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Klimek D, Herold M, Calusinska M. Comparative genomic analysis of Planctomycetota potential for polysaccharide degradation identifies biotechnologically relevant microbes. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:523. [PMID: 38802741 PMCID: PMC11131199 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10413-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Members of the Planctomycetota phylum harbour an outstanding potential for carbohydrate degradation given the abundance and diversity of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) encoded in their genomes. However, mainly members of the Planctomycetia class have been characterised up to now, and little is known about the degrading capacities of the other Planctomycetota. Here, we present a comprehensive comparative analysis of all available planctomycetotal genome representatives and detail encoded carbohydrolytic potential across phylogenetic groups and different habitats. RESULTS Our in-depth characterisation of the available planctomycetotal genomic resources increases our knowledge of the carbohydrolytic capacities of Planctomycetota. We show that this single phylum encompasses a wide variety of the currently known CAZyme diversity assigned to glycoside hydrolase families and that many members encode a versatile enzymatic machinery towards complex carbohydrate degradation, including lignocellulose. We highlight members of the Isosphaerales, Pirellulales, Sedimentisphaerales and Tepidisphaerales orders as having the highest encoded hydrolytic potential of the Planctomycetota. Furthermore, members of a yet uncultivated group affiliated to the Phycisphaerales order could represent an interesting source of novel lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases to boost lignocellulose degradation. Surprisingly, many Planctomycetota from anaerobic digestion reactors encode CAZymes targeting algal polysaccharides - this opens new perspectives for algal biomass valorisation in biogas processes. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides a new perspective on planctomycetotal carbohydrolytic potential, highlighting distinct phylogenetic groups which could provide a wealth of diverse, potentially novel CAZymes of industrial interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominika Klimek
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41 rue du Brill, Belvaux, L-4422, Luxembourg.
- The Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM), University of Luxembourg, 2 Avenue de l'Université, Esch-sur-Alzette, L-4365, Luxembourg.
| | - Malte Herold
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41 rue du Brill, Belvaux, L-4422, Luxembourg
| | - Magdalena Calusinska
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41 rue du Brill, Belvaux, L-4422, Luxembourg
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Xue Y, Li H, Kang X. Molecular unraveling of polysaccharide digestion in wood-feeding termites: A solid-state NMR perspective. Carbohydr Polym 2024; 331:121843. [PMID: 38388031 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.121843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Termites are among the most efficient organisms utilizing polysaccharides from wood and play a significant role in global carbon recycling, especially within tropical and subtropical ecosystems. Yet, the molecular details in polysaccharide degradation by termites remain largely unexplored. In this work, we have elucidated the shared and distinct molecular details in polysaccharides digestion by the higher termite Nasutitermes on poplar and the lower termite Cryptotermes on pine using high resolution solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. For the first time, structural polymers are partitioned into the minor mobile and dominant rigid phases for individual examination. The mobile polysaccharides receive less structural impacts and exhibit greater digestibility compared to the rigid counterparts. While both termites effectively degrade cellulose, Nasutitermes significantly outperforms Cryptotermes in hemicellulose breakdown. In the rigid phase, cellulose is comprehensively degraded into a fragmented and more dynamically consistent structure; As Nasutitermes breaks down hemicellulose in a similar manner to cellulose, Cryptotermes selectively digests hemicellulose at its interfaces with cellulose. Additionally, crystalline cellulose undergoes selective degradation, and the digestion of amorphous cellulose might involve sugar chain detachment within microfibrils. Overall, our findings offer significant advancements and fresh perspectives on the polysaccharide digestion strategies of different termite lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Xue
- Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Hongjie Li
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Key Laboratory of Biotechnology in Plant Protection of MARA and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Plant Virology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
| | - Xue Kang
- Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
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Yang S, Deng W, Li G, Jin L, Huang Y, He Y, Wu D, Li D, Zhang A, Liu C, Li C, Zhang H, Xu H, Penttinen P, Zhao K, Zou L. Reference gene catalog and metagenome-assembled genomes from the gut microbiome reveal the microbial composition, antibiotic resistome, and adaptability of a lignocellulose diet in the giant panda. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 245:118090. [PMID: 38163545 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.118090] [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: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The giant panda, a strict herbivore that feeds on bamboo, still retains a typical carnivorous digestive system. Reference catalogs of microbial genes and genomes are lacking, largely limiting the antibiotic resistome and functional exploration of the giant panda gut microbiome. Here, we integrated 177 fecal metagenomes of captive and wild giant pandas to construct a giant panda integrated gene catalog (GPIGC) comprised of approximately 4.5 million non-redundant genes and reconstruct 393 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). Taxonomic and functional characterization of genes revealed that the captivity of the giant panda significantly changed the core microbial composition and the distribution of microbial genes. Higher abundance and prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were detected in the guts of captive giant pandas, and ARG distribution was influenced by geography, for both captive and wild individuals. Escherichia, as the prevalent genus in the guts of captive giant pandas, was the main carrier of ARGs, meaning there is a high risk of ARG transmission by Escherichia. We also found that multiple mcr gene variants, conferring plasmid-mediated mobile colistin resistance, were widespread in the guts of captive and wild giant pandas. There were low proportions of carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) genes in GPIGC and MAGs compared with several omnivorous and herbivorous mammals. Many members of Clostridium MAGs were significantly enriched in the guts of adult, old and wild giant pandas. The genomes of isolates and MAGs of Clostridiaceae harbored key genes or enzymes in complete pathways for degrading lignocellulose and producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), indicating the potential of these bacteria to utilize the low-nutrient bamboo diet. Overall, our data presented an exhaustive reference gene catalog and MAGs in giant panda gut and provided a comprehensive understanding of the antibiotic resistome and microbial adaptability for a high-lignocellulose diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengzhi Yang
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, 625014, Sichuan, China
| | - Wenwen Deng
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China; Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA) on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), Chengdu, 610051, Sichuan, China
| | - Guo Li
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China; Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA) on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), Chengdu, 610051, Sichuan, China
| | - Lei Jin
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Yan Huang
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA) on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), Chengdu, 610051, Sichuan, China
| | - Yongguo He
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA) on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), Chengdu, 610051, Sichuan, China
| | - Daifu Wu
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA) on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), Chengdu, 610051, Sichuan, China
| | - Desheng Li
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA) on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), Chengdu, 610051, Sichuan, China
| | - Anyun Zhang
- College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Chengxi Liu
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Caiwu Li
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA) on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), Chengdu, 610051, Sichuan, China
| | - Hemin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration (SFGA) on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in the Giant Panda National Park, The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), Chengdu, 610051, Sichuan, China
| | - Huailiang Xu
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, 625014, Sichuan, China
| | - Petri Penttinen
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Ke Zhao
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China.
| | - Likou Zou
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China.
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Hui TKL, Lo ICN, Wong KKW, Tsang CTT, Tsang LM. Metagenomic analysis of gut microbiome illuminates the mechanisms and evolution of lignocellulose degradation in mangrove herbivorous crabs. BMC Microbiol 2024; 24:57. [PMID: 38350856 PMCID: PMC10863281 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-024-03209-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sesarmid crabs dominate mangrove habitats as the major primary consumers, which facilitates the trophic link and nutrient recycling in the ecosystem. Therefore, the adaptations and mechanisms of sesarmid crabs to herbivory are not only crucial to terrestrialization and its evolutionary success, but also to the healthy functioning of mangrove ecosystems. Although endogenous cellulase expressions were reported in crabs, it remains unknown if endogenous enzymes alone can complete the whole lignocellulolytic pathway, or if they also depend on the contribution from the intestinal microbiome. We attempt to investigate the role of gut symbiotic microbes of mangrove-feeding sesarmid crabs in plant digestion using a comparative metagenomic approach. RESULTS Metagenomics analyses on 43 crab gut samples from 23 species of mangrove crabs with different dietary preferences revealed a wide coverage of 127 CAZy families and nine KOs targeting lignocellulose and their derivatives in all species analyzed, including predominantly carnivorous species, suggesting the crab gut microbiomes have lignocellulolytic capacity regardless of dietary preference. Microbial cellulase, hemicellulase and pectinase genes in herbivorous and detritivorous crabs were differentially more abundant when compared to omnivorous and carnivorous crabs, indicating the importance of gut symbionts in lignocellulose degradation and the enrichment of lignocellulolytic microbes in response to diet with higher lignocellulose content. Herbivorous and detritivorous crabs showed highly similar CAZyme composition despite dissimilarities in taxonomic profiles observed in both groups, suggesting a stronger selection force on gut microbiota by functional capacity than by taxonomy. The gut microbiota in herbivorous sesarmid crabs were also enriched with nitrogen reduction and fixation genes, implying possible roles of gut microbiota in supplementing nitrogen that is deficient in plant diet. CONCLUSIONS Endosymbiotic microbes play an important role in lignocellulose degradation in most crab species. Their abundance is strongly correlated with dietary preference, and they are highly enriched in herbivorous sesarmids, thus enhancing their capacity in digesting mangrove leaves. Dietary preference is a stronger driver in determining the microbial CAZyme composition and taxonomic profile in the crab microbiome, resulting in functional redundancy of endosymbiotic microbes. Our results showed that crabs implement a mixed mode of digestion utilizing both endogenous and microbial enzymes in lignocellulose degradation, as observed in most of the more advanced herbivorous invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Kwok Lun Hui
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
| | - Irene Ching Nam Lo
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
| | - Karen Ka Wing Wong
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chandler Tsz To Tsang
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ling Ming Tsang
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
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Alom MS, Cen Y, Tang R, Chen D, Dou H, Mo Z, Du H. Change of termite hindgut metabolome and bacteria after captivity indicates the hindgut microbiota provides nutritional factors to the host. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 11:1228918. [PMID: 38288244 PMCID: PMC10823432 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1228918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
The gut-dwelling microbiota is an indispensable part of termites. It is influenced by a series of factors, such as diet and captivity. The objectives of this study were to study the metabolic functions of hindgut microbiota and to investigate the influence of captivity on the hindgut microbiota. The dampwood termite Hodotermopsis sjostedti was reared in the laboratory for 6 months. We conducted the metabolome analysis of the fat body from the freshly-collected workers (FBF), the hindgut fluid of the freshly-collected workers (HFF), and the hindgut fluid of laboratory-maintained workers. In addition, the 16S rRNA genes from the hindgut bacteria in the freshly-collected and laboratory-maintained workers were sequenced. According to our results, the concentrations of metabolites associated with amino acid biosynthesis, vitamin biosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis, and cofactor biosynthesis were higher in HFF compared with those in FBF, suggesting that the hindgut microbiota provides nutritional factors to the host. However, after captivity, the concentrations of metabolites in the hindgut associated with amino acid biosynthesis, nucleotide sugar metabolism, vitamin biosynthesis, and carbon metabolism decreased, while those associated with the steroid hormone biosynthesis and ovarian steroidogenesis increased. Meanwhile, the 16S amplicon study revealed that the abundance of certain bacteria changed after captivity, such as uncultured Termite Group 1 bacterium, Candidatus Symbiothrix dinenymphae, and unclassified Desulfovibrio. Our findings show that captivity influences the hindgut microbiota and shed light on the metabolic potential of the hindgut microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Most Shormi Alom
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yijing Cen
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rui Tang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dasong Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongliang Dou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization, Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhenzuan Mo
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - He Du
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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Wang S, Su M, Hu X, Wang X, Han Q, Yu Q, Heděnec P, Li H. Gut diazotrophs in lagomorphs are associated with season but not altitude and host phylogeny. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2024; 371:fnad135. [PMID: 38124623 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnad135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Invertebrates such as termites feeding on nutrient-poor substrate receive essential nitrogen by biological nitrogen fixation of gut diazotrophs. However, the diversity and composition of gut diazotrophs of vertebrates such as Plateau pikas living in nutrient-poor Qinghai-Tibet Plateau remain unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, we studied gut diazotrophs of Plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) and its related species, Daurian pikas (Ochotona daurica), Hares (Lepus europaeus) and Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) by high-throughput amplicon sequencing methods. We analyzed whether the gut diazotrophs of Plateau pikas are affected by season, altitude, and species, and explored the relationship between gut diazotrophs and whole gut microbiomes. Our study showed that Firmicutes, Spirochaetes, and Euryarchaeota were the dominant gut diazotrophs of Plateau pikas. The beta diversity of gut diazotrophs of Plateau pikas was significantly different from the other three lagomorphs, but the alpha diversity did not show a significant difference among the four lagomorphs. The gut diazotrophs of Plateau pikas were the most similarly to that of Rabbits, followed by Daurian pikas and Hares, which was inconsistent with gut microbiomes or animal phylogeny. The dominant gut diazotrophs of the four lagomorphs may reflect their living environment and dietary habits. Season significantly affected the alpha diversity and abundance of dominant gut diazotrophs. Altitude had no significant effect on the gut diazotrophs of Plateau pikas. In addition, the congruence between gut microbiomes and gut diazotrophs was low. Our results proved that the gut of Plateau pikas was rich in gut diazotrophs, which is of great significance for the study of ecology and evolution of lagomorphs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sijie Wang
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, 199 Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730000, China
| | - Ming Su
- Central South Inventory and Planning Institute of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, 143 Xiangzhang East Road, Changsha, Hunan Province 410014, China
| | - Xueqian Hu
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, 199 Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730000, China
| | - Xiaochen Wang
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, 199 Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730000, China
| | - Qian Han
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, 199 Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730000, China
| | - Qiaoling Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 768 Jiayuguan West Road, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730020, China
| | - Petr Heděnec
- Institute for Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, University Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu 21030, Malaysia
| | - Huan Li
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, 199 Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730000, China
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 768 Jiayuguan West Road, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730020, China
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Setia G, Chen J, Schlub R, Husseneder C. Taxonomic profiling of Nasutitermes takasagoensis microbiota to investigate the role of termites as vectors of bacteria linked to ironwood tree decline in Guam. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0296081. [PMID: 38134025 PMCID: PMC10745211 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The ironwood tree (Casuarina equisetifolia, family Casuarinaceae), an indigenous agroforestry species in Guam, has been threatened by ironwood tree decline (IWTD) since 2002. Formation of bacterial ooze by the wilt pathogen from the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex and wetwood bacteria (primarily Klebsiella species) has been linked to IWTD. In addition, termite infestation of trees was statistically associated with IWTD. Termites are known carriers of a diverse microbiome. Therefore, we hypothesized that termites could be vectors of bacteria linked to IWTD. To investigate the potential role of termites as pathogen vectors, we employed next-generation 16S rRNA gene sequencing to describe the bacteria diversity of Nasutitermes takasagoensis (Family Termitidae) workers collected from 42 ironwood trees of different disease stages in Guam in association with tree-, plot-, and location-related factors. Nasutitermes takasagoensis workers account for the majority of termite infestations of ironwood trees. The bacterial phyla composition of N. takasagoensis workers was typical for wood-feeding higher termites consisting mainly of Spirochaetes and Fibrobacteres. However, Ralstonia species were not detected and Klebsiella species were rare even in termites collected from trees infected with Ralstonia and wetwood bacteria. Feeding experiments suggested that termites prefer to consume wood with low pathogen content over wood with high pathogen load. Termites were able to ingest Ralstonia but Ralstonia could not establish itself in healthy termite bodies. We concluded that N. takasagoensis workers are not vectors for Ralstonia spp. or the bacterial endophytes associated with wetwood (Klebsiella, Pantoea, Enterobacter, Citrobacter, and Erwinia) that were previously observed in IWTD-infested trees. The bacterial diversity in termite samples was significantly influenced by various factors, including Tree Health, Site Management, Plot Average Decline Severity, Proportion of Dead Trees in the Plot, Proportion of Trees with Termite Damage in the Plot, Presence of Ralstonia, and Altitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garima Setia
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Junyan Chen
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Robert Schlub
- University of Guam, Cooperative Extension Service, Mangilao, Guam
| | - Claudia Husseneder
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
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Do TH, Dao TK, Nguyen HD, Truong NH. Understanding the Role of Free-Living Bacteria in the Gut of the Lower Termite Coptotermes gestroi Based on Metagenomic DNA Analysis. INSECTS 2023; 14:832. [PMID: 37999031 PMCID: PMC10671698 DOI: 10.3390/insects14110832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Termites' digestive systems, particularly in lower termites with the presence of protozoa, are unique ecological niches that shelter a diverse microbiota with a variety of functions for the host and the environment. In 2012, the metagenomic DNA (5.4 Gb) of the prokaryotes that freely live in the gut of the lower termite Coptotermes gestroi were sequenced. A total of 125,431 genes were predicted and analyzed in order to mine lignocellulolytic genes. however, the overall picture of the structure, diversity, and function of the prokaryotic gut microbiota was not investigated. In the present study, these 125,431 genes were taxonomically classified by MEGAN and functionally annotated by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and by the Carbohydrate-Active enZYmes (CAZy) and HMMER databases. As a result, 95,751 bacterial genes were classified into 35 phyla. The structure of the bacteria, typified by a high ratio of Firmicutes to Bacterioidetes, was distinct from the structure of the entirety of the bacteria in the lower or higher termites' guts. The archaea (533 genes) were distributed into 4 phyla, 10 classes, 15 orders, 21 families, 47 genera, and 61 species. Although freely living in the guts, the prokaryotic community was formed, developed, and adapted to exhibit unique interactions in order to perform mutual roles of benefit to their hosts. Methanobacteriales, accounting for 61% of the archaea symbionts, seem to play an important role in methanogenesis. Concomitantly, bacterial methanotrophs in the gut utilize methane and combine with other bacterial groups, including potential lignocellulolytic degraders, acetogens, sulfur bacteria, and nitrogen-recycling bacteria, to efficiently convert wood with little nitrogen into acetates via certain pathway modules specified by prokaryotes that freely live in the gut. This forms an important energy source for the termites. Furthermore, bacteria carry 2223 genes involved in the biosynthesis of 17 antibiotic groups. The gut bacteria also possess genes for the degradation of 18 toxic aromatic compounds, of which four are commercial pesticides against termites commonly used for the preservation of wooden constructions. Eight of the eighteen pathways were the first to be reported from the termite gut. Overall, this study sheds light on the roles of the freely living bacteria and archaea in the C. gestroi gut, providing evidence that the gut microbiome acts as the second host genome, contributing both nutrients and immunity to support the host's existence, growth, and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi Huyen Do
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18-Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi 10000, Vietnam; (T.K.D.); (H.D.N.); (N.H.T.)
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18-Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi 10000, Vietnam
| | - Trong Khoa Dao
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18-Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi 10000, Vietnam; (T.K.D.); (H.D.N.); (N.H.T.)
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18-Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi 10000, Vietnam
| | - Hong Duong Nguyen
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18-Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi 10000, Vietnam; (T.K.D.); (H.D.N.); (N.H.T.)
| | - Nam Hai Truong
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18-Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi 10000, Vietnam; (T.K.D.); (H.D.N.); (N.H.T.)
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18-Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi 10000, Vietnam
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Béchade B, Cabuslay CS, Hu Y, Mendonca CM, Hassanpour B, Lin JY, Su Y, Fiers VJ, Anandarajan D, Lu R, Olson CJ, Duplais C, Rosen GL, Moreau CS, Aristilde L, Wertz JT, Russell JA. Physiological and evolutionary contexts of a new symbiotic species from the nitrogen-recycling gut community of turtle ants. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:1751-1764. [PMID: 37558860 PMCID: PMC10504363 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01490-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
While genome sequencing has expanded our knowledge of symbiosis, role assignment within multi-species microbiomes remains challenging due to genomic redundancy and the uncertainties of in vivo impacts. We address such questions, here, for a specialized nitrogen (N) recycling microbiome of turtle ants, describing a new genus and species of gut symbiont-Ischyrobacter davidsoniae (Betaproteobacteria: Burkholderiales: Alcaligenaceae)-and its in vivo physiological context. A re-analysis of amplicon sequencing data, with precisely assigned Ischyrobacter reads, revealed a seemingly ubiquitous distribution across the turtle ant genus Cephalotes, suggesting ≥50 million years since domestication. Through new genome sequencing, we also show that divergent I. davidsoniae lineages are conserved in their uricolytic and urea-generating capacities. With phylogenetically refined definitions of Ischyrobacter and separately domesticated Burkholderiales symbionts, our FISH microscopy revealed a distinct niche for I. davidsoniae, with dense populations at the anterior ileum. Being positioned at the site of host N-waste delivery, in vivo metatranscriptomics and metabolomics further implicate I. davidsoniae within a symbiont-autonomous N-recycling pathway. While encoding much of this pathway, I. davidsoniae expressed only a subset of the requisite steps in mature adult workers, including the penultimate step deriving urea from allantoate. The remaining steps were expressed by other specialized gut symbionts. Collectively, this assemblage converts inosine, made from midgut symbionts, into urea and ammonia in the hindgut. With urea supporting host amino acid budgets and cuticle synthesis, and with the ancient nature of other active N-recyclers discovered here, I. davidsoniae emerges as a central player in a conserved and impactful, multipartite symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoît Béchade
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Christian S Cabuslay
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Yi Hu
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology and Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, 100875, Beijing, China
| | - Caroll M Mendonca
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Bahareh Hassanpour
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Jonathan Y Lin
- Department of Biology, Calvin University, 1726 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49546-4402, USA
| | - Yangzhou Su
- Department of Biology, Calvin University, 1726 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49546-4402, USA
| | - Valerie J Fiers
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Dharman Anandarajan
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Richard Lu
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Chandler J Olson
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, 1325 Hackberry Ln, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Christophe Duplais
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Cornell AgriTech, Geneva, NY, 14456, USA
| | - Gail L Rosen
- Ecological and Evolutionary Signal-Processing and Informatics Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Corrie S Moreau
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Cornell AgriTech, Geneva, NY, 14456, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Ludmilla Aristilde
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - John T Wertz
- Department of Biology, Calvin University, 1726 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49546-4402, USA
| | - Jacob A Russell
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3245 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
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10
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Chakraborty A, Šobotník J, Votýpková K, Hradecký J, Stiblik P, Synek J, Bourguignon T, Baldrian P, Engel MS, Novotný V, Odriozola I, Větrovský T. Impact of Wood Age on Termite Microbial Assemblages. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0036123. [PMID: 37067424 PMCID: PMC10231148 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00361-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The decomposition of wood and detritus is challenging to most macroscopic organisms due to the recalcitrant nature of lignocellulose. Moreover, woody plants often protect themselves by synthesizing toxic or nocent compounds which infuse their tissues. Termites are essential wood decomposers in warmer terrestrial ecosystems and, as such, they have to cope with high concentrations of plant toxins in wood. In this paper, we evaluated the influence of wood age on the gut microbial (bacterial and fungal) communities associated with the termites Reticulitermes flavipes (Rhinotermitidae) (Kollar, 1837) and Microcerotermes biroi (Termitidae) (Desneux, 1905). We confirmed that the secondary metabolite concentration decreased with wood age. We identified a core microbial consortium maintained in the gut of R. flavipes and M. biroi and found that its diversity and composition were not altered by the wood age. Therefore, the concentration of secondary metabolites had no effect on the termite gut microbiome. We also found that both termite feeding activities and wood age affect the wood microbiome. Whether the increasing relative abundance of microbes with termite activities is beneficial to the termites is unknown and remains to be investigated. IMPORTANCE Termites can feed on wood thanks to their association with their gut microbes. However, the current understanding of termites as holobiont is limited. To our knowledge, no studies comprehensively reveal the influence of wood age on the termite-associated microbial assemblage. The wood of many tree species contains high concentrations of plant toxins that can vary with their age and may influence microbes. Here, we studied the impact of Norway spruce wood of varying ages and terpene concentrations on the microbial communities associated with the termites Reticulitermes flavipes (Rhinotermitidae) and Microcerotermes biroi (Termitidae). We performed a bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS2 metabarcoding study to reveal the microbial communities associated with R. flavipes and M. biroi and their impact on shaping the wood microbiome. We noted that a stable core microbiome in the termites was unaltered by the feeding substrate, while termite activities influenced the wood microbiome, suggesting that plant secondary metabolites have negligible effects on the termite gut microbiome. Hence, our study shed new insights into the termite-associated microbial assemblage under the influence of varying amounts of terpene content in wood and provides a groundwork for future investigations for developing symbiont-mediated termite control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Chakraborty
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Votýpková
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jaromír Hradecký
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Stiblik
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Synek
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Bourguignon
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Petr Baldrian
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michael S. Engel
- American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Vojtěch Novotný
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Iñaki Odriozola
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Větrovský
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
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11
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Xie J, Cai Z, Zheng W, Zhang H. Integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression profiles in response to gut microbiota depletion in the abdomens of female Bactrocera dorsalis. INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 30:443-458. [PMID: 35751912 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13091] [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: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Insect gut microbiota has been reported to participate in regulating host multiple biological processes including metabolism and reproduction. However, the corresponding molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Recent studies suggest that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in complex interactions between the gut microbiota and the host. Here, we used next-generation sequencing technology to characterize miRNA and mRNA expression profiles and construct the miRNA-gene regulatory network in response to gut microbiota depletion in the abdomens of female Bactrocera dorsalis. A total of 3016 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 18 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were identified. Based on the integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNA sequencing data, 229 negatively correlated miRNA-gene pairs were identified from the miRNA-mRNA network. Gene ontology enrichment analysis indicated that DEMs could target several genes involved in the metabolic process, oxidation-reduction process, oogenesis, and insulin signaling pathway. Finally, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction further verified the accuracy of RNA sequencing results. In conclusion, our study provides the profiles of miRNA and mRNA expressions under antibiotics treatment and provides an insight into the roles of miRNAs and their target genes in the interaction between the gut microbiota and its host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junfei Xie
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Zhaohui Cai
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Wenping Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Hongyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
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12
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Marynowska M, Sillam-Dussès D, Untereiner B, Klimek D, Goux X, Gawron P, Roisin Y, Delfosse P, Calusinska M. A holobiont approach towards polysaccharide degradation by the highly compartmentalised gut system of the soil-feeding higher termite Labiotermes labralis. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:115. [PMID: 36922761 PMCID: PMC10018900 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09224-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Termites are among the most successful insects on Earth and can feed on a broad range of organic matter at various stages of decomposition. The termite gut system is often referred to as a micro-reactor and is a complex structure consisting of several components. It includes the host, its gut microbiome and fungal gardens, in the case of fungi-growing higher termites. The digestive tract of soil-feeding higher termites is characterised by radial and axial gradients of physicochemical parameters (e.g. pH, O2 and H2 partial pressure), and also differs in the density and structure of residing microbial communities. Although soil-feeding termites account for 60% of the known termite species, their biomass degradation strategies are far less known compared to their wood-feeding counterparts. RESULTS In this work, we applied an integrative multi-omics approach for the first time at the holobiont level to study the highly compartmentalised gut system of the soil-feeding higher termite Labiotermes labralis. We relied on 16S rRNA gene community profiling, metagenomics and (meta)transcriptomics to uncover the distribution of functional roles, in particular those related to carbohydrate hydrolysis, across different gut compartments and among the members of the bacterial community and the host itself. We showed that the Labiotermes gut was dominated by members of the Firmicutes phylum, whose abundance gradually decreased towards the posterior segments of the hindgut, in favour of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. Contrary to expectations, we observed that L. labralis gut microbes expressed a high diversity of carbohydrate active enzymes involved in cellulose and hemicelluloses degradation, making the soil-feeding termite gut a unique reservoir of lignocellulolytic enzymes with considerable biotechnological potential. We also evidenced that the host cellulases have different phylogenetic origins and structures, which is possibly translated into their different specificities towards cellulose. From an ecological perspective, we could speculate that the capacity to feed on distinct polymorphs of cellulose retained in soil might have enabled this termite species to widely colonise the different habitats of the Amazon basin. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides interesting insights into the distribution of the hydrolytic potential of the highly compartmentalised higher termite gut. The large number of expressed enzymes targeting the different lignocellulose components make the Labiotermes worker gut a relevant lignocellulose-valorising model to mimic by biomass conversion industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martyna Marynowska
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 41 Rue du Brill, L-4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg.,Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 50 Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - David Sillam-Dussès
- University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, LEEC, UR 4443, F-93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Boris Untereiner
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 41 Rue du Brill, L-4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Dominika Klimek
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 41 Rue du Brill, L-4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Xavier Goux
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 41 Rue du Brill, L-4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Piotr Gawron
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, 6 Avenue du Swing, L-4367, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Yves Roisin
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 50 Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Philippe Delfosse
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 41 Rue du Brill, L-4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg.,Vice-Rectorate for Research, University of Luxembourg, 2 Avenue Des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4365, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Magdalena Calusinska
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 41 Rue du Brill, L-4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg.
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13
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Al-Tohamy R, Ali SS, Zhang M, Sameh M, Mahmoud YAG, Waleed N, Okasha KM, Sun S, Sun J. Can wood-feeding termites solve the environmental bottleneck caused by plastics? A critical state-of-the-art review. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 326:116606. [PMID: 36403319 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The abundance of synthetic polymers has become an ever-increasing environmental threat in the world. The excessive utilization of plastics leads to the accumulation of such recalcitrant pollutants in the environment. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, face masks, and gloves made up of single-use items has resulted in the massive generation of plastic biomedical waste. As secondary pollutants, microplastic particles (<5 mm) are derived from pellet loss and degradation of macroplastics. Therefore, urgent intervention is required for the management of these hazardous materials. Physicochemical approaches have been employed to degrade synthetic polymers, but these approaches have limited efficiency and cause the release of hazardous metabolites or by-products into the environment. Therefore, bioremediation is a proper option as it is both cost-efficient and environmentally friendly. On the other hand, plants evolved lignocellulose to be resistant to destruction, whereas insects, such as wood-feeding termites, possess diverse microorganisms in their guts, which confer physiological and ecological benefits to their host. Plastic and lignocellulose polymers share a number of physical and chemical properties, despite their structural and recalcitrance differences. Among these similarities are a hydrophobic nature, a carbon skeleton, and amorphous/crystalline regions. Compared with herbivorous mammals, lignocellulose digestion in termites is accomplished at ordinary temperatures. This unique characteristic has been of great interest for the development of a plastic biodegradation approach by termites and their gut symbionts. Therefore, transferring knowledge from research on lignocellulosic degradation by termites and their gut symbionts to that on synthetic polymers has become a new research hotspot and technological development direction to solve the environmental bottleneck caused by synthetic plastic polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rania Al-Tohamy
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environmnt and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Sameh S Ali
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environmnt and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China; Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527, Egypt.
| | - Meng Zhang
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environmnt and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Mariam Sameh
- Clinical Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, The British University in Egypt, El-Sherouk City, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Yehia A-G Mahmoud
- Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527, Egypt
| | - Nadeen Waleed
- Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527, Egypt
| | - Kamal M Okasha
- Internal Medicine and Nephrology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527, Egypt
| | - Sarina Sun
- Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Jianzhong Sun
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environmnt and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China.
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Kumar V, Tyagi I, Patidar A, Singha D, Tyagi K. Gut bacterial diversity on the basis of feeding behaviour in different species of thrips (Thysanoptera). JOURNAL OF TAIBAH UNIVERSITY FOR SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/16583655.2022.2123208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Kumar
- Centre for DNA Taxonomy, Molecular Systematics Division, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India
| | - Inderjeet Tyagi
- Centre for DNA Taxonomy, Molecular Systematics Division, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India
| | - Abhishek Patidar
- Centre for DNA Taxonomy, Molecular Systematics Division, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Devkant Singha
- Centre for DNA Taxonomy, Molecular Systematics Division, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India
| | - Kaomud Tyagi
- Centre for DNA Taxonomy, Molecular Systematics Division, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India
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15
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Tadrent N, Dedeine F, Hervé V. SnakeMAGs: a simple, efficient, flexible and scalable workflow to reconstruct prokaryotic genomes from metagenomes. F1000Res 2022; 11:1522. [PMID: 36875992 PMCID: PMC9978240 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.128091.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Over the last decade, we have observed in microbial ecology a transition from gene-centric to genome-centric analyses. Indeed, the advent of metagenomics combined with binning methods, single-cell genome sequencing as well as high-throughput cultivation methods have contributed to the continuing and exponential increase of available prokaryotic genomes, which in turn has favored the exploration of microbial metabolisms. In the case of metagenomics, data processing, from raw reads to genome reconstruction, involves various steps and software which can represent a major technical obstacle. Methods: To overcome this challenge, we developed SnakeMAGs, a simple workflow that can process Illumina data, from raw reads to metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) classification and relative abundance estimate. It integrates state-of-the-art bioinformatic tools to sequentially perform: quality control of the reads (illumina-utils, Trimmomatic), host sequence removal (optional step, using Bowtie2), assembly (MEGAHIT), binning (MetaBAT2), quality filtering of the bins (CheckM, GUNC), classification of the MAGs (GTDB-Tk) and estimate of their relative abundance (CoverM). Developed with the popular Snakemake workflow management system, it can be deployed on various architectures, from single to multicore and from workstation to computer clusters and grids. It is also flexible since users can easily change parameters and/or add new rules. Results: Using termite gut metagenomic datasets, we showed that SnakeMAGs is slower but allowed the recovery of more MAGs encompassing more diverse phyla compared to another similar workflow named ATLAS. Importantly, these additional MAGs showed no significant difference compared to the other ones in terms of completeness, contamination, genome size nor relative abundance. Conclusions: Overall, it should make the reconstruction of MAGs more accessible to microbiologists. SnakeMAGs as well as test files and an extended tutorial are available at https://github.com/Nachida08/SnakeMAGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nachida Tadrent
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRS-Université de Tours, Tours, 37200, France
| | - Franck Dedeine
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRS-Université de Tours, Tours, 37200, France
| | - Vincent Hervé
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRS-Université de Tours, Tours, 37200, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR SayFood, Palaiseau, 91120, France
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16
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Tadrent N, Dedeine F, Hervé V. SnakeMAGs: a simple, efficient, flexible and scalable workflow to reconstruct prokaryotic genomes from metagenomes. F1000Res 2022; 11:1522. [PMID: 36875992 PMCID: PMC9978240 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.128091.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Over the last decade, we have observed in microbial ecology a transition from gene-centric to genome-centric analyses. Indeed, the advent of metagenomics combined with binning methods, single-cell genome sequencing as well as high-throughput cultivation methods have contributed to the continuing and exponential increase of available prokaryotic genomes, which in turn has favored the exploration of microbial metabolisms. In the case of metagenomics, data processing, from raw reads to genome reconstruction, involves various steps and software which can represent a major technical obstacle. Methods: To overcome this challenge, we developed SnakeMAGs, a simple workflow that can process Illumina data, from raw reads to metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) classification and relative abundance estimate. It integrates state-of-the-art bioinformatic tools to sequentially perform: quality control of the reads (illumina-utils, Trimmomatic), host sequence removal (optional step, using Bowtie2), assembly (MEGAHIT), binning (MetaBAT2), quality filtering of the bins (CheckM), classification of the MAGs (GTDB-Tk) and estimate of their relative abundance (CoverM). Developed with the popular Snakemake workflow management system, it can be deployed on various architectures, from single to multicore and from workstation to computer clusters and grids. It is also flexible since users can easily change parameters and/or add new rules. Results: Using termite gut metagenomic datasets, we showed that SnakeMAGs is slower but allowed the recovery of more MAGs encompassing more diverse phyla compared to another similar workflow named ATLAS. Conclusions: Overall, it should make the reconstruction of MAGs more accessible to microbiologists. SnakeMAGs as well as test files and an extended tutorial are available at https://github.com/Nachida08/SnakeMAGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nachida Tadrent
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRS-Université de Tours, Tours, 37200, France
| | - Franck Dedeine
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRS-Université de Tours, Tours, 37200, France
| | - Vincent Hervé
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRS-Université de Tours, Tours, 37200, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR SayFood, Palaiseau, 91120, France
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17
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Ling Y, Li WJ, Li FF, Xue XB, Gao YY, Wang L, Liang K, Li XJ. Microbial gut diversity in four grasshopper species and its correlation with cellulose digestibility. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1002532. [PMID: 36439812 PMCID: PMC9684308 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1002532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Grasshoppers are common pests, and their intestinal microbes have coevolved with them. These microorganisms have varied community structures, and they participate in the nutritional absorption and metabolism of grasshoppers. Here, we describe the gut microbiota diversity of four species of grasshoppers, Oxya chinensis, Pararcyptera microptera meridionalis, Gastrimargus marmoratus, and Calliptamus abbreviatus. We constructed a 16S rDNA gene library and analyzed the digestibility of cellulose and hemicellulose in grasshoppers using moss black phenol and anthrone colorimetry. The grasshopper with the highest microbial diversity in the gut among the four species was Oxya chinensis, and there were no significant differences in gut microbial diversity between the two geographic collections of Oxya chinensis. The most dominant phyla of the four grasshopper gut microorganisms were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes, and the most dominant genus was Enterobacter. The gut microbiota features of the four grasshoppers were correlated with their cellulose and hemicellulose digestibility. There was a significant positive correlation with cellulose digestibility for Pantoea. A significant negative correlation was found with cellulose digestibility for Acinetobacter, Enterococcus, Citrobacter, Serratia. A significant negative correlation was found with hemicellulose digestibility for Pantoea. This study contributes to the understanding of the structural composition of different species of grasshoppers gut microbiota, which may be useful for developing grasshopper digestive tracts as bioreactors for cellulose decomposition, improving the decomposition and utilization of agricultural straw, producing clean biomass energy, and processing biologically derived products.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Xin-Jiang Li
- The Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Life Sciences and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, China
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18
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Chettri D, Nad S, Konar U, Verma AK. CAZyme from gut microbiome for efficient lignocellulose degradation and biofuel production. FRONTIERS IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fceng.2022.1054242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Over-exploitation and energy security concerns of the diminishing fossil fuels is a challenge to the present global economy. Further, the negative impact of greenhouse gases released using conventional fuels has led to the need for searching for alternative biofuel sources with biomass in the form of lignocellulose coming up as among the potent candidates. The entrapped carbon source of the lignocellulose has multiple applications other than biofuel generation under the biorefinery approach. However, the major bottleneck in using lignocellulose for biofuel production is its recalcitrant nature. Carbohydrate Active Enzymes (CAZymes) are enzymes that are employed for the disintegration and consumption of lignocellulose biomass as the carbon source for the production of biofuels and bio-derivatives. However, the cost of enzyme production and their stability and catalytic efficiency under stressed conditions is a concern that hinders large-scale biofuel production and utilization. Search for novel CAZymes with superior activity and stability under industrial condition has become a major research focus in this area considering the fact that the most conventional CAZymes has low commercial viability. The gut of plant-eating herbivores and other organisms is a potential source of CAZyme with high efficiency. The review explores the potential of the gut microbiome of various organisms in the production of an efficient CAZyme system and the challenges in using the biofuels produced through this approach as an alternative to conventional biofuels.
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19
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Adaptation of gut microbiome and host metabolic systems to lignocellulosic degradation in bamboo rats. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:1980-1992. [PMID: 35568757 PMCID: PMC9107070 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01247-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Bamboo rats (Rhizomys pruinosus) are among the few mammals that lives on a bamboo-based diet which is mainly composed of lignocellulose. However, the mechanisms of adaptation of their gut microbiome and metabolic systems in the degradation of lignocellulose are largely unknown. Here, we conducted a multi-omics analysis on bamboo rats to investigate the interaction between their gut microbiomes and metabolic systems in the pre- and post-weaning periods, and observed significant relationships between dietary types, gut microbiome, serum metabolome and host gene expression. For comparison, published gut microbial data from the famous bamboo-eating giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) were also used for analysis. We found that the adaptation of the gut microbiome of the bamboo rat to a lignocellulose diet is related to a member switch in the order Bacteroidales from family Bacteroidaceae to family Muribaculaceae, while for the famous bamboo-eating giant panda, several aerobes and facultative anaerobes increase after weaning. The conversion of bacteria with an increased relative abundance in bamboo rats after weaning enriched diverse carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) associated with lignocellulose degradation and functionally enhanced the biosynthesis of amino acids and B vitamins. Meanwhile, the circulating concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) derived metabolites and the metabolic capacity of linoleic acid in the host were significantly elevated. Our findings suggest that fatty acid metabolism, including linoleic acid and SCFAs, are the main energy sources for bamboo rats in response to the low-nutrient bamboo diet.
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20
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Franco Cairo JPL, Mandelli F, Tramontina R, Cannella D, Paradisi A, Ciano L, Ferreira MR, Liberato MV, Brenelli LB, Gonçalves TA, Rodrigues GN, Alvarez TM, Mofatto LS, Carazzolle MF, Pradella JGC, Paes Leme AF, Costa-Leonardo AM, Oliveira-Neto M, Damasio A, Davies GJ, Felby C, Walton PH, Squina FM. Oxidative cleavage of polysaccharides by a termite-derived superoxide dismutase boosts the degradation of biomass by glycoside hydrolases. GREEN CHEMISTRY : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL AND GREEN CHEMISTRY RESOURCE : GC 2022; 24:4845-4858. [PMID: 35813357 PMCID: PMC9208272 DOI: 10.1039/d1gc04519a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Wood-feeding termites effectively degrade plant biomass through enzymatic degradation. Despite their high efficiencies, however, individual glycoside hydrolases isolated from termites and their symbionts exhibit anomalously low effectiveness in lignocellulose degradation, suggesting hereto unknown enzymatic activities in their digestome. Herein, we demonstrate that an ancient redox-active enzyme encoded by the lower termite Coptotermes gestroi, a Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (CgSOD-1), plays a previously unknown role in plant biomass degradation. We show that CgSOD-1 transcripts and peptides are up-regulated in response to an increased level of lignocellulose recalcitrance and that CgSOD-1 localizes in the lumen of the fore- and midguts of C. gestroi together with termite main cellulase, CgEG-1-GH9. CgSOD-1 boosts the saccharification of polysaccharides by CgEG-1-GH9. We show that the boosting effect of CgSOD-1 involves an oxidative mechanism of action in which CgSOD-1 generates reactive oxygen species that subsequently cleave the polysaccharide. SOD-type enzymes constitute a new addition to the growing family of oxidases, ones which are up-regulated when exposed to recalcitrant polysaccharides, and that are used by Nature for biomass degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Paulo L Franco Cairo
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Campinas São Paulo Brazil
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen Rolighedsvej 23 DK-1958 Frederiksberg C Denmark
- Department of Chemistry, University of York York YO10 5DD UK
| | - Fernanda Mandelli
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Robson Tramontina
- Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais da Universidade de Sorocaba (UNISO) Sorocaba SP Brazil
| | - David Cannella
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen Rolighedsvej 23 DK-1958 Frederiksberg C Denmark
| | | | - Luisa Ciano
- Department of Chemistry, University of York York YO10 5DD UK
| | - Marcel R Ferreira
- Departamento de Física e Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP Botucatu São Paulo Brasil
| | - Marcelo V Liberato
- Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais da Universidade de Sorocaba (UNISO) Sorocaba SP Brazil
| | - Lívia B Brenelli
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen Rolighedsvej 23 DK-1958 Frederiksberg C Denmark
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Thiago A Gonçalves
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Gisele N Rodrigues
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Thabata M Alvarez
- Programa de Mestrado e Doutorado em Biotecnologia Industrial, Universidade Positivo Curitiba PR Brasil
| | - Luciana S Mofatto
- Laboratório de Genômica e Expressão, Departamento de Genética, Evolução e Bioagentes, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade de Campinas, UNICAMP Campinas São Paulo Brasil
| | - Marcelo F Carazzolle
- Laboratório de Genômica e Expressão, Departamento de Genética, Evolução e Bioagentes, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade de Campinas, UNICAMP Campinas São Paulo Brasil
| | - José G C Pradella
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Adriana F Paes Leme
- Laboratório Nacional de Biociências (LNBio) do Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM) Campinas São Paulo Brasil
| | - Ana M Costa-Leonardo
- Laboratório de Cupins, Departamento de Biologia Geral e Aplicada, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP Rio Claro São Paulo Brasil
| | - Mário Oliveira-Neto
- Departamento de Física e Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP Botucatu São Paulo Brasil
| | - André Damasio
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Gideon J Davies
- Department of Chemistry, University of York York YO10 5DD UK
| | - Claus Felby
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen Rolighedsvej 23 DK-1958 Frederiksberg C Denmark
| | - Paul H Walton
- Department of Chemistry, University of York York YO10 5DD UK
| | - Fabio M Squina
- Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais da Universidade de Sorocaba (UNISO) Sorocaba SP Brazil
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21
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Béchade B, Hu Y, Sanders JG, Cabuslay CS, Łukasik P, Williams BR, Fiers VJ, Lu R, Wertz JT, Russell JA. Turtle ants harbor metabolically versatile microbiomes with conserved functions across development and phylogeny. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6602351. [PMID: 35660864 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Gut bacterial symbionts can support animal nutrition by facilitating digestion and providing valuable metabolites. However, changes in symbiotic roles between immature and adult stages are not well documented, especially in ants. Here, we explored the metabolic capabilities of microbiomes sampled from herbivorous turtle ant (Cephalotes sp.) larvae and adult workers through (meta)genomic screening and in vitro metabolic assays. We reveal that larval guts harbor bacterial symbionts with impressive metabolic capabilities, including catabolism of plant and fungal recalcitrant dietary fibers and energy-generating fermentation. Additionally, several members of the specialized adult gut microbiome, sampled downstream of an anatomical barrier that dams large food particles, show a conserved potential to depolymerize many dietary fibers. Symbionts from both life stages have the genomic capacity to recycle nitrogen and synthesize amino acids and B-vitamins. With help of their gut symbionts, including several bacteria likely acquired from the environment, turtle ant larvae may aid colony digestion and contribute to colony-wide nitrogen, B-vitamin and energy budgets. In addition, the conserved nature of the digestive capacities among adult-associated symbionts suggests that nutritional ecology of turtle ant colonies has long been shaped by specialized, behaviorally-transferred gut bacteria with over 45 million years of residency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoît Béchade
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Yi Hu
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.,State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology and Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jon G Sanders
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Christian S Cabuslay
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Piotr Łukasik
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Bethany R Williams
- Department of Biology, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Valerie J Fiers
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Richard Lu
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - John T Wertz
- Department of Biology, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Jacob A Russell
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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22
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Arora J, Kinjo Y, Šobotník J, Buček A, Clitheroe C, Stiblik P, Roisin Y, Žifčáková L, Park YC, Kim KY, Sillam-Dussès D, Hervé V, Lo N, Tokuda G, Brune A, Bourguignon T. The functional evolution of termite gut microbiota. MICROBIOME 2022; 10:78. [PMID: 35624491 PMCID: PMC9137090 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-022-01258-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Termites primarily feed on lignocellulose or soil in association with specific gut microbes. The functioning of the termite gut microbiota is partly understood in a handful of wood-feeding pest species but remains largely unknown in other taxa. We intend to fill this gap and provide a global understanding of the functional evolution of termite gut microbiota. RESULTS We sequenced the gut metagenomes of 145 samples representative of the termite diversity. We show that the prokaryotic fraction of the gut microbiota of all termites possesses similar genes for carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolisms, in proportions varying with termite phylogenetic position and diet. The presence of a conserved set of gut prokaryotic genes implies that essential nutritional functions were present in the ancestor of modern termites. Furthermore, the abundance of these genes largely correlated with the host phylogeny. Finally, we found that the adaptation to a diet of soil by some termite lineages was accompanied by a change in the stoichiometry of genes involved in important nutritional functions rather than by the acquisition of new genes and pathways. CONCLUSIONS Our results reveal that the composition and function of termite gut prokaryotic communities have been remarkably conserved since termites first appeared ~ 150 million years ago. Therefore, the "world's smallest bioreactor" has been operating as a multipartite symbiosis composed of termites, archaea, bacteria, and cellulolytic flagellates since its inception. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jigyasa Arora
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan.
| | - Yukihiro Kinjo
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Aleš Buček
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - Crystal Clitheroe
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - Petr Stiblik
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Yves Roisin
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lucia Žifčáková
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - Yung Chul Park
- Division of Forest Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki Yoon Kim
- Division of Forest Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - David Sillam-Dussès
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, LEEC, UR 4443, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Vincent Hervé
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Nathan Lo
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Gaku Tokuda
- Tropical Biosphere Research Center, Center of Molecular Biosciences, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, 903-0213, Japan
| | - Andreas Brune
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Bourguignon
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan.
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
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23
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Tang X, Zhang L, Fan C, Wang L, Fu H, Ren S, Shen W, Jia S, Wu G, Zhang Y. Dietary Fiber Influences Bacterial Community Assembly Processes in the Gut Microbiota of Durco × Bamei Crossbred Pig. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:688554. [PMID: 34956107 PMCID: PMC8693415 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.688554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Several studies have shown that dietary fiber can significantly alter the composition and structure of the gut bacterial community in humans and mammals. However, few researches have been conducted on the dynamics of the bacterial community assembly across different graded levels of dietary fiber in different gut regions. To address this, 24 Durco × Bamei crossbred pigs were randomly assigned to four experimental chows comprising graded levels of dietary fiber. Results showed that the α-and β-diversity of the bacterial community was significantly different between the cecum and the jejunum. Adding fiber to the chow significantly increased the α-diversity of the bacterial community in the jejunum and cecum, while the β-diversity decreased. The complexity of the bacterial network increased with the increase of dietary fiber in jejunal content samples, while it decreased in cecal content samples. Furthermore, we found that stochastic processes governed the bacterial community assembly of low and medium dietary fiber groups of jejunal content samples, while deterministic processes dominated the high fiber group. In addition, deterministic processes dominated all cecal content samples. Taken together, the variation of gut community composition and structure in response to dietary fiber was distinct in different gut regions, and the dynamics of bacterial community assembly across the graded levels of dietary fiber in different gut regions was also distinct. These findings enhanced our knowledge on the bacterial community assembly processes in gut ecosystems of livestock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianjiang Tang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China.,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liangzhi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China.,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
| | - Chao Fan
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China.,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Plateau Livestock Genetic Resources Protection and Innovative Utilization Key Laboratory of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Academy of Animal and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Haibo Fu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China.,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shi'en Ren
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China.,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjuan Shen
- Plateau Livestock Genetic Resources Protection and Innovative Utilization Key Laboratory of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Academy of Animal and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Shangang Jia
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Guofang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China.,Plateau Livestock Genetic Resources Protection and Innovative Utilization Key Laboratory of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Academy of Animal and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Yanming Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China.,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
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24
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Singh S, Singh A, Baweja V, Roy A, Chakraborty A, Singh IK. Molecular Rationale of Insect-Microbes Symbiosis-From Insect Behaviour to Mechanism. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9122422. [PMID: 34946024 PMCID: PMC8707026 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9122422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects nurture a panoply of microbial populations that are often obligatory and exist mutually with their hosts. Symbionts not only impact their host fitness but also shape the trajectory of their phenotype. This co-constructed niche successfully evolved long in the past to mark advanced ecological specialization. The resident microbes regulate insect nutrition by controlling their host plant specialization and immunity. It enhances the host fitness and performance by detoxifying toxins secreted by the predators and abstains them. The profound effect of a microbial population on insect physiology and behaviour is exploited to understand the host–microbial system in diverse taxa. Emergent research of insect-associated microbes has revealed their potential to modulate insect brain functions and, ultimately, control their behaviours, including social interactions. The revelation of the gut microbiota–brain axis has now unravelled insects as a cost-effective potential model to study neurodegenerative disorders and behavioural dysfunctions in humans. This article reviewed our knowledge about the insect–microbial system, an exquisite network of interactions operating between insects and microbes, its mechanistic insight that holds intricate multi-organismal systems in harmony, and its future perspectives. The demystification of molecular networks governing insect–microbial symbiosis will reveal the perplexing behaviours of insects that could be utilized in managing insect pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujata Singh
- Molecular Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India; (S.S.); (V.B.)
- Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India;
| | - Archana Singh
- Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India;
| | - Varsha Baweja
- Molecular Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India; (S.S.); (V.B.)
- DBC i4 Center, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Amit Roy
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 16521 Prague 6, Czech Republic;
- Excelentní Tým pro Mitigaci (ETM), Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 16521 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Amrita Chakraborty
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 16521 Prague 6, Czech Republic;
- Correspondence: (A.C.); (I.K.S.)
| | - Indrakant Kumar Singh
- Molecular Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India; (S.S.); (V.B.)
- DBC i4 Center, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
- Correspondence: (A.C.); (I.K.S.)
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25
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Blair EM, Dickson KL, O'Malley MA. Microbial communities and their enzymes facilitate degradation of recalcitrant polymers in anaerobic digestion. Curr Opin Microbiol 2021; 64:100-108. [PMID: 34700124 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2021.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Microbial consortia efficiently degrade complex biopolymers found in the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). Through enzyme production and division of labor during anaerobic digestion, microbial communities break down recalcitrant polymers and make fermentation products, including methane. However, microbial communities remain underutilized for waste degradation as it remains difficult to characterize and predict microbial interactions during waste breakdown, especially as cultivation conditions change drastically throughout anaerobic digestion. This review discusses recent progress and opportunities in cultivating natural and engineered consortia for OFMSW hydrolysis, including how recalcitrant substrates are degraded by enzymes as well as the critical factors that govern microbial interactions and culture stability. Methods to measure substrate degradation are also reviewed, and we demonstrate the need for increased standardization to enable comparisons across different environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaina M Blair
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Katharine L Dickson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Michelle A O'Malley
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA; Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA, 94608, USA.
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26
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Wu W, Hou Y, Zhang S, Chen Y, Zeng W, Li Z. GC/TOF-MS-Based Metabolomics Reveals Altered Metabolic Profiles in Wood-Feeding Termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki Digesting the Weed Mikania micrantha Kunth. INSECTS 2021; 12:927. [PMID: 34680696 PMCID: PMC8537488 DOI: 10.3390/insects12100927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Effective approaches to exploiting the biomass of the abundant invasive weed Mikania micrantha Kunth are limited. Termites have been a focus of significant attention as mediators of biomass-processing owing to their ability to digest lignocellulose. Here, the GC/TOF-MS approach was employed to assess the effects of a diet composed of M. micrantha leaves on Coptotermes formosanus workers, with the growth performance of these workers also being assessed. The workers increased their dietary intake when fed M. micrantha leaves, with a concomitant gradual increase in mortality rate. A total of 62 differentially abundant metabolites and nine significantly affected pathways were found when comparing termites fed M. micrantha leaves to pinewood. Key metabolites, including carbohydrates, polyols, 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, and their related metabolic pathways, suggested that termites can digest and utilize M. micrantha-derived lignocellulose. However, changes in the tryptophan metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, and sphingolipid metabolism suggest an adverse effect of M. micrantha leaves on antioxidant activity and signal transduction in termites. Overall, this study identified the key metabolites and pathways associated with the response of these termites to dietary changes and the effect of M. micrantha on termites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Wu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China; (W.W.); (S.Z.); (Y.C.); (W.Z.)
| | - Yahui Hou
- Guangzhou Institute of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Guangzhou 510405, China;
| | - Shijun Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China; (W.W.); (S.Z.); (Y.C.); (W.Z.)
| | - Yong Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China; (W.W.); (S.Z.); (Y.C.); (W.Z.)
| | - Wenhui Zeng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China; (W.W.); (S.Z.); (Y.C.); (W.Z.)
| | - Zhiqiang Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China; (W.W.); (S.Z.); (Y.C.); (W.Z.)
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27
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Bayen S, Roy S, Chakraborti D, Mukhopadhyay A, Hazarika LK, Pramanik P, Borchetia S, Mukherjee S. Mutualistic relation of termites with associated microbes for their harmonious survival. Symbiosis 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-021-00809-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Zhang L, Zhan H, Xu W, Yan S, Ng SC. The role of gut mycobiome in health and diseases. Therap Adv Gastroenterol 2021; 14:17562848211047130. [PMID: 34589139 PMCID: PMC8474302 DOI: 10.1177/17562848211047130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome comprised of microbes from multiple kingdoms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Emerging evidence suggests that the intestinal fungi (the gut "mycobiome") play an important role in host immunity and inflammation. Advances in next generation sequencing methods to study the fungi in fecal samples and mucosa tissues have expanded our understanding of gut fungi in intestinal homeostasis and systemic immunity in health and their contribution to different human diseases. In this review, the current status of gut mycobiome in health, early life, and different diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and metabolic diseases were summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Wenye Xu
- Center for Gut Microbiota Research, Faculty of
Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong,
China,Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Science, The
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China,State Key Laboratory for Digestive disease,
Institute of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin,
Hong Kong, China,Department of Medicine and Therapeutics,
Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong,
China
| | - Shuai Yan
- Center for Gut Microbiota Research, Faculty of
Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong,
China,Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Science, The
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China,State Key Laboratory for Digestive disease,
Institute of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin,
Hong Kong, China,Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
and Peter Hung Pain Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong,
Shatin, Hong Kong, China
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Metagenome-assembled genome of a Chitinophaga sp. and its potential in plant biomass degradation, as well of affiliated Pandoraea and Labrys species. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 37:162. [PMID: 34448059 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-021-03128-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The prospection of new degrading enzymes of the plant cell wall has been the subject of many studies and is fundamental for industries, due to the great biotechnological importance of achieving a more efficient depolymerization conversion from plant polysaccharides to fermentable sugars, which are useful not only for biofuel production but also for various bioproducts. Thus, we explored the shotgun metagenome data of a bacterial community (CB10) isolated from sugarcane bagasse and recovered three metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). The genomic distance analyses, along with phylogenetic analysis, revealed the presence of a putative novel Chitinophaga species, a Pandoraea nosoerga, and Labrys sp. isolate. The isolation process for each one of these bacterial lineages from the community was carried out in order to relate them with the MAGs. The recovered draft genomes have reasonable completeness (72.67-100%) and contamination (0.26-2.66%) considering the respective marker lineage for Chitinophaga (Bacteroidetes), Pandoraea (Burkholderiales), and Labrys (Rhizobiales). The in-vitro assay detected cellulolytic activity (endoglucanases) only for the isolate Chitinophaga, and its genome analysis revealed 319 CAZymes, of which 115 are classified as plant cell wall degrading enzymes, which can act in fractions of hemicellulose and pectin. Our study highlights the potential of this Chitinophaga isolate provides several plant-polysaccharide-degrading enzymes.
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Vu NTH, Quach TN, Dao XTT, Le HT, Le CP, Nguyen LT, Le LT, Ngo CC, Hoang H, Chu HH, Phi QT. A genomic perspective on the potential of termite-associated Cellulosimicrobium cellulans MP1 as producer of plant biomass-acting enzymes and exopolysaccharides. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11839. [PMID: 34395081 PMCID: PMC8325422 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Lignocellulose is a renewable and enormous biomass resource, which can be degraded efficiently by a range of cocktails of carbohydrate-active enzymes secreted by termite gut symbiotic bacteria. There is an urgent need to find enzymes with novel characteristics for improving the conversion processes in the production of lignocellulosic-based products. Although various studies dedicated to the genus Cellulosimicrobium as gut symbiont, genetic potential related to plant biomass-acting enzymes and exopolysaccharides production has been fully untapped to date. Methods The cellulolytic bacterial strain MP1 was isolated from termite guts and identified to the species level by phenotypic, phylogenetic, and genomic analysis. To further explore genes related to cellulose and hemicellulose degradation, the draft genome of strain MP1 was obtained by using whole-genome sequencing, assembly, and annotation through the Illumina platform. Lignocellulose degrading enzymes and levan production in the liquid medium were also examined to shed light on bacterial activities. Results Among 65 isolates obtained, the strain MP1 was the most efficient cellulase producer with cellulase activity of 0.65 ± 0.02 IU/ml. The whole genome analysis depicted that strain MP1 consists of a circular chromosome that contained 4,580,223 bp with an average GC content of 73.9%. The genome comprises 23 contigs including 67 rRNA genes, three tRNA genes, a single tmRNA gene, and 4,046 protein-coding sequences. In support of the phenotypic identification, the 16S rRNA gene sequence, average nucleotide identity, and whole-genome-based taxonomic analysis demonstrated that the strain MP1 belongs to the species Cellulosimicrobium cellulans. A total of 30 genes related to the degradation of cellulases and hemicellulases were identified in the C. cellulans MP1 genome. Of note, the presence of sacC1-levB-sacC2-ls operon responsible for levan and levan-type fructooligosaccharides biosynthesis was detected in strain MP1 genome, but not with closely related C. cellulans strains, proving this strain to be a potential candidate for further studies. Endoglucanases, exoglucanases, and xylanase were achieved by using cheaply available agro-residues such as rice bran and sugar cane bagasse. The maximum levan production by C. cellulans MP1 was 14.8 ± 1.2 g/l after 20 h of cultivation in media containing 200 g/l sucrose. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first genome-based analysis of a Cellulosimicrobium species which focuses on lignocellulosic enzymes and levan biosynthesis, illustrating that the C. cellulans MP1 has a great potential to be an efficient platform for basic research and industrial exploitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Thi-Hanh Vu
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam.,Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Tung Ngoc Quach
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam.,Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Xuan Thi-Thanh Dao
- School of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.,Vinh University, Vinh, Vietnam
| | - Ha Thanh Le
- School of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Chi Phuong Le
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Lam Tung Nguyen
- School of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Lam Tung Le
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | | | - Ha Hoang
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Ha Hoang Chu
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam.,Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Quyet-Tien Phi
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam.,Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
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31
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All creatures great and small: celebrating the microbiome. Commun Biol 2021; 4:806. [PMID: 34172823 PMCID: PMC8233339 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02299-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The collection of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that form microbiota play an important role in both human and environmental health. In recognition of World Microbiome Day, we have curated a Collection of articles, news and commentary to celebrate the diversity of microbiome research published at Communications Biology , and highlight exciting new avenues for the field.
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Rajeswari G, Jacob S, Chandel AK, Kumar V. Unlocking the potential of insect and ruminant host symbionts for recycling of lignocellulosic carbon with a biorefinery approach: a review. Microb Cell Fact 2021; 20:107. [PMID: 34044834 PMCID: PMC8161579 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-021-01597-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Uprising fossil fuel depletion and deterioration of ecological reserves supply have led to the search for alternative renewable and sustainable energy sources and chemicals. Although first generation biorefinery is quite successful commercially in generating bulk of biofuels globally, the food versus fuel debate has necessitated the use of non-edible feedstocks, majorly waste biomass, for second generation production of biofuels and chemicals. A diverse class of microbes and enzymes are being exploited for biofuels production for a series of treatment process, however, the conversion efficiency of wide range of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) and consolidated way of processing remains challenging. There were lot of research efforts in the past decade to scour for potential microbial candidate. In this context, evolution has developed the gut microbiota of several insects and ruminants that are potential LCB degraders host eco-system to overcome its host nutritional constraints, where LCB processed by microbiomes pretends to be a promising candidate. Synergistic microbial symbionts could make a significant contribution towards recycling the renewable carbon from distinctly abundant recalcitrant LCB. Several studies have assessed the bioprospection of innumerable gut symbionts and their lignocellulolytic enzymes for LCB degradation. Though, some reviews exist on molecular characterization of gut microbes, but none of them has enlightened the microbial community design coupled with various LCB valorization which intensifies the microbial diversity in biofuels application. This review provides a deep insight into the significant breakthroughs attained in enrichment strategy of gut microbial community and its molecular characterization techniques which aids in understanding the holistic microbial community dynamics. Special emphasis is placed on gut microbial role in LCB depolymerization strategies to lignocellulolytic enzymes production and its functional metagenomic data mining eventually generating the sugar platform for biofuels and renewable chemicals production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunasekaran Rajeswari
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, SRM Nagar, Chengalpattu Dist. , Kattankulathur, 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Samuel Jacob
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, SRM Nagar, Chengalpattu Dist. , Kattankulathur, 603203, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Anuj Kumar Chandel
- Department of Biotechnology, Engineering School of Lorena (EEL), University of São Paulo, Lorena, 12.602.810, Brazil
| | - Vinod Kumar
- School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK.
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Paixão DAA, Tomazetto G, Sodré VR, Gonçalves TA, Uchima CA, Büchli F, Alvarez TM, Persinoti GF, da Silva MJ, Bragatto J, Liberato MV, Franco Cairo JPL, Leme AFP, Squina FM. Microbial enrichment and meta-omics analysis identify CAZymes from mangrove sediments with unique properties. Enzyme Microb Technol 2021; 148:109820. [PMID: 34116762 DOI: 10.1016/j.enzmictec.2021.109820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Although lignocellulose is the most abundant and renewable natural resource for biofuel production, its use remains under exploration because of its highly recalcitrant structure. Its deconstruction into sugar monomers is mainly driven by carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes). To develop highly efficient and fast strategies to discover biomass-degrading enzymes for biorefinery applications, an enrichment process combined with integrative omics approaches was used to identify new CAZymes. The lignocellulolytic-enriched mangrove microbial community (LignoManG) established on sugarcane bagasse (SB) was enriched with lignocellulolytic bacteria and fungi such as Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Basidiomycota, and Ascomycota. These microbial communities were able to degrade up to 55 % of the total SB, indicating the production of lignocellulolytic enzymes. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the LignoManG harbors 18.042 CAZyme sequences such as of cellulases, hemicellulases, carbohydrate esterases, and lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase. Similarly, our metaproteomic analysis depicted several enzymes from distinct families of different CAZy families. Based on the LignoManG data, a xylanase (coldXynZ) was selected, amplified, cloned, expressed, and biochemically characterized. The enzyme displayed psicrofilic properties, with the highest activity at 15 °C, retaining 77 % of its activity when incubated at 0 °C. Moreover, molecular modeling in silico indicated that coldXynZ is composed of a TIM barrel, which is a typical folding found in the GH10 family, and displayed similar structural features related to cold-adapted enzymes. Collectively, the data generated in this study represent a valuable resource for lignocellulolytic enzymes with potential biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Geizecler Tomazetto
- Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering (BCE), Aarhus University, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Victoria Ramos Sodré
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Tecidual, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazi; Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais, Universidade de Sorocaba, Sorocaba, Brazil
| | - Thiago A Gonçalves
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Tecidual, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazi; Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais, Universidade de Sorocaba, Sorocaba, Brazil
| | - Cristiane Akemi Uchima
- Laboratório Nacional de Biorenováveis, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Büchli
- Laboratório Nacional de Biorenováveis, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Thabata Maria Alvarez
- Graduate Programme in Industrial Biotechnology, Universidade Positivo, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Felix Persinoti
- Laboratório Nacional de Biorenováveis, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Márcio José da Silva
- Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genética, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Juliano Bragatto
- Laboratório Nacional de Biorenováveis, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Vizoná Liberato
- Laboratório Nacional de Biorenováveis, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais, Campinas, SP, Brazil; Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais, Universidade de Sorocaba, Sorocaba, Brazil
| | - João Paulo L Franco Cairo
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Tecidual, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazi; Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais, Universidade de Sorocaba, Sorocaba, Brazil
| | - Adriana Franco Paes Leme
- Laboratório Nacional de Biociências, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Fabio Marcio Squina
- Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais, Universidade de Sorocaba, Sorocaba, Brazil.
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Dar MA, Shaikh AF, Pawar KD, Xie R, Sun J, Kandasamy S, Pandit RS. Evaluation of cellulose degrading bacteria isolated from the gut-system of cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera and their potential values in biomass conversion. PeerJ 2021. [DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera is a widely distributed, devastating pest of over 200 crop plants that mainly consist of some cellulosic materials. Despite its economic importance as a pest, little is known about the diversity and community structure of gut symbiotic bacteria potentially functioned in cellulose digestion in different gut-sections of H. armigera. In view of this lacuna, we attempted to evaluate and characterize cellulose-degrading bacteria (CDB) from foregut, midgut, and hindgut -regions of H. armigera by using a culture-dependent approach.
Methodology
The symbiotic bacteria were isolated from different gut-systems of H. armigera by enrichment techniques using Carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt (CMC) as carbon source. The isolated bacteria were purified and subsequently screened for cellulose-degradation by plate-based method to display the zones of CMC clearance around the colonies. The identification and phylogeny of the gut-bacteria were reconstructed by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Different enzymes such as endoglucanase, exoglucanase, β-glucosidase, and xylanase were assayed to determine the cellulolytic repertoire of the isolated bacteria.
Results
The enrichment of CDB and subsequent plate based screening methods resulted in isolation of 71 bacteria among which 54% of the bacteria were obtained from foregut. Among the isolated bacteria, 25 isolates showed discernible cellulose-degradation potential on CMC-agar plates. The phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing affiliated these cellulolytic bacteria to two major phyla viz., Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. The members of the genus Klebsiella accounted for 39.43% of the total isolated bacteria while 31% of the Bacillus strains were enriched from hindgut region. The principal component analysis (PCA) further suggested that the members of Bacillus and Klebsiella together dominated the foregut and hindgut regions as they accounted for 68% of the total CDB. The four potential isolates selected on the basis of plate-based activities were further evaluated for their lignocellulases production by using various agricultural wastes as substrates. The PCA of the enzyme activities demonstrated that potential isolates majorly secreted endoglucanase and xylanase enzymes. Among the agro-wastes, multivariate analysis validated wheat husk (WH) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) as most favorable substrates for xylanase and endoglucanase productions respectively. The overall findings suggest that H. armigera harbors diverse bacterial communities in different gut-sections that could assist the host in digestion processes, which may potentially serve as a valuable reservoir of some unique symbionts applied for biomass conversion in biofuel industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mudasir A. Dar
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China
- Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - Afrin F. Shaikh
- Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - Kiran D. Pawar
- School of Nanoscience and Biotechnology, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
| | - Rongrong Xie
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jianzhong Sun
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China
| | | | - Radhakrishna S. Pandit
- Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune, Maharashtra, India
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Vikram S, Arneodo JD, Calcagno J, Ortiz M, Mon ML, Etcheverry C, Cowan DA, Talia P. Diversity structure of the microbial communities in the guts of four neotropical termite species. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10959. [PMID: 33868801 PMCID: PMC8035897 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The termite gut microbiome is dominated by lignocellulose degrading microorganisms. This study describes the intestinal microbiota of four Argentinian higher termite species with different feeding habits: Microcerotermes strunckii (hardwood), Nasutitermes corniger (softwood), Termes riograndensis (soil organic matter/grass) and Cornitermes cumulans (grass) by deep sequencing of amplified 16S rRNA and ITS genes. In addition, we have performed a taxonomic and gut community structure comparison incorporating into the analysis the previously reported microbiomes of additional termite species with varied diets. The bacterial phylum Spirochaetes was dominant in the guts of M. strunckii, N. corniger and C. cumulans, whereas Firmicutes predominated in the T. riograndensis gut microbiome. A single bacterial genus, Treponema (Spirochaetes), was dominant in all termite species, except for T. riograndensis. Both in our own sequenced samples and in the broader comparison, prokaryotic α-diversity was higher in the soil/grass feeders than in the wood feeders. Meanwhile, the β-diversity of prokaryotes and fungi was highly dissimilar among strict wood-feeders, whereas that of soil- and grass-feeders grouped more closely. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the only fungal phyla that could be identified in all gut samples, because of the lack of reference sequences in public databases. In summary, higher microbial diversity was recorded in termites with more versatile feeding sources, providing further evidence that diet, along with other factors (e.g., host taxonomy), influences the microbial community assembly in the termite gut.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surendra Vikram
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Joel D. Arneodo
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Javier Calcagno
- Centro de Ciencias Naturales, Ambientales y Antropológicas, Universidad Maimonides (CCNAA), CABA, Argentina
| | - Maximiliano Ortiz
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Maria Laura Mon
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Clara Etcheverry
- Biología de los Invertebrados, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Don A. Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Paola Talia
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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The sum is greater than the parts: exploiting microbial communities to achieve complex functions. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2021; 67:149-157. [PMID: 33561703 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2021.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Multi-species microbial communities are ubiquitous in nature. The widespread prevalence of these communities is due to highly elaborated interactions among their members thereby accomplishing metabolic functions that are unattainable by individual members alone. Harnessing these communal capabilities is an emerging field in biotechnology. The rational intervention of microbial communities for the purpose of improved function has been facilitated in part by developments in multi-omics approaches, synthetic biology, and computational methods. Recent studies have demonstrated the benefits of rational interventions to human and animal health as well as agricultural productivity. Emergent technologies, such as in situ modification of complex microbial community and community metabolic modeling, represent an avenue to engineer sustainable microbial communities. In this opinion, we review relevant computational and experimental approaches to study and engineer microbial communities and discuss their potential for biotechnological applications.
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Lima RAT, De Oliveira G, Souza AA, Lopes FAC, Santana RH, Istvan P, Quirino BF, Barbosa J, De Freitas S, Garay AV, Krüger RH. Functional and structural characterization of a novel GH3 β-glucosidase from the gut metagenome of the Brazilian Cerrado termite Syntermes wheeleri. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 165:822-834. [PMID: 33011259 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.09.236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
In this study, a GH3 family β-glucosidase (Bgl7226) from metagenomic sequences of the Syntermes wheeleri gut, a Brazilian Cerrado termite, was expressed, purified and characterized. The enzyme showed two optimum pHs (pH 7 and pH 10), and a maximum optimum temperature of about 40 °C using 4-Nitrophenyl β-D-glucopyranoside (pNPG) as substrate. Bgl7226 showed higher enzymatic activity at basic pH, but higher affinity (Km) at neutral pH. However, at neutral pH the Bgl7226 enzyme showed higher catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) for pNPG substrate. Predictive analysis about the enzyme structure-function relationship by sequence alignment suggested the presence of multi-domains and conserved catalytic sites. Circular dichroism results showed that the secondary structure composition of the enzyme is pH-dependent. Small conformational changes occurred close to the optimum temperature of 40 o C, and seem important for the highest activity of Bgl7226 observed at pH 7 and 10. In addition, the small transition in the unfolding curves close to 40 o C is typical of intermediates associated with proteins structured in several domains. Bgl7226 has significant β-glucosidase activity which could be attractive for biotechnological applications, such as plant roots detoxification; specifically, our group is interested in cassava roots (Manihot esculenta) detoxification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gideane De Oliveira
- Department of Cell Biology, Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Amanda Araújo Souza
- Department of Cell Biology, Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil
| | | | - Renata Henrique Santana
- Instituto Federal de Brasília, Planaltina Campus, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil; Genomic Sciences and Biotechnology, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF 70790-160, Brazil
| | - Paula Istvan
- Department of Cell Biology, Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil; Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben- Gurion University of the Negev, Department of Environmental Hydrology & Microbiology, Israel
| | - Betania Ferraz Quirino
- Embrapa Agroenergy, Parque Estação Biológica (PqEB), PqEB s/n°, Brasília, DF 70770-901, Brazil
| | - João Barbosa
- Department of Cell Biology, Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Sonia De Freitas
- Department of Cell Biology, Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Aisel Valle Garay
- Department of Cell Biology, Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Henrique Krüger
- Department of Cell Biology, Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil.
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38
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Franco Cairo JPL, Cannella D, Oliveira LC, Gonçalves TA, Rubio MV, Terrasan CRF, Tramontina R, Mofatto LS, Carazzolle MF, Garcia W, Felby C, Damasio A, Walton PH, Squina F. On the roles of AA15 lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases derived from the termite Coptotermes gestroi. J Inorg Biochem 2020; 216:111316. [PMID: 33421883 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2020.111316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are copper-dependent enzymes which catalyze the oxidative cleavage of polysaccharides. LPMOs belonging to family 15 in the Auxiliary Activity (AA) class from the Carbohydrate-Active Enzyme database are found widespread across the Tree of Life, including viruses, algae, oomycetes and animals. Recently, two AA15s from the firebrat Thermobia domestica were reported to have oxidative activity, one towards cellulose or chitin and the other towards chitin, signalling that AA15 LPMOs from insects potentially have different biochemical functions. Herein, we report the identification and characterization of two family AA15 members from the lower termite Coptotermes gestroi. Addition of Cu(II) to CgAA15a or CgAA15b had a thermostabilizing effect on both. Using ascorbate and O2 as co-substrates, CgAA15a and CgAA15b were able to oxidize chitin, but showed no activity on celluloses, xylan, xyloglucan and starch. Structural models indicate that the LPMOs from C. gestroi (CgAA15a/CgAA15b) have a similar fold but exhibit key differences in the catalytic site residues when compared to the cellulose/chitin-active LPMO from T. domestica (TdAA15a), especially the presence of a non-coordinating phenylalanine nearby the Cu ion in CgAA15a/b, which appears as a tyrosine in the active site of TdAA15a. Despite the overall similarity in protein folds, however, mutation of the active site phenylalanine in CgAA15a to a tyrosine did not expanded the enzymatic specificity from chitin to cellulose. Our data show that CgAA15a/b enzymes are likely not involved in lignocellulose digestion but might play a role in termite developmental processes as well as on chitin and nitrogen metabolisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Paulo L Franco Cairo
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil; Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York, United Kingdom; Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais, Universidade de Sorocaba - UNISO, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil
| | - David Cannella
- PhotoBioCatalysis Unit, Crop Production and Biocatalysis - CPBL, Biomass Transformation lab - BTL, Interfaculty School of Bioengineers, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Leandro C Oliveira
- Department of Physics - Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Thiago A Gonçalves
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil; Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais, Universidade de Sorocaba - UNISO, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcelo V Rubio
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Cesar R F Terrasan
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Robson Tramontina
- Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais, Universidade de Sorocaba - UNISO, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Luciana S Mofatto
- Department of Genetic, Evolution and Bioagents, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcelo F Carazzolle
- Department of Genetic, Evolution and Bioagents, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Wanius Garcia
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), Santo André, SP, Brazil
| | - Claus Felby
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - André Damasio
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil; São Paulo Fungal Group, Brazil
| | - Paul H Walton
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York, United Kingdom.
| | - Fabio Squina
- Programa de Processos Tecnológicos e Ambientais, Universidade de Sorocaba - UNISO, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil.
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