1
|
Maritan E, Quagliariello A, Frago E, Patarnello T, Martino ME. The role of animal hosts in shaping gut microbiome variation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230071. [PMID: 38497257 PMCID: PMC10945410 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0071] [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: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Millions of years of co-evolution between animals and their associated microbial communities have shaped and diversified the nature of their relationship. Studies continue to reveal new layers of complexity in host-microbe interactions, the fate of which depends on a variety of different factors, ranging from neutral processes and environmental factors to local dynamics. Research is increasingly integrating ecosystem-based approaches, metagenomics and mathematical modelling to disentangle the individual contribution of ecological factors to microbiome evolution. Within this framework, host factors are known to be among the dominant drivers of microbiome composition in different animal species. However, the extent to which they shape microbiome assembly and evolution remains unclear. In this review, we summarize our understanding of how host factors drive microbial communities and how these dynamics are conserved and vary across taxa. We conclude by outlining key avenues for research and highlight the need for implementation of and key modifications to existing theory to fully capture the dynamics of host-associated microbiomes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Sculpting the microbiome: how host factors determine and respond to microbial colonization'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Maritan
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, 35020 Padova, Italy
| | - Andrea Quagliariello
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, 35020 Padova, Italy
| | - Enric Frago
- CIRAD, UMR CBGP, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Université Montpellier, 34398 Montpellier, France
| | - Tomaso Patarnello
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, 35020 Padova, Italy
| | - Maria Elena Martino
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, 35020 Padova, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
García-Lozano M, Henzler C, Porras MÁG, Pons I, Berasategui A, Lanz C, Budde H, Oguchi K, Matsuura Y, Pauchet Y, Goffredi S, Fukatsu T, Windsor D, Salem H. Paleocene origin of a streamlined digestive symbiosis in leaf beetles. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1621-1634.e9. [PMID: 38377997 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.070] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Timing the acquisition of a beneficial microbe relative to the evolutionary history of its host can shed light on the adaptive impact of a partnership. Here, we investigated the onset and molecular evolution of an obligate symbiosis between Cassidinae leaf beetles and Candidatus Stammera capleta, a γ-proteobacterium. Residing extracellularly within foregut symbiotic organs, Stammera upgrades the digestive physiology of its host by supplementing plant cell wall-degrading enzymes. We observe that Stammera is a shared symbiont across tortoise and hispine beetles that collectively comprise the Cassidinae subfamily, despite differences in their folivorous habits. In contrast to its transcriptional profile during vertical transmission, Stammera elevates the expression of genes encoding digestive enzymes while in the foregut symbiotic organs, matching the nutritional requirements of its host. Despite the widespread distribution of Stammera across Cassidinae beetles, symbiont acquisition during the Paleocene (∼62 mya) did not coincide with the origin of the subfamily. Early diverging lineages lack the symbiont and the specialized organs that house it. Reconstructing the ancestral state of host-beneficial factors revealed that Stammera encoded three digestive enzymes at the onset of symbiosis, including polygalacturonase-a pectinase that is universally shared. Although non-symbiotic cassidines encode polygalacturonase endogenously, their repertoire of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes is more limited compared with symbiotic beetles supplemented with digestive enzymes from Stammera. Highlighting the potential impact of a symbiotic condition and an upgraded metabolic potential, Stammera-harboring beetles exploit a greater variety of plants and are more speciose compared with non-symbiotic members of the Cassidinae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marleny García-Lozano
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Christine Henzler
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | | | - Inès Pons
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Aileen Berasategui
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam 1081 HV, the Netherlands
| | - Christa Lanz
- Genome Center, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Heike Budde
- Department of Microbiome Science, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Kohei Oguchi
- National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan; Misaki Marine Biological Station, The University of Tokyo, Miura 238-0225, Japan
| | - Yu Matsuura
- Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Yannick Pauchet
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Shana Goffredi
- Department of Biology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA 90041, USA
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Donald Windsor
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Hassan Salem
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City 0843-03092, Panama.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
González Porras MÁ, Pons I, García-Lozano M, Jagdale S, Emmerich C, Weiss B, Salem H. Extracellular symbiont colonizes insect during embryo development. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycae005. [PMID: 38439943 PMCID: PMC10910848 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Insects typically acquire their beneficial microbes early in development. Endosymbionts housed intracellularly are commonly integrated during oogenesis or embryogenesis, whereas extracellular microbes are only known to be acquired after hatching by immature instars such as larvae or nymphs. Here, however, we report on an extracellular symbiont that colonizes its host during embryo development. Tortoise beetles (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) host their digestive bacterial symbiont Stammera extracellularly within foregut symbiotic organs and in ovary-associated glands to ensure its vertical transmission. We outline the initial stages of symbiont colonization and observe that although the foregut symbiotic organs develop 3 days prior to larval emergence, they remain empty until the final 24 h of embryo development. Infection by Stammera occurs during that timeframe and prior to hatching. By experimentally manipulating symbiont availability to embryos in the egg, we describe a 12-h developmental window governing colonization by Stammera. Symbiotic organs form normally in aposymbiotic larvae, demonstrating that these Stammera-bearing structures develop autonomously. In adults, the foregut symbiotic organs are already colonized following metamorphosis and host a stable Stammera population to facilitate folivory. The ovary-associated glands, however, initially lack Stammera. Symbiont abundance subsequently increases within these transmission organs, thereby ensuring sufficient titers at the onset of oviposition ~29 days following metamorphosis. Collectively, our findings reveal that Stammera colonization precedes larval emergence, where its proliferation is eventually decoupled in adult beetles to match the nutritional and reproductive requirements of its host.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Inès Pons
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Marleny García-Lozano
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Shounak Jagdale
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Christiane Emmerich
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Benjamin Weiss
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Hassan Salem
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City 0843-03092, Republic of Panama
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
An Y, Braga MP, Garcia SL, Grudzinska-Sterno M, Hambäck PA. Host Phylogeny Structures the Gut Bacterial Community Within Galerucella Leaf Beetles. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 86:2477-2487. [PMID: 37314477 PMCID: PMC10640405 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02251-5] [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: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Gut microbes play important roles for their hosts. Previous studies suggest that host-microbial systems can form long-term associations over evolutionary time and the dynamic changes of the intestinal system may represent major driving forces and contribute to insect dietary diversification and speciation. Our study system includes a set of six closely related leaf beetle species (Galerucella spp.) and our study aims to separate the roles of host phylogeny and ecology in determining the gut microbial community and to identify eventual relationship between host insects and gut bacteria. We collected adult beetles from their respective host plants and quantified their microbial community using 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that the gut bacteria community composition was structured by host beetle phylogeny, where more or less host-specific gut bacteria interact with the different Galerucella species. For example, the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia was found almost exclusively in G. nymphaea and G. sagittariae. Diversity indicators also suggested that α- and β-diversities of gut bacteria communities varied among host beetle species. Overall, our results suggest a phylogenetically controlled co-occurrence pattern between the six closely related Galerucella beetles and their gut bacteria, indicating the potential of co-evolutionary processes occurring between hosts and their gut bacterial communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yueqing An
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Mariana P Braga
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- Helsinki Life Science Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sarahi L Garcia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Peter A Hambäck
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Villa SM, Chen JZ, Kwong Z, Acosta A, Vega NM, Gerardo NM. Specialized acquisition behaviors maintain reliable environmental transmission in an insect-microbial mutualism. Curr Biol 2023:S0960-9822(23)00724-8. [PMID: 37385254 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.062] [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: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how horizontally transmitted mutualisms are maintained is a major focus of symbiosis research.1,2,3,4 Unlike vertical transmission, hosts that rely on horizontal transmission produce symbiont-free offspring that must find and acquire their beneficial microbes from the environment. This transmission strategy is inherently risky since hosts may not obtain the right symbiont every generation. Despite these potential costs, horizontal transmission underlies stable mutualisms involving a large diversity of both plants and animals.5,6,7,8,9 One largely unexplored way horizontal transmission is maintained is for hosts to evolve sophisticated mechanisms to consistently find and acquire specific symbionts from the environment. Here, we examine this possibility in the squash bug Anasa tristis, an insect pest that requires bacterial symbionts in the genus Caballeronia10 for survival and development.11 We conduct a series of behavioral and transmission experiments that track strain-level transmission in vivo among individuals in real-time. We demonstrate that nymphs can accurately find feces from adult bugs in both the presence and absence of those adults. Once nymphs locate the feces, they deploy feeding behavior that results in nearly perfect symbiont acquisition success. We further demonstrate that nymphs can locate and feed on isolated, cultured symbionts in the absence of feces. Finally, we show this acquisition behavior is highly host specific. Taken together, our data describe not only the evolution of a reliable horizontal transmission strategy, but also a potential mechanism that drives patterns of species-specific microbial communities among closely related, sympatric host species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Scott M Villa
- Department of Biology, Emory University, 1510 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Davidson College, 209 Ridge Rd., Davidson, NC 28035, USA.
| | - Jason Z Chen
- Department of Biology, Emory University, 1510 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Zeeyong Kwong
- Department of Biology, Emory University, 1510 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Alice Acosta
- Department of Biology, Emory University, 1510 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Nicole M Vega
- Department of Biology, Emory University, 1510 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Nicole M Gerardo
- Department of Biology, Emory University, 1510 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Berasategui A, Breitenbach N, García-Lozano M, Pons I, Sailer B, Lanz C, Rodríguez V, Hipp K, Ziemert N, Windsor D, Salem H. The leaf beetle Chelymorpha alternans propagates a plant pathogen in exchange for pupal protection. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4114-4127.e6. [PMID: 35987210 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Many insects rely on microbial protection in the early stages of their development. However, in contrast to symbiont-mediated defense of eggs and young instars, the role of microbes in safeguarding pupae remains relatively unexplored, despite the susceptibility of the immobile stage to antagonistic challenges. Here, we outline the importance of symbiosis in ensuring pupal protection by describing a mutualistic partnership between the ascomycete Fusarium oxysporum and Chelymorpha alternans, a leaf beetle. The symbiont rapidly proliferates at the onset of pupation, extensively and conspicuously coating C. alternans during metamorphosis. The fungus confers defense against predation as symbiont elimination results in reduced pupal survivorship. In exchange, eclosing beetles vector F. oxysporum to their host plants, resulting in a systemic infection. By causing wilt disease, the fungus retained its phytopathogenic capacity in light of its symbiosis with C. alternans. Despite possessing a relatively reduced genome, F. oxysporum encodes metabolic pathways that reflect its dual lifestyle as a plant pathogen and a defensive insect symbiont. These include virulence factors underlying plant colonization, along with mycotoxins that may contribute to the defensive biochemistry of the insect host. Collectively, our findings shed light on a mutualism predicated on pupal protection of an herbivorous beetle in exchange for symbiont dissemination and propagation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aileen Berasategui
- Max Planck Institute for Biology, Mutualisms Research Group, Max-Planck-Ring 5, Tübingen 72076, Germany; University of Tübingen, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
| | - Noa Breitenbach
- Max Planck Institute for Biology, Mutualisms Research Group, Max-Planck-Ring 5, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Marleny García-Lozano
- Max Planck Institute for Biology, Mutualisms Research Group, Max-Planck-Ring 5, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Inès Pons
- Max Planck Institute for Biology, Mutualisms Research Group, Max-Planck-Ring 5, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Brigitte Sailer
- Max Planck Institute for Biology, Electron Microscopy Facility, Max-Planck-Ring 5, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Christa Lanz
- Max Planck Institute for Biology, Genome Center, Max-Planck-Ring 5, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Viterbo Rodríguez
- Centro Regional Universitario de Veraguas, Centro de Capacitación, Investigación y Monitoreo de la Biodiversidad en Coiba, Calle Décima, vía San Francisco, Santiago 08001, Republic of Panama
| | - Katharina Hipp
- Max Planck Institute for Biology, Electron Microscopy Facility, Max-Planck-Ring 5, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Nadine Ziemert
- University of Tübingen, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Donald Windsor
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Luis Clement Avenue, Bldg. 401 Tupper, Panama City 0843-03092, Republic of Panama
| | - Hassan Salem
- Max Planck Institute for Biology, Mutualisms Research Group, Max-Planck-Ring 5, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Pons I, González Porras MÁ, Breitenbach N, Berger J, Hipp K, Salem H. For the road: calibrated maternal investment in light of extracellular symbiont transmission. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220386. [PMID: 35473381 PMCID: PMC9043728 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Faithful transmission of beneficial symbionts is critical for the persistence of mutualisms. Many insect groups rely on extracellular routes that require microbial symbionts to survive outside the host during transfer. However, given a prolonged aposymbiotic phase in offspring, how do mothers mitigate the risk of symbiont loss due to unsuccessful transmission? Here, we investigated symbiont regulation and reacquisition during extracellular transfer in the tortoise beetle, Chelymorpha alternans (Coleoptera: Cassidinae). Like many cassidines, C. alternans relies on egg caplets to vertically propagate its obligate symbiont Candidatus Stammera capleta. On average, each caplet is supplied with 12 symbiont-bearing spheres where Stammera is embedded. We observe limited deviation (±2.3) in the number of spheres allocated to each caplet, indicating strict maternal control over symbiont supply. Larvae acquire Stammera 1 day prior to eclosion but are unable to do so after hatching, suggesting that a specific developmental window governs symbiont uptake. Experimentally manipulating the number of spheres available to each egg revealed that a single sphere is sufficient to ensure successful colonization by Stammera relative to the 12 typically packaged within a caplet. Collectively, our findings shed light on a tightly regulated symbiont transmission cycle optimized to ensure extracellular transfer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Inès Pons
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | | | - Noa Breitenbach
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Jürgen Berger
- Electron Microscopy Facility, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Katharina Hipp
- Electron Microscopy Facility, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Hassan Salem
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Green SJ, Nesvorna M, Hubert J. The Negative Effects of Feces-Associated Microorganisms on the Fitness of the Stored Product Mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:756286. [PMID: 35359745 PMCID: PMC8961420 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.756286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Feces have been suggested as a major source of microorganisms for recolonization of the gut of stored product mites via coprophagy. The mites can host microorganisms that decrease their fitness, but their transmission is not known. To address the role of fecal microbiota on mite fitness, we performed an experimental study in which the surfaces of mite (Tyrophagus putrescentiae) eggs were sterilized. Mites eggs (15 per experimental box) were then hatched and grown on feedstock with and without feces. These experiments were conducted with four distinct T. putrescentiae populations (5L, 5K, 5N, and 5P), and mite population density after 21 day of cultivation was used to assess mite fitness and the impact of fecal microbiota on fitness. Population density was not affected by the presence of feces in two of the cultures (5L and 5K), while significant effects of feces were observed in the other cultures (5N and 5P). Mite culture microbial communities were analyzed using cultivation-independent next-generation amplicon sequencing of microbial 16S and 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes in the fitness influenced populations (5N and 5P). Several microbial taxa were associated with fecal treatments and reduced mite fitness, including Staphylococcus and Bartonella-like bacteria, and the fungal genera Yamadazyma, Candida, and Aspergillus. Although coprophagy is the transmission route mites used to obtain beneficial gut bacteria such as Bartonella-like organisms, the results of this study demonstrate that fecal-associated microorganisms can have negative effects on some populations of T. putrescentiae fitness, and this may counteract the positive effects of gut symbiont acquisition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan J. Green
- Genomics and Microbiome Core Facility, Rush University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | - Jan Hubert
- Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czechia
- *Correspondence: Jan Hubert, ;
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Abstract
Beetles are hosts to a remarkable diversity of bacterial symbionts. In this article, we review the role of these partnerships in promoting beetle fitness following a surge of recent studies characterizing symbiont localization and function across the Coleoptera. Symbiont contributions range from the supplementation of essential nutrients and digestive or detoxifying enzymes to the production of bioactive compounds providing defense against natural enemies. Insights on this functional diversity highlight how symbiosis can expand the host's ecological niche, but also constrain its evolutionary potential by promoting specialization. As bacterial localization can differ within and between beetle clades, we discuss how it corresponds to the microbe's beneficial role and outline the molecular and behavioral mechanisms underlying symbiont translocation and transmission by its holometabolous host. In reviewing this literature, we emphasize how the study of symbiosis can inform our understanding of the phenotypic innovations behind the evolutionary success of beetles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Salem
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany;
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany;
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz 55128, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Genetic analysis of dicyemid infrapopulations suggests sexual reproduction and host colonization by multiple individuals is common. ORG DIVERS EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-021-00493-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
|
11
|
Abstract
Animals live in symbiosis with numerous microbe species. While some can protect hosts from infection and benefit host health, components of the microbiota or changes to the microbial landscape have the potential to facilitate infections and worsen disease severity. Pathogens and pathobionts can exploit microbiota metabolites, or can take advantage of a depletion in host defences and changing conditions within a host, to cause opportunistic infection. The microbiota might also favour a more virulent evolutionary trajectory for invading pathogens. In this review, we consider the ways in which a host microbiota contributes to infectious disease throughout the host's life and potentially across evolutionary time. We further discuss the implications of these negative outcomes for microbiota manipulation and engineering in disease management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily J. Stevens
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kieran A. Bates
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kayla C. King
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Vega FE, Emche S, Shao J, Simpkins A, Summers RM, Mock MB, Ebert D, Infante F, Aoki S, Maul JE. Cultivation and Genome Sequencing of Bacteria Isolated From the Coffee Berry Borer ( Hypothenemus hampei), With Emphasis on the Role of Caffeine Degradation. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:644768. [PMID: 33889142 PMCID: PMC8055839 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.644768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The coffee berry borer, the most economically important insect pest of coffee worldwide, is the only insect capable of feeding and reproducing solely on the coffee seed, a food source containing the purine alkaloid caffeine. Twenty-one bacterial species associated with coffee berry borers from Hawai’i, Mexico, or a laboratory colony in Maryland (Acinetobacter sp. S40, S54, S55, Bacillus aryabhattai, Delftia lacustris, Erwinia sp. S38, S43, S63, Klebsiella oxytoca, Ochrobactrum sp. S45, S46, Pantoea sp. S61, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. parafulva, and Pseudomonas sp. S30, S31, S32, S37, S44, S60, S75) were found to have at least one of five caffeine N-demethylation genes (ndmA, ndmB, ndmC, ndmD, ndmE), with Pseudomonas spp. S31, S32, S37, S60 and P. parafulva having the full complement of these genes. Some of the bacteria carrying the ndm genes were detected in eggs, suggesting possible vertical transmission, while presence of caffeine-degrading bacteria in frass, e.g., P. parafulva (ndmABCDE) and Bacillus aryabhattai (ndmA) could result in horizontal transmission to all insect life stages. Thirty-five bacterial species associated with the insect (Acinetobacter sp. S40, S54, S55, B. aryabhattai, B. cereus group, Bacillus sp. S29, S70, S71, S72, S73, D. lacustris, Erwinia sp. S38, S43, S59, S63, K. oxytoca, Kosakonia cowanii, Ochrobactrum sp. S45, S46, Paenibacillus sp. S28, Pantoea sp. S61, S62, P. aeruginosa, P. parafulva, Pseudomonas sp. S30, S31, S32, S37, S44, S60, S75, Stenotrophomonas sp. S39, S41, S48, S49) might contribute to caffeine breakdown using the C-8 oxidation pathway, based on presence of genes required for this pathway. It is possible that caffeine-degrading bacteria associated with the coffee berry borer originated as epiphytes and endophytes in the coffee plant microbiota.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fernando E Vega
- Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Sarah Emche
- Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Jonathan Shao
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Ann Simpkins
- Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Ryan M Summers
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
| | - Meredith B Mock
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
| | - Dieter Ebert
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Sayaka Aoki
- Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Jude E Maul
- Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, United States
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
The Gut Microbiota of the Insect Infraorder Pentatomomorpha (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) for the Light of Ecology and Evolution. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9020464. [PMID: 33672230 PMCID: PMC7926433 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The stinkbugs of the infraorder Pentatomomorpha are a group of important plant sap-feeding insects, which host diverse microorganisms. Some are located in their complex morphological midgut compartments, while some within the specialized bacteriomes of insect hosts. This perpetuation of symbioses through host generations is reinforced via the diverse routes of vertical transmission or environmental acquisition of the symbionts. These symbiotic partners, reside either through the extracellular associations in midgut or intracellular associations in specialized cells, not only have contributed nutritional benefits to the insect hosts but also shaped their ecological and evolutionary basis. The stinkbugs and gut microbe symbioses present a valuable model that provides insights into symbiotic interactions between agricultural insects and microorganisms and may become potential agents for insect pest management.
Collapse
|
14
|
Chomicki G, Werner GDA, West SA, Kiers ET. Compartmentalization drives the evolution of symbiotic cooperation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190602. [PMID: 32772665 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Across the tree of life, hosts have evolved mechanisms to control and mediate interactions with symbiotic partners. We suggest that the evolution of physical structures that allow hosts to spatially separate symbionts, termed compartmentalization, is a common mechanism used by hosts. Such compartmentalization allows hosts to: (i) isolate symbionts and control their reproduction; (ii) reward cooperative symbionts and punish or stop interactions with non-cooperative symbionts; and (iii) reduce direct conflict among different symbionts strains in a single host. Compartmentalization has allowed hosts to increase the benefits that they obtain from symbiotic partners across a diversity of interactions, including legumes and rhizobia, plants and fungi, squid and Vibrio, insects and nutrient provisioning bacteria, plants and insects, and the human microbiome. In cases where compartmentalization has not evolved, we ask why not. We argue that when partners interact in a competitive hierarchy, or when hosts engage in partnerships which are less costly, compartmentalization is less likely to evolve. We conclude that compartmentalization is key to understanding the evolution of symbiotic cooperation. This article is part of the theme issue 'The role of the microbiome in host evolution'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Chomicki
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Gijsbert D A Werner
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Zoology Research and Administration Building, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK.,Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy, Buitenhof 34, 2513 AH Den Haag, The Netherlands
| | - Stuart A West
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Zoology Research and Administration Building, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - E Toby Kiers
- Department of Ecological Science, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Martinez AJ, Onchuru TO, Ingham CS, Sandoval‐Calderón M, Salem H, Deckert J, Kaltenpoth M. Angiosperm to Gymnosperm host‐plant switch entails shifts in microbiota of the
Welwitschia
bug,
Probergrothius angolensis
(Distant, 1902). Mol Ecol 2019; 28:5172-5187. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Javier Martinez
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany
| | - Thomas Ogao Onchuru
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany
| | - Chantal Selina Ingham
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany
| | | | - Hassan Salem
- Developmental Biology Max Planck Institute Tübingen Germany
- Department of Entomology Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Washington DC USA
| | - Jürgen Deckert
- Museum for Natural History Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity Science Berlin Germany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Hammer TJ, Moran NA. Links between metamorphosis and symbiosis in holometabolous insects. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190068. [PMID: 31438811 PMCID: PMC6711286 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Many animals depend on microbial symbionts to provide nutrition, defence or other services. Holometabolous insects, as well as other animals that undergo metamorphosis, face unique constraints on symbiont maintenance. Microbes present in larvae encounter a radical transformation of their habitat and may also need to withstand chemical and immunological challenges. Metamorphosis also provides an opportunity, in that symbiotic associations can be decoupled over development. For example, some holometabolous insects maintain the same symbiont as larvae and adults, but house it in different tissues; in other species, larvae and adults may harbour entirely different types or numbers of microbes, in accordance with shifts in host diet or habitat. Such flexibility may provide an advantage over hemimetabolous insects, in which selection on adult-stage microbial associations may be constrained by its negative effects on immature stages, and vice versa. Additionally, metamorphosis itself can be directly influenced by symbionts. Across disparate insect taxa, microbes protect hosts from pathogen infection, supply nutrients essential for rebuilding the adult body and provide cues regulating pupation. However, microbial associations remain completely unstudied for many families and even orders of Holometabola, and future research will undoubtedly reveal more links between metamorphosis and microbiota, two widespread features of animal life. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolution of complete metamorphosis'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tobin J. Hammer
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Established Cotton Stainer Gut Bacterial Mutualists Evade Regulation by Host Antimicrobial Peptides. Appl Environ Microbiol 2019; 85:AEM.00738-19. [PMID: 31028027 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00738-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Symbioses with microorganisms are ubiquitous in nature and confer important ecological traits to animal hosts but also require control mechanisms to ensure homeostasis of the symbiotic interactions. In addition to protecting hosts against pathogens, animal immune systems recognize, respond to, and regulate mutualists. The gut bacterial symbionts of the cotton stainer bug, Dysdercus fasciatus, elicit an immune response characterized by the upregulation of c-type lysozyme and the antimicrobial peptide pyrrhocoricin in bugs with their native gut microbiota compared to that in dysbiotic insects. In this study, we investigated the impact of the elicited antimicrobial immune response on the established cotton stainer gut bacterial symbiont populations. To this end, we used RNA interference (RNAi) to knock down immunity-related genes hypothesized to regulate the symbionts, and we subsequently measured the effect of this silencing on host fitness and on the abundance of the major gut bacterial symbionts. Despite successful downregulation of target genes by both ingestion and injection of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), the silencing of immunity-related genes had no effect on either host fitness or the qualitative and quantitative composition of established gut bacterial symbionts, indicating that the host immune responses are not actively involved in the regulation of the nutritional and defensive gut bacterial mutualists. These results suggest that close associations of bacterial symbionts with their hosts can result in the evolution of mechanisms ensuring that symbionts remain insensitive to host immunological responses, which may be important for the evolutionary stability of animal-microbe symbiotic associations.IMPORTANCE Animal immune systems are central for the protection of hosts against enemies by preventing or eliminating successful infections. However, in the presence of beneficial bacterial mutualists, the immune system must strike a balance of not killing the beneficial symbionts while at the same time preventing enemy attacks. Here, using the cotton stainer bug, we reveal that its long-term associated bacterial symbionts are insensitive to the host's immune effectors, suggesting adaptation to the host's defenses, thereby strengthening the stability of the symbiotic relationship. The ability of the symbionts to elicit host immune responses but remain insensitive themselves may be a mechanism by which the symbionts prime hosts to fight future pathogenic infections.
Collapse
|
18
|
Onchuru TO, Javier Martinez A, Ingham CS, Kaltenpoth M. Transmission of mutualistic bacteria in social and gregarious insects. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 28:50-58. [PMID: 30551767 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic microbes can confer a range of benefits to social, sub-social, and gregarious insects that include contributions to nutrition, digestion, and defense. Transmission of beneficial symbionts to the next generation in these insects sometimes occurs transovarially as in many solitary insects, but primarily through social contact such as coprophagy in gregarious taxa, and trophallaxis in eusocial insects. While these behaviors benefit reliable transmission of multi-microbial assemblages, they may also come at the cost of inviting the spread of parasites and pathogens. Nonetheless, the overall benefit of social symbiont transmission may be one of several important factors that reinforce the evolution of social behaviors and insect eusociality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Ogao Onchuru
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 13, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Adam Javier Martinez
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 13, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Chantal Selina Ingham
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 13, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 13, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Onchuru TO, Martinez AJ, Kaltenpoth M. The cotton stainer's gut microbiota suppresses infection of a cotransmitted trypanosomatid parasite. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:3408-3419. [PMID: 29972876 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionary and ecological success of many insects is attributed to mutualistic partnerships with bacteria that confer hosts with novel traits including food digestion, nutrient supplementation, detoxification of harmful compounds and defence against natural enemies. Dysdercus fasciatus firebugs (Hemiptera: Pyrrhocoridae), commonly known as cotton stainers, possess a simple but distinctive gut bacterial community including B vitamin-supplementing Coriobacteriaceae symbionts. In addition, their guts are often infested with the intestinal trypanosomatid parasite Leptomonas pyrrhocoris (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). In this study, using experimental bioassays and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we report on the protective role of the D. fasciatus gut bacteria against L. pyrrhocoris. We artificially infected 2nd instars of dysbiotic and symbiotic insects with a parasite culture and measured parasite titres, developmental time and survival rates. Our results show that L. pyrrhocoris infection increases developmental time and slightly modifies the quantitative composition of the gut microbiota. More importantly, we found significantly higher parasite titres and a tendency towards lower survival rates in parasite-infected dysbiotic insects compared to symbiotic controls, indicating that the gut bacteria successfully interfere with the establishment or proliferation of L. pyrrhocoris. The colonization of symbiotic bacteria on the peritrophic matrix along the gut wall, as revealed by FISH, likely acts as a barrier blocking parasite attachment or entry into the hemolymph. Our findings show that in addition to being nutritionally important, D. fasciatus' gut bacteria complement the host's immune system in preventing parasite invasions and that a stable gut microbial community is integral for the host's health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas O Onchuru
- Department for Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Adam J Martinez
- Department for Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department for Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iOME), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Symbiont switching and alternative resource acquisition strategies drive mutualism breakdown. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:5229-5234. [PMID: 29712857 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1721629115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperative interactions among species, termed mutualisms, have played a crucial role in the evolution of life on Earth. However, despite key potential benefits to partners, there are many cases in which two species cease to cooperate and mutualisms break down. What factors drive the evolutionary breakdown of mutualism? We examined the pathways toward breakdowns of the mutualism between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. By using a comparative approach, we identify ∼25 independent cases of complete mutualism breakdown across global seed plants. We found that breakdown of cooperation was only stable when host plants (i) partner with other root symbionts or (ii) evolve alternative resource acquisition strategies. Our results suggest that key mutualistic services are only permanently lost if hosts evolve alternative symbioses or adaptations.
Collapse
|
21
|
Wood CW, Pilkington BL, Vaidya P, Biel C, Stinchcombe JR. Genetic conflict with a parasitic nematode disrupts the legume-rhizobia mutualism. Evol Lett 2018; 2:233-245. [PMID: 30283679 PMCID: PMC6121810 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation for partner quality in mutualisms is an evolutionary paradox. One possible resolution to this puzzle is that there is a tradeoff between partner quality and other fitness‐related traits. Here, we tested whether susceptibility to parasitism is one such tradeoff in the mutualism between legumes and nitrogen‐fixing bacteria (rhizobia). We performed two greenhouse experiments with the legume Medicago truncatula. In the first, we inoculated each plant with the rhizobia Ensifer meliloti and with one of 40 genotypes of the parasitic root‐knot nematode Meloidogyne hapla. In the second experiment, we inoculated all plants with rhizobia and half of the plants with a genetically variable population of nematodes. Using the number of nematode galls as a proxy for infection severity, we found that plant genotypes differed in susceptibility to nematode infection, and nematode genotypes differed in infectivity. Second, we showed that there was a genetic correlation between the number of mutualistic structures formed by rhizobia (nodules) and the number of parasitic structures formed by nematodes (galls). Finally, we found that nematodes disrupt the rhizobia mutualism: nematode‐infected plants formed fewer nodules and had less nodule biomass than uninfected plants. Our results demonstrate that there is genetic conflict between attracting rhizobia and repelling nematodes in Medicago. If genetic conflict with parasitism is a general feature of mutualism, it could account for the maintenance of genetic variation in partner quality and influence the evolutionary dynamics of positive species interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Corlett W Wood
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - Bonnie L Pilkington
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - Priya Vaidya
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - Caroline Biel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - John R Stinchcombe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada.,Koffler Scientific Reserve University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Gomez-Polo P, Ballinger MJ, Lalzar M, Malik A, Ben-Dov Y, Mozes-Daube N, Perlman SJ, Iasur-Kruh L, Chiel E. An exceptional family: Ophiocordyceps-allied fungus dominates the microbiome of soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccidae). Mol Ecol 2017; 26:5855-5868. [PMID: 28833928 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Hemipteran insects of the suborder Sternorrhyncha are plant sap feeders, where each family is obligately associated with a specific bacterial endosymbiont that produces essential nutrients lacking in the sap. Coccidae (soft scale insects) is the only major sternorrhynchan family in which obligate symbiont(s) have not been identified. We studied the microbiota in seven species from this family from Israel, Spain and Cyprus, by high-throughput sequencing of ribosomal genes, and found that no specific bacterium was prevalent and abundant in all the tested species. In contrast, an Ophiocordyceps-allied fungus sp.-a lineage widely known as entomopathogenic-was highly prevalent. All individuals of all the tested species carried this fungus. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the Ophiocordyceps-allied fungus from the coccids is closely related to fungi described from other hemipterans, and they appear to be monophyletic, although the phylogenies of the Ophiocordyceps-allied fungi and their hosts do not appear to be congruent. Microscopic observations show that the fungal cells are lemon-shaped, are distributed throughout the host's body and are present in the eggs, suggesting vertical transmission. Taken together, the results suggest that the Ophiocordyceps-allied fungus may be a primary symbiont of Coccidae-a major evolutionary shift from bacteria to fungi in the Sternorrhyncha, and an important example of fungal evolutionary lifestyle switch.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Priscila Gomez-Polo
- Department of Biology and Environment, University of Haifa - Oranim, Tivon, Israel
| | | | - Maya Lalzar
- Bioinformatics Service Unit, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Assaf Malik
- Bioinformatics Service Unit, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yair Ben-Dov
- Department of Entomology, The Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Bet-Dagan, Israel
| | - Neta Mozes-Daube
- Newe-Ya'ar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Ramat-Yishai, Israel
| | - Steve J Perlman
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | - Lilach Iasur-Kruh
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, ORT Braude College of Engineering, Karmiel, Israel
| | - Elad Chiel
- Department of Biology and Environment, University of Haifa - Oranim, Tivon, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Vogel H, Shukla SP, Engl T, Weiss B, Fischer R, Steiger S, Heckel DG, Kaltenpoth M, Vilcinskas A. The digestive and defensive basis of carcass utilization by the burying beetle and its microbiota. Nat Commun 2017; 8:15186. [PMID: 28485370 PMCID: PMC5436106 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects that use ephemeral resources must rapidly digest nutrients and simultaneously protect them from competitors. Here we use burying beetles (Nicrophorus vespilloides), which feed their offspring on vertebrate carrion, to investigate the digestive and defensive basis of carrion utilization. We characterize gene expression and microbiota composition in the gut, anal secretions, and on carcasses used by the beetles. We find a strict functional compartmentalization of the gut involving differential expression of immune effectors (antimicrobial peptides and lysozymes), as well as digestive and detoxifying enzymes. A distinct microbial community composed of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and a clade of ascomycetous yeasts (genus Yarrowia) is present in larval and adult guts, and is transmitted to the carcass via anal secretions, where the yeasts express extracellular digestive enzymes and produce antimicrobial compounds. Our results provide evidence of potential metabolic cooperation between the host and its microbiota for digestion, detoxification and defence that extends from the beetle's gut to its nutritional resource.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heiko Vogel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Shantanu P Shukla
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, D-07745 Jena, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Research Group Insect Symbiosis, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias Engl
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Research Group Insect Symbiosis, D-07745 Jena, Germany.,Department for Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg University, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Benjamin Weiss
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Research Group Insect Symbiosis, D-07745 Jena, Germany.,Department for Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg University, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Rainer Fischer
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), D-52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Sandra Steiger
- University of Ulm, Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - David G Heckel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Research Group Insect Symbiosis, D-07745 Jena, Germany.,Department for Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg University, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Andreas Vilcinskas
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, D-35392 Giessen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|