale adaptation of the beetle to one of its symbiotic fungi, Entomocorticium sp. B. We reared beetles from a single population with either a natal isolate of E. sp. B (isolated from the same population from which the beetles originated), a non-natal isolate (a genetically divergent isolate from a geographically distant beetle population), or with no fungi. We found that fungi were crucial for the successful development of western pine beetles. We also found no significant difference in the effects of the natal and non-natal isolate on beetle fitness parameters. However, brood adult beetles failed to incorporate the non-natal fungus into their fungal transport structure (mycangium) indicating adaption by the beetle to particular genotypes of symbiotic fungi. Our results suggest that beetle-fungus mutualisms and symbiont fidelity may be maintained via an undescribed recognition mechanism of the beetles for particular symbionts that may promote particular associations through time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan R. Bracewell
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation SciencesThe University of Montana32 Campus DriveMissoulaMontana59812
| | - Diana L. Six
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation SciencesThe University of Montana32 Campus DriveMissoulaMontana59812
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24
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Mueller U, Sachs J. Engineering Microbiomes to Improve Plant and Animal Health. Trends Microbiol 2015; 23:606-617. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2015.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 252] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Revised: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Shao MW, Lu YH, Miao S, Zhang Y, Chen TT, Zhang YL. Diversity, Bacterial Symbionts and Antibacterial Potential of Gut-Associated Fungi Isolated from the Pantala flavescens Larvae in China. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0134542. [PMID: 26221957 PMCID: PMC4519156 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The diversity of fungi associated with the gut of Pantala flavescens larvae was investigated using a culture-dependent method and molecular identification based on an analysis of the internally transcribed spacer sequence. In total, 48 fungal isolates were obtained from P. flavescens larvae. Based on phylogenetic analyses, the fungal isolates were grouped in 5 classes and 12 different genera. Fourteen bacterial 16S rDNA sequences derived from total genomic DNA extractions of fungal mycelia were obtained. The majority of the sequences were associated with Proteobacteria (13/14), and one Bacillaceae (1/14) was included. Leclercia sp., Oceanobacillus oncorhynchi and Methylobacterium extorquens, were reported for the first time as bacterial endosymbionts in fungi. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis indicated that bacterial symbionts produced specific metabolites and also exerted an inhibitory effect on fungal metabolites. The biological activity of the fungal culture extracts against the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739) was investigated, and 20 extracts (42%) exhibited antibacterial activity against at least one of the tested bacterial strains. This study is the first report on the diversity and antibacterial activity of symbiotic fungi residing in the gut of P. flavescens larvae, and the results show that these fungi are highly diverse and could be exploited as a potential source of bioactive compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Wei Shao
- College of Chemistry and Life Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, PR China
| | - Yi-Hui Lu
- College of Chemistry and Life Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, PR China
| | - Shuang Miao
- College of Chemistry and Life Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, PR China
| | - Yun Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Life Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, PR China
| | - Ting-Ting Chen
- College of Chemistry and Life Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, PR China
| | - Ying-Lao Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Life Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, People’s Republic of China
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Alkaloid Venom Weaponry of Three Megalomyrmex Thief Ants and the Behavioral Response of Cyphomyrmex costatus Host Ants. J Chem Ecol 2015; 41:373-85. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-015-0565-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2014] [Revised: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 03/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Masiulionis VE, Rabeling C, De Fine Licht HH, Schultz T, Bacci M, Bezerra CMS, Pagnocca FC. A Brazilian population of the asexual fungus-growing ant Mycocepurus smithii (Formicidae, Myrmicinae, Attini) cultivates fungal symbionts with gongylidia-like structures. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103800. [PMID: 25101899 PMCID: PMC4125159 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2013] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Attine ants cultivate fungi as their most important food source and in turn the fungus is nourished, protected against harmful microorganisms, and dispersed by the ants. This symbiosis evolved approximately 50-60 million years ago in the late Paleocene or early Eocene, and since its origin attine ants have acquired a variety of fungal mutualists in the Leucocoprineae and the distantly related Pterulaceae. The most specialized symbiotic interaction is referred to as "higher agriculture" and includes leafcutter ant agriculture in which the ants cultivate the single species Leucoagaricus gongylophorus. Higher agriculture fungal cultivars are characterized by specialized hyphal tip swellings, so-called gongylidia, which are considered a unique, derived morphological adaptation of higher attine fungi thought to be absent in lower attine fungi. Rare reports of gongylidia-like structures in fungus gardens of lower attines exist, but it was never tested whether these represent rare switches of lower attines to L. gonglyphorus cultivars or whether lower attine cultivars occasionally produce gongylidia. Here we describe the occurrence of gongylidia-like structures in fungus gardens of the asexual lower attine ant Mycocepurus smithii. To test whether M. smithii cultivates leafcutter ant fungi or whether lower attine cultivars produce gongylidia, we identified the M. smithii fungus utilizing molecular and morphological methods. Results shows that the gongylidia-like structures of M. smithii gardens are morphologically similar to gongylidia of higher attine fungus gardens and can only be distinguished by their slightly smaller size. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the fungal ITS sequence indicates that the gongylidia-bearing M. smithii cultivar belongs to the so-called "Clade 1"of lower Attini cultivars. Given that M. smithii is capable of cultivating a morphologically and genetically diverse array of fungal symbionts, we discuss whether asexuality of the ant host maybe correlated with low partner fidelity and active symbiont choice between fungus and ant mutualists.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Rabeling
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., United States of America
| | - Henrik H. De Fine Licht
- Section for Organismal Biology, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ted Schultz
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., United States of America
| | - Maurício Bacci
- Instituto de Biociências, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
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Meirelles LA, Mendes TD, Solomon SE, Bueno OC, Pagnocca FC, Rodrigues A. Broad Escovopsis-inhibition activity of Pseudonocardia associated with Trachymyrmex ants. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2014; 6:339-345. [PMID: 24992532 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Attine ants maintain an association with antibiotic-producing Actinobacteria found on their integuments. Evidence supports these bacteria as auxiliary symbionts that help ants to defend the fungus gardens against pathogens. Using Pseudonocardia strains isolated from Trachymyrmex ants, we tested whether the inhibitory capabilities of such strains are restricted to Escovopsis parasites that infect gardens of this ant genus. Twelve Pseudonocardia strains were tested in in vitro bioassays against Escovopsis strains derived from fungus gardens of Trachymyrmex (n = 1) and leaf-cutting ants (n = 3). Overall, significant differences were observed in the mycelial growth among each Escovopsis strain in the presence of Pseudonocardia. Particularly, Escovopsis from Acromyrmex and Trachymyrmex were the most inhibited strains in comparison to Escovopsis isolated from Atta. This result suggests that Pseudonocardia isolated from Trachymyrmex possibly secrete antimicrobial compounds effective against diverse Escovopsis strains. The fact that Trachymyrmex ants harbour Pseudonocardia strains with broad spectrum of activity and its defensive role on attine gardens are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas A Meirelles
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
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Arcuri SL, Pagnocca FC, Melo WGDP, Nagamoto NS, Komura DL, Rodrigues A. Yeasts found on an ephemeral reproductive caste of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2014; 106:475-87. [PMID: 25012689 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-014-0216-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2014] [Accepted: 06/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Winged males of leaf-cutting ants are considered an ephemeral reproductive caste only produced before the mating flight season. Although much is known about the yeast diversity found in fungus gardens of attine ants, no study has focused on the yeasts associated with males of leaf-cutting ants. Here, we surveyed the yeasts on the integuments of males of Atta sexdens rubropilosa and assessed their potential role in the attine ant-microbe symbiosis. Using culture-dependent techniques, we found yeasts to be abundant on the integuments of males (54.5 %, n = 200 alates). A total of 242 yeast strains were obtained representing six orders, ten genera and 25 species. Strains of Aureobasidium, Cryptococcus, Hannaella and Rhodotorula were prevalent on the integuments and likely originated from the fungus garden of the parental nest or from the soil. The majority of strains (87.1 %) produced at least one of the evaluated enzymes: pectinase, polygalacturonase, cellulase, xylanase, ligninases and lipase. Aureobasidium pullulans accounted for the highest number of strains that produced all enzymes. In addition, yeasts showed the ability to assimilate the resulting oligosaccharides, supporting observations of other studies that yeasts may be involved in the plant biomass metabolism in the fungus gardens. Because winged males harbor several yeasts with putative functional roles, these fungi may take part and be beneficial in the microbial consortia of the new incipient nest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvio Lovato Arcuri
- Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Campus Rio Claro, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
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Seal JN, Schiøtt M, Mueller UG. Ant-fungus species combinations engineer physiological activity of fungus gardens. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 217:2540-7. [PMID: 24803469 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.098483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Fungus-gardening insects are among the most complex organisms because of their extensive co-evolutionary histories with obligate fungal symbionts and other microbes. Some fungus-gardening insect lineages share fungal symbionts with other members of their lineage and thus exhibit diffuse co-evolutionary relationships, while others exhibit little or no symbiont sharing, resulting in host-fungus fidelity. The mechanisms that maintain this symbiont fidelity are currently unknown. Prior work suggested that derived leaf-cutting ants in the genus Atta interact synergistically with leaf-cutter fungi (Attamyces) by exhibiting higher fungal growth rates and enzymatic activities than when growing a fungus from the sister-clade to Attamyces (so-called 'Trachymyces'), grown primarily by the non-leaf cutting Trachymyrmex ants that form, correspondingly, the sister-clade to leaf-cutting ants. To elucidate the enzymatic bases of host-fungus specialization in leaf-cutting ants, we conducted a reciprocal fungus-switch experiment between the ant Atta texana and the ant Trachymyrmex arizonensis and report measured enzymatic activities of switched and sham-switched fungus gardens to digest starch, pectin, xylan, cellulose and casein. Gardens exhibited higher amylase and pectinase activities when A. texana ants cultivated Attamyces compared with Trachymyces fungi, consistent with enzymatic specialization. In contrast, gardens showed comparable amylase and pectinase activities when T. arizonensis cultivated either fungal species. Although gardens of leaf-cutting ants are not known to be significant metabolizers of cellulose, T. arizonensis were able to maintain gardens with significant cellulase activity when growing either fungal species. In contrast to carbohydrate metabolism, protease activity was significantly higher in Attamyces than in Trachymyces, regardless of the ant host. Activity of some enzymes employed by this symbiosis therefore arises from complex interactions between the ant host and the fungal symbiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- J N Seal
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd, Tyler, TX 75799, USA Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0930, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - M Schiøtt
- Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - U G Mueller
- Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0930, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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31
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Fitzpatrick BM, Allison AL. Similarity and differentiation between bacteria associated with skin of salamanders (Plethodon jordani) and free-living assemblages. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2014; 88:482-94. [DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Revised: 02/25/2014] [Accepted: 02/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Amanda L. Allison
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Tennessee; Knoxville TN USA
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32
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Attili-Angelis D, Duarte APM, Pagnocca FC, Nagamoto NS, de Vries M, Stielow JB, de Hoog GS. Novel Phialophora species from leaf-cutting ants (tribe Attini). FUNGAL DIVERS 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s13225-013-0275-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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McFrederick QS, Mueller UG, James RR. Interactions between fungi and bacteria influence microbial community structure in the Megachile rotundata larval gut. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20132653. [PMID: 24478297 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent declines in bee populations coupled with advances in DNA-sequencing technology have sparked a renaissance in studies of bee-associated microbes. Megachile rotundata is an important field crop pollinator, but is stricken by chalkbrood, a disease caused by the fungus Ascosphaera aggregata. To test the hypothesis that some gut microbes directly or indirectly affect the growth of others, we applied four treatments to the pollen provisions of M. rotundata eggs and young larvae: antibacterials, antifungals, A. aggregata spores and a no-treatment control. We allowed the larvae to develop, and then used 454 pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR (for A. aggregata) to investigate fungal and bacterial communities in the larval gut. Antifungals lowered A. aggregata abundance but increased the diversity of surviving fungi. This suggests that A. aggregata inhibits the growth of other fungi in the gut through chemical or competitive interaction. Bacterial richness decreased under the antifungal treatment, suggesting that changes in the fungal community caused changes in the bacterial community. We found no evidence that bacteria affect fungal communities. Lactobacillus kunkeei clade bacteria were common members of the larval gut microbiota and exhibited antibiotic resistance. Further research is needed to determine the effect of gut microbes on M. rotundata health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinn S McFrederick
- Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, , 2410 Speedway Drive #C0930, Austin, TX 78712, USA, USDA ARS Bee Biology & Systematics Laboratory, Utah State University, , Logan, UT 84322, USA
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34
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Chouvenc T, Efstathion CA, Elliott ML, Su NY. Extended disease resistance emerging from the faecal nest of a subterranean termite. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20131885. [PMID: 24048157 PMCID: PMC3779336 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.1885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Social insects nesting in soil environments are in constant contact with entomopathogens but have evolved a range of defence mechanisms, resulting in both individual and social immunity that reduce the chance for epizootics in the colony, as in the case of subterranean termites. Coptotermes formosanus uses its faeces as building material for its nest structure that result into a ‘carton material’, and here, we report that the faecal nest supports the growth of Actinobacteria which provide another level of protection to the social group against entomopathogens. A Streptomyces species with in vivo antimicrobial activity against fungal entomopathogens was isolated from the nest material of multiple termite colonies. Termite groups were exposed to Metarhizium anisopliae, a fungal entomopathogen, during their foraging activity and the presence of Streptomyces within the nest structure provided a significant survival benefit to the termites. Therefore, this report describes a non-nutritional exosymbiosis in a termite, in the form of a defensive mutualism which has emerged from the use of faecal material in the nesting structure of Coptotermes. The association with an Actinobacteria community in the termite faecal material provides an extended disease resistance to the termite group as another level of defence, in addition to their individual and social immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Chouvenc
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, , 3205 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA, Department of Plant Pathology, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, , 3205 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA
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35
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Hansen AK, Moran NA. The impact of microbial symbionts on host plant utilization by herbivorous insects. Mol Ecol 2013; 23:1473-1496. [PMID: 23952067 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 281] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2013] [Revised: 06/02/2013] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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36
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Instability of novel ant-fungal associations constrains horizontal exchange of fungal symbionts. Evol Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-013-9665-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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37
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Blatrix R, Debaud S, Salas-Lopez A, Born C, Benoit L, McKey DB, Attéké C, Djiéto-Lordon C. Repeated evolution of fungal cultivar specificity in independently evolved ant-plant-fungus symbioses. PLoS One 2013; 8:e68101. [PMID: 23935854 PMCID: PMC3723801 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2013] [Accepted: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Some tropical plant species possess hollow structures (domatia) occupied by ants that protect the plant and in some cases also provide it with nutrients. Most plant-ants tend patches of chaetothyrialean fungi within domatia. In a few systems it has been shown that the ants manure the fungal patches and use them as a food source, indicating agricultural practices. However, the identity of these fungi has been investigated only in a few samples. To examine the specificity and constancy of ant-plant-fungus interactions we characterised the content of fungal patches in an extensive sampling of three ant-plant symbioses (Petalomyrmex phylax/Leonardoxa africana subsp. africana, Aphomomyrmex afer/Leonardoxa africana subsp. letouzeyi and Tetraponera aethiops/Barteria fistulosa) by sequencing the Internal Transcribed Spacers of ribosomal DNA. For each system the content of fungal patches was constant over individuals and populations. Each symbiosis was associated with a specific, dominant, primary fungal taxon, and to a lesser extent, with one or two specific secondary taxa, all of the order Chaetothyriales. A single fungal patch sometimes contained both a primary and a secondary taxon. In one system, two founding queens were found with the primary fungal taxon only, one that was shown in a previous study to be consumed preferentially. Because the different ant-plant symbioses studied have evolved independently, the high specificity and constancy we observed in the composition of the fungal patches have evolved repeatedly. Specificity and constancy also characterize other cases of agriculture by insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rumsaïs Blatrix
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS/CIRAD-Bios/Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France.
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The bark beetle holobiont: why microbes matter. J Chem Ecol 2013; 39:989-1002. [PMID: 23846183 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-013-0318-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Revised: 06/19/2013] [Accepted: 06/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
All higher organisms are involved in symbioses with microbes. The importance of these partnerships has led to the concept of the holobiont, defined as the animal or plant with all its associated microbes. Indeed, the interactions between insects and symbionts form much of the basis for the success and diversity of this group of arthropods. Insects rely on microbes to perform basic life functions and to exploit resources and habitats. By "partnering" with microbes, insects access new genomic variation instantaneously allowing the exploitation of new adaptive zones, influencing not only outcomes in ecological time, but the degree of innovation and change that occurs over evolutionary time. In this review, I present a brief overview of the importance of insect-microbe holobionts to illustrate how critical an understanding of the holobiont is to understanding the insect host and it interactions with its environment. I then review what is known about the most influential insect holobionts in many forest ecosystems-bark beetles and their microbes-and how new approaches and technologies are allowing us to illuminate how these symbioses function. Finally, I discuss why it will be critical to study bark beetles as a holobiont to understand the ramifications and extent of anthropogenic change in forest ecosystems.
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Samuels RI, Mattoso TC, Moreira DDO. Chemical warfare: Leaf-cutting ants defend themselves and their gardens against parasite attack by deploying antibiotic secreting bacteria. Commun Integr Biol 2013; 6:e23095. [PMID: 23795235 PMCID: PMC3609840 DOI: 10.4161/cib.23095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2012] [Accepted: 12/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Leaf-cutting ants are well known for their highly complex social organization, which provides them with a strong defense against parasites invading their colonies. Besides this attribute, these insects have morphological, physiological and structural characteristics further reinforcing the defense of their colonies. With the discovery of symbiotic bacteria present on the integument of leaf-cutting ants, a new line of defense was proposed and considered to be specific for the control of a specialized fungal parasite of the ants' fungus gardens (Escovopsis). However, recent studies have questioned the specificity of the integumental bacteria, as they were also found to inhibit a range of fungi, including entomopathogens. The microbiota associated with the leaf-cutting ant gardens has also been proposed as another level of chemical defense, protecting the garden from parasite invasion. Here we review the chemical defense weaponry deployed by leaf-cutting ants against parasites of their fungus gardens and of the ants themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Ian Samuels
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology; Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro; Campos dos Goytacazes; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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40
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Rodrigues A, Passarini MRZ, Ferro M, Nagamoto NS, Forti LC, Bacci M, Sette LD, Pagnocca FC. Fungal communities in the garden chamber soils of leaf-cutting ants. J Basic Microbiol 2013; 54:1186-96. [PMID: 23681670 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.201200458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2012] [Accepted: 12/15/2012] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Leaf-cutting ants modify the properties of the soil adjacent to their nests. Here, we examined whether such an ant-altered environment impacts the belowground fungal communities. Fungal diversity and community structure of soil from the fungus garden chambers of Atta sexdens rubropilosa and Atta bisphaerica, two widespread leaf-cutting ants in Brazil, were determined and compared with non-nest soils. Culture-dependent methods revealed similar species richness but different community compositions between both types of soils. Penicillium janthinellum and Trichoderma spirale were the prevalent isolates in fungus chamber soils and non-nest soils, respectively. In contrast to cultivation methods, analyses of clone libraries based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region indicated that richness of operational taxonomic units significantly differed between soils of the fungus chamber and non-nest soils. FastUnifrac analyses based on ITS sequences further revealed a clear distinction in the community structure between both types of soils. Plectania milleri and an uncultured Clavariaceae fungus were prevalent in fungus chamber soils and non-nest soils, respectively. FastUnifrac analyses also revealed that fungal community structures of soil from the garden chambers markedly differed among ant species. Our findings suggest that leaf-cutting ants affect fungal communities in the soil from the fungus chamber in comparison to non-nest soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andre Rodrigues
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, UNESP - São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
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41
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Kellner K, Fernández-Marín H, Ishak HD, Sen R, Linksvayer TA, Mueller UG. Co-evolutionary patterns and diversification of ant-fungus associations in the asexual fungus-farming ant Mycocepurus smithii
in Panama. J Evol Biol 2013; 26:1353-62. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2012] [Revised: 01/30/2013] [Accepted: 02/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- K. Kellner
- Section of Integrative Biology; Patterson Laboratories; University of Texas at Austin; Austin TX USA
| | - H. Fernández-Marín
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Balboa Panamá
- Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología; Panamá Rep. de Panamá
| | - H. D. Ishak
- Section of Integrative Biology; Patterson Laboratories; University of Texas at Austin; Austin TX USA
| | - R. Sen
- Department of Entomology; Purdue University; West Lafayette IN USA
| | - T. A. Linksvayer
- Department of Biology; University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia PA USA
| | - U. G. Mueller
- Section of Integrative Biology; Patterson Laboratories; University of Texas at Austin; Austin TX USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Balboa Panamá
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42
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kaltenpoth
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology; Insect Symbiosis Research Group; Hans-Knoell-Str. 8 Jena 07745 Germany
| | - Tobias Engl
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology; Insect Symbiosis Research Group; Hans-Knoell-Str. 8 Jena 07745 Germany
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Hajek AE, Nielsen C, Kepler RM, Long SJ, Castrillo L. Fidelity among Sirex woodwasps and their fungal symbionts. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2013; 65:753-62. [PMID: 23532503 PMCID: PMC3622004 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-013-0218-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2012] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
We report that associations between mutualistic fungi and their economically and ecologically important woodwasp hosts are not always specific as was previously assumed. Woodwasps in the genus Sirex engage in obligate nutritional ectosymbioses with two species of Amylostereum, a homobasid\iomycete genus of white rot fungi. In the present study, the Amylostereum species and genotypes associated with three species of Sirex native to eastern North America and one relatively recent invasive Sirex from Europe were investigated by comparing intergenic spacer regions (IGS). Sirex spp. were sampled over 6 years from 23 sites in six US states, ranging from Maine in the northeast to Louisiana in the southeast, to obtain samples of Amylostereum from mycangia of adult females. Two of the native Sirex species (Sirex nigricornis and Sirex nitidus) were associated with either Amylostereum chailletii or Amylostereum areolatum, refuting the hypothesis of strict species-specific relationships. However, the invasive Sirex noctilio and the native Sirex cyaneus were each collected with only A. areolatum or A. chailletii, respectively, although S. noctilio was associated with two different IGS genotypes of A. areolatum and S. cyaneus occurs sympatrically with the other native Sirex. In Pinus, the preferred host tree of S. nigricornis and S. noctilio, these species co-occurred in 25.9 % of trees sampled, and horizontal transmission of fungal strains from S. noctilio to S. nigricornis was documented, although only in one tree. The extent that further spread and establishment of S. noctilio will alter the composition of symbionts carried by native Sirex is unknown but will depend in part on the degree of flexibility in these host-symbiont associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann E Hajek
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-2601, USA.
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Anti-Candida properties of urauchimycins from actinobacteria associated with trachymyrmex ants. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2013; 2013:835081. [PMID: 23586060 PMCID: PMC3613088 DOI: 10.1155/2013/835081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2012] [Revised: 01/29/2013] [Accepted: 02/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
After decades of intensive searching for antimicrobial compounds derived from actinobacteria, the frequency of isolation of new molecules has decreased. To cope with this concern, studies have focused on the exploitation of actinobacteria from unexplored environments and actinobacteria symbionts of plants and animals. In this study, twenty-four actinobacteria strains isolated from workers of Trachymyrmex ants were evaluated for antifungal activity towards a variety of Candida species. Results revealed that seven strains inhibited the tested Candida species. Streptomyces sp. TD025 presented potent and broad spectrum of inhibition of Candida and was selected for the isolation of bioactive molecules. From liquid shake culture of this bacterium, we isolated the rare antimycin urauchimycins A and B. For the first time, these molecules were evaluated for antifungal activity against medically important Candida species. Both antimycins showed antifungal activity, especially urauchimycin B. This compound inhibited the growth of all Candida species tested, with minimum inhibitory concentration values equivalent to the antifungal nystatin. Our results concur with the predictions that the attine ant-microbe symbiosis may be a source of bioactive metabolites for biotechnology and medical applications.
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Abstract
Associations with symbiotic organisms can serve as a strategy for social insects to resist pathogens. Antibiotics produced by attine ectosymbionts (Actinobacteria) suppress the growth of Escovopsis spp., the specialized parasite of attine fungus gardens. Our objective was to evaluate whether the presence or absence of symbiotic actinobacteria covering the whole ant cuticle is related to differential immunocompetence, respiratory rate and cuticular hydrocarbons (CHs). We evaluated these parameters in three worker groups of Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus: External workers (EXT), internal workers with actinobacteria covering the whole body (INB) and internal workers without actinobacteria covering the whole body (INØ). We also eliminated the actinobacteria by antibiotic treatment and examined worker encapsulation response. INB ants showed lower rates of encapsulation and respiration than did the EXT and INØ ants. The lower encapsulation rate did not seem to be a cost imposed by actinomycetes because the elimination of the actinomycetes did not increase the encapsulation rate. Instead, we propose that actinobacteria confer protection to young workers until the maturation of their immune system. Actinobacteria do not seem to change nestmate recognition in these colonies. Although it is known that actinobacteria have a specific action against Escovopsis spp., our studies, along with other independent studies, indicate that actinomycetes may also be important for the individual health of the workers.
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Scheuring I, Yu DW. How to assemble a beneficial microbiome in three easy steps. Ecol Lett 2012; 15:1300-1307. [PMID: 22913725 PMCID: PMC3507015 DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01853.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2012] [Revised: 05/14/2012] [Accepted: 07/24/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
There is great interest in explaining how beneficial microbiomes are assembled. Antibiotic-producing microbiomes are arguably the most abundant class of beneficial microbiome in nature, having been found on corals, arthropods, molluscs, vertebrates and plant rhizospheres. An exemplar is the attine ants, which cultivate a fungus for food and host a cuticular microbiome that releases antibiotics to defend the fungus from parasites. One explanation posits long-term vertical transmission of Pseudonocardia bacteria, which (somehow) evolve new compounds in arms-race fashion against parasites. Alternatively, attines (somehow) selectively recruit multiple, non-coevolved actinobacterial genera from the soil, enabling a 'multi-drug' strategy against parasites. We reconcile the models by showing that when hosts fuel interference competition by providing abundant resources, the interference competition favours the recruitment of antibiotic-producing (and -resistant) bacteria. This partner-choice mechanism is more effective when at least one actinobacterial symbiont is vertically transmitted or has a high immigration rate, as in disease-suppressive soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- István Scheuring
- Research Group in Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology, Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös University and HAS, Pázmány P. sétány 1/C, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Douglas W Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, 650223, China
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR47TJ, UK
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