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Grossi AA, Tian C, Ren M, Zou F, Gustafsson DR. Co-phylogeny of a hyper-symbiotic system: Endosymbiotic bacteria (Gammaproteobacteria), chewing lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) and birds (Passeriformes). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2024; 190:107957. [PMID: 37914031 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107957] [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: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Chewing lice are hosts to endosymbiotic bacteria as well as themselves being permanent parasites. This offers a unique opportunity to examine the cophylogenetic relationships between three ecologically interconnected organismal groups: birds, chewing lice, and bacteria. Here, we examine the cophylogenetic relationships between lice in the genus Guimaraesiella Eichler, 1949, their endosymbiotic Sodalis-allied bacteria, and a range of bird species from across South China. Both event and distance-based cophylogenetic analyses were explored to compare phylogenies of the three organismal groups. Pair-wise comparisons between lice-endosymbionts and bird-endosymbionts indicated that their evolutionary histories are not independent. However, comparisons between lice and birds, showed mixed results; the distance-based method of ParaFit indicated that their evolutionary histories are not independent, while the event-based method of Jane indicated that their phylogenies were no more congruent than expected by chance. Notably, louse host-switching does not seem to have affected bacterial strains, as conspecific lice sampled from distantly related hosts share bacteria belonging to the same clade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra A Grossi
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Library of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 105 Xingang West Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China.
| | - Chunpo Tian
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Library of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 105 Xingang West Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China; College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, 620 West Chang'an Street, Chang'an District, Xi'an City 710119, Shaanxi Province, China.
| | - Mengjiao Ren
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Library of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 105 Xingang West Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China; College of Biology and Environmental Science, Jishou University, 120 Renmin Road, Jishou 416000, Hunan Province, China.
| | - Fasheng Zou
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Library of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 105 Xingang West Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China.
| | - Daniel R Gustafsson
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Library of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 105 Xingang West Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China.
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Maruyama J, Inoue H, Hirose Y, Nakabachi A. 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing of Six Psyllid Species of the Family Carsidaridae Identified Various Bacteria Including Symbiopectobacterium. Microbes Environ 2023; 38:ME23045. [PMID: 37612118 PMCID: PMC10522848 DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.me23045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Psyllids (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Psylloidea) are plant sap-sucking insects that are closely associated with various microbes. To obtain a more detailed understanding of the ecological and evolutionary behaviors of microbes in Psylloidea, the bacterial populations of six psyllid species, belonging to the family Carsidaridae, were analyzed using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The majority of the secondary symbionts identified in the present study were gammaproteobacteria, particularly those of the order Enterobacterales, including Arsenophonus and Sodalis, which are lineages found in a wide variety of insect hosts. Additionally, Symbiopectobacterium, another Enterobacterales lineage, which has recently been recognized and increasingly shown to be vertically transmitted and mutualistic in various invertebrates, was identified for the first time in Psylloidea. This lineage is closely related to Pectobacterium spp., which are plant pathogens, but forms a distinct clade exhibiting no pathogenicity to plants. Non-Enterobacterales gammaproteobacteria found in the present study were Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas (both Pseudomonadales), Delftia, Comamonas (both Burkholderiales), and Xanthomonas (Xanthomonadales), a putative plant pathogen. Regarding alphaproteobacteria, three Wolbachia (Rickettsiales) lineages belonging to supergroup B, the major group in insect lineages, were detected in four psyllid species. In addition, a Wolbachia lineage of supergroup O, a minor group recently found for the first time in Psylloidea, was detected in one psyllid species. These results suggest the pervasive transfer of bacterial symbionts among animals and plants, providing deeper insights into the evolution of the interactions among these organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junnosuke Maruyama
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Science, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1–1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi 441–8580, Japan
| | - Hiromitsu Inoue
- Institute for Plant Protection, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739–2494, Japan
| | - Yuu Hirose
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Science, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1–1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi 441–8580, Japan
| | - Atsushi Nakabachi
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Science, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1–1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi 441–8580, Japan
- Research Institute for Technological Science and Innovation, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1–1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi 441–8580, Japan
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Tláskal V, Pylro VS, Žifčáková L, Baldrian P. Ecological Divergence Within the Enterobacterial Genus Sodalis: From Insect Symbionts to Inhabitants of Decomposing Deadwood. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:668644. [PMID: 34177846 PMCID: PMC8226273 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.668644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial genus Sodalis is represented by insect endosymbionts as well as free-living species. While the former have been studied frequently, the distribution of the latter is not yet clear. Here, we present a description of a free-living strain, Sodalis ligni sp. nov., originating from decomposing deadwood. The favored occurrence of S. ligni in deadwood is confirmed by both 16S rRNA gene distribution and metagenome data. Pangenome analysis of available Sodalis genomes shows at least three groups within the Sodalis genus: deadwood-associated strains, tsetse fly endosymbionts and endosymbionts of other insects. This differentiation is consistent in terms of the gene frequency level, genome similarity and carbohydrate-active enzyme composition of the genomes. Deadwood-associated strains contain genes for active decomposition of biopolymers of plant and fungal origin and can utilize more diverse carbon sources than their symbiotic relatives. Deadwood-associated strains, but not other Sodalis strains, have the genetic potential to fix N2, and the corresponding genes are expressed in deadwood. Nitrogenase genes are located within the genomes of Sodalis, including S. ligni, at multiple loci represented by more gene variants. We show decomposing wood to be a previously undescribed habitat of the genus Sodalis that appears to show striking ecological divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vojtěch Tláskal
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha, Czechia
| | - Victor Satler Pylro
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha, Czechia
- Microbial Ecology and Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Biology, Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, Brazil
| | - Lucia Žifčáková
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha, Czechia
| | - Petr Baldrian
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha, Czechia
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Abstract
Bacteriophages (phages) are ubiquitous in nature. These viruses play a number of central roles in microbial ecology and evolution by, for instance, promoting horizontal gene transfer (HGT) among bacterial species. The ability of phages to mediate HGT through transduction has been widely exploited as an experimental tool for the genetic study of bacteria. As such, bacteriophage P1 represents a prototypical generalized transducing phage with a broad host range that has been extensively employed in the genetic manipulation of Escherichia coli and a number of other model bacterial species. Here we demonstrate that P1 is capable of infecting, lysogenizing, and promoting transduction in members of the bacterial genus Sodalis, including the maternally inherited insect endosymbiont Sodalis glossinidius. While establishing new tools for the genetic study of these bacterial species, our results suggest that P1 may be used to deliver DNA to many Gram-negative endosymbionts in their insect host, thereby circumventing a culturing requirement to genetically manipulate these organisms. IMPORTANCE A large number of economically important insects maintain intimate associations with maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria. Due to the inherent nature of these associations, insect endosymbionts cannot be usually isolated in pure culture or genetically manipulated. Here we use a broad-host-range bacteriophage to deliver exogenous DNA to an insect endosymbiont and a closely related free-living species. Our results suggest that broad-host-range bacteriophages can be used to genetically alter insect endosymbionts in their insect host and, as a result, bypass a culturing requirement to genetically alter these bacteria.
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Sontowski R, Gerth M, Richter S, Gruppe A, Schlegel M, van Dam NM, Bleidorn C. Infection Patterns and Fitness Effects of Rickettsia and Sodalis Symbionts in the Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11120867. [PMID: 33297293 PMCID: PMC7762206 DOI: 10.3390/insects11120867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Bacteria have occupied a wide range of habitats including insect hosts. There they can strongly affect host physiology and ecology in a positive or negative way. Bacteria living exclusively inside other organisms are called endosymbionts. They often establish a long-term and stable association with their host. Although more and more studies focus on endosymbiont–insect interactions, the group of Neuroptera is largely neglected in such studies. We were interested in the common green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea), a representative of Neuroptera, which is mainly known for its use in biological pest control. We asked ourselves which endosymbionts are present in these lacewings. By screening natural and laboratory populations, we found that the endosymbiont Rickettsia is present in all populations but the symbiont Sodalis only occurred in laboratory populations. We were curious whether both endosymbionts affect reproduction success. Through establishing and studying green lacewing lines carrying different endosymbionts, we found that Rickettsia had no effect on the insect reproduction, while Sodalis reduced the number of eggs laid by lacewings, alone and in co-infections with Rickettsia. The economic and ecological importance of green lacewings in biological pest control warrants a more profound understanding of its biology, which might be strongly influenced by symbionts. Abstract Endosymbionts are widely distributed in insects and can strongly affect their host ecology. The common green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) is a neuropteran insect which is widely used in biological pest control. However, their endosymbionts and their interactions with their hosts have not been very well studied. Therefore, we screened for endosymbionts in natural and laboratory populations of Ch. carnea using diagnostic PCR amplicons. We found the endosymbiont Rickettsia to be very common in all screened natural and laboratory populations, while a hitherto uncharacterized Sodalis strain was found only in laboratory populations. By establishing lacewing lines with no, single or co-infections of Sodalis and Rickettsia, we found a high vertical transmission rate for both endosymbionts (>89%). However, we were only able to estimate these numbers for co-infected lacewings. Sodalis negatively affected the reproductive success in single and co-infected Ch. carnea, while Rickettsia showed no effect. We hypothesize that the fitness costs accrued by Sodalis infections might be more tolerable in the laboratory than in natural populations, as the latter are also prone to fluctuating environmental conditions and natural enemies. The economic and ecological importance of lacewings in biological pest control warrants a more profound understanding of its biology, which might be influenced by symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekka Sontowski
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (R.S.); (M.S.); (N.M.v.D.)
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Michael Gerth
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK;
| | - Sandy Richter
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, King’s College London, 5 Cutcombe Road, London SE5 9RT, UK;
- Institute of Biology, Molecular Evolution and Systematics of Animals, University of Leipzig, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Axel Gruppe
- Chair of Zoology—Entomology Group, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany;
| | - Martin Schlegel
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (R.S.); (M.S.); (N.M.v.D.)
- Institute of Biology, Molecular Evolution and Systematics of Animals, University of Leipzig, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicole M. van Dam
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (R.S.); (M.S.); (N.M.v.D.)
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Christoph Bleidorn
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (R.S.); (M.S.); (N.M.v.D.)
- Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, Georg-Augustus-University, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-5513925459
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Medina Munoz M, Spencer N, Enomoto S, Dale C, Rio RVM. Quorum sensing sets the stage for the establishment and vertical transmission of Sodalis praecaptivus in tsetse flies. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008992. [PMID: 32797092 PMCID: PMC7449468 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial virulence factors facilitate host colonization and set the stage for the evolution of parasitic and mutualistic interactions. The Sodalis-allied clade of bacteria exhibit striking diversity in the range of both plant and animal feeding insects they inhabit, suggesting the appropriation of universal molecular mechanisms that facilitate establishment. Here, we report on the infection of the tsetse fly by free-living Sodalis praecaptivus, a close relative of many Sodalis-allied symbionts. Key genes involved in quorum sensing, including the homoserine lactone synthase (ypeI) and response regulators (yenR and ypeR) are integral for the benign colonization of S. praecaptivus. Mutants lacking ypeI, yenR and ypeR compromised tsetse survival as a consequence of their inability to repress virulence. Genes under quorum sensing, including homologs of the binary insecticidal toxin PirAB and a putative symbiosis-promoting factor CpmAJ, demonstrated negative and positive impacts, respectively, on tsetse survival. Taken together with results obtained from experiments involving weevils, this work shows that quorum sensing virulence suppression plays an integral role in facilitating the establishment of Sodalis-allied symbionts in diverse insect hosts. This knowledge contributes to the understanding of the early evolutionary steps involved in the formation of insect-bacterial symbiosis. Further, despite having no established history of interaction with tsetse, S. praecaptivus can infect reproductive tissues, enabling vertical transmission through adenotrophic viviparity within a single host generation. This creates an option for the use of S. praecaptivus in the biocontrol of insect disease vectors via paratransgenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Medina Munoz
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Noah Spencer
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
| | - Shinichiro Enomoto
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America
| | - Colin Dale
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America
| | - Rita V. M. Rio
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America
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Hall RJ, Thorpe S, Thomas GH, Wood AJ. Simulating the evolutionary trajectories of metabolic pathways for insect symbionts in the genus Sodalis. Microb Genom 2020; 6:mgen000378. [PMID: 32543366 PMCID: PMC7478623 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Insect-bacterial symbioses are ubiquitous, but there is still much to uncover about how these relationships establish, persist and evolve. The tsetse endosymbiont Sodalis glossinidius displays intriguing metabolic adaptations to its microenvironment, but the process by which this relationship evolved remains to be elucidated. The recent chance discovery of the free-living species of the genus Sodalis, Sodalis praecaptivus, provides a serendipitous starting point from which to investigate the evolution of this symbiosis. Here, we present a flux balance model for S. praecaptivus and empirically verify its predictions. Metabolic modelling is used in combination with a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to explore the trajectories that S. glossinidius may have undertaken from this starting point after becoming internalized. The order in which key genes are lost is shown to influence the evolved populations, providing possible targets for future in vitro genetic manipulation. This method provides a detailed perspective on possible evolutionary trajectories for S. glossinidius in this fundamental process of evolutionary and ecological change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J. Hall
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5NG, UK
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2TQ, UK
| | - Stephen Thorpe
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5NG, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Gavin H. Thomas
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5NG, UK
| | - A. Jamie Wood
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5NG, UK
- Department of Mathematics, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
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Jiménez-Cortés JG, García-Contreras R, Bucio-Torres MI, Cabrera-Bravo M, Córdoba-Aguilar A, Benelli G, Salazar-Schettino PM. Bacterial symbionts in human blood-feeding arthropods: Patterns, general mechanisms and effects of global ecological changes. Acta Trop 2018; 186:69-101. [PMID: 30003907 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2018.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2018] [Revised: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Due to their high impact on public health, human blood-feeding arthropods are one of the most relevant animal groups. Bacterial symbionts have been long known to play a role in the metabolism, and reproduction of these arthropod vectors. Nowadays, we have a more complete picture of their functions, acknowledging the wide influence of bacterial symbionts on processes ranging from the immune response of the arthropod host to the possible establishment of pathogens and parasites. One or two primary symbiont species have been found to co-evolve along with their host in each taxon (being ticks an exception), leading to various kinds of symbiosis, mostly mutualistic in nature. Moreover, several secondary symbiont species are shared by all arthropod groups. With respect to gut microbiota, several bacterial symbionts genera are hosted in common, indicating that these bacterial groups are prone to invade several hematophagous arthropod species feeding on humans. The main mechanisms underlying bacterium-arthropod symbiosis are discussed, highlighting that even primary symbionts elicit an immune response from the host. Bacterial groups in the gut microbiota play a key role in immune homeostasis, and in some cases symbiont bacteria could be competing directly or indirectly with pathogens and parasites. Finally, the effects climate change, great human migrations, and the increasingly frequent interactions of wild and domestic animal species are analyzed, along with their implications on microbiota alteration and their possible impacts on public health and the control of pathogens and parasites harbored in arthropod vectors of human parasites and pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Guillermo Jiménez-Cortés
- Laboratorio de Biología de Parásitos, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
| | - Rodolfo García-Contreras
- Laboratorio de Bacteriología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México
| | - Martha I Bucio-Torres
- Laboratorio de Biología de Parásitos, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México
| | - Margarita Cabrera-Bravo
- Laboratorio de Biología de Parásitos, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México
| | - Alex Córdoba-Aguilar
- Laboratorio de Ecología de la Conducta de Artrópodos, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México
| | - Giovanni Benelli
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy; The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paz M Salazar-Schettino
- Laboratorio de Biología de Parásitos, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
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Santos-Garcia D, Silva FJ, Morin S, Dettner K, Kuechler SM. The All-Rounder Sodalis: A New Bacteriome-Associated Endosymbiont of the Lygaeoid Bug Henestaris halophilus (Heteroptera: Henestarinae) and a Critical Examination of Its Evolution. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 9:2893-2910. [PMID: 29036401 PMCID: PMC5737371 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hemipteran insects are well-known in their ability to establish symbiotic relationships with bacteria. Among them, heteropteran insects present an array of symbiotic systems, ranging from the most common gut crypt symbiosis to the more restricted bacteriome-associated endosymbiosis, which have only been detected in members of the superfamily Lygaeoidea and the family Cimicidae so far. Genomic data of heteropteran endosymbionts are scarce and have merely been analyzed from the Wolbachia endosymbiont in bed bug and a few gut crypt-associated symbionts in pentatomoid bugs. In this study, we present the first detailed genomic analysis of a bacteriome-associated endosymbiont of a phytophagous heteropteran, present in the seed bug Henestaris halophilus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea). Using phylogenomics and genomics approaches, we have assigned the newly characterized endosymbiont to the Sodalis genus, named as Candidatus Sodalis baculum sp. nov. strain kilmister. In addition, our findings support the reunification of the Sodalis genus, currently divided into six different genera. We have also conducted comparative analyses between 15 Sodalis species that present different genome sizes and symbiotic relationships. These analyses suggest that Ca. Sodalis baculum is a mutualistic endosymbiont capable of supplying the amino acids tyrosine, lysine, and some cofactors to its host. It has a small genome with pseudogenes but no mobile elements, which indicates middle-stage reductive evolution. Most of the genes in Ca. Sodalis baculum are likely to be evolving under purifying selection with several signals pointing to the retention of the lysine/tyrosine biosynthetic pathways compared with other Sodalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Santos-Garcia
- Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Francisco J Silva
- Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat de València, Spain.,Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Universitat de València-CSIC, Spain
| | - Shai Morin
- Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Konrad Dettner
- Department of Animal Ecology II, University of Bayreuth, Germany
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Michalik A, Szwedo J, Stroiński A, Świerczewski D, Szklarzewicz T. Symbiotic cornucopia of the monophagous planthopper Ommatidiotus dissimilis (Fallén, 1806) (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Caliscelidae). PROTOPLASMA 2018; 255:1317-1329. [PMID: 29516174 PMCID: PMC6133087 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-018-1234-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
In contrast to Cicadomorpha, in which numerous symbiotic bacteria have been identified and characterized, the symbionts of fulgoromorphans are poorly known. Here, we present the results of histological, ultrastructural, and molecular analyses of the symbiotic system of the planthopper Ommatidiotus dissimilis. Amplification, cloning, and sequencing of bacterial 16S RNA genes have revealed that O. dissimilis is host to five types of bacteria. Apart from bacteria Sulcia and Vidania, which are regarded as ancestral symbionts of Fulgoromorpha, three additional types of bacteria belonging to the genera Sodalis, Wolbachia, and Rickettsia have been detected. Histological and ultrastructural investigations have shown that bacteria Sulcia, Vidania, and Sodalis house separate bacteriocytes, whereas bacteria Wolbachia and Rickettsia are dispersed within various insect tissue. Additionally, bacteria belonging to the genus Vidania occupy the bacteriome localized in the lumen of the hindgut. Both molecular and microscopic analyses have revealed that all the symbionts are transovarially transmitted between generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Michalik
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Jacek Szwedo
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Adam Stroiński
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Dariusz Świerczewski
- Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Jan Długosz University, Armii Krajowej 13/15, 42-201 Częstochowa, Poland
| | - Teresa Szklarzewicz
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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11
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Kobiałka M, Michalik A, Szwedo J, Szklarzewicz T. Diversity of symbiotic microbiota in Deltocephalinae leafhoppers (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadellidae). ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2018; 47:268-278. [PMID: 29621609 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2018.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic microorganisms associated with thirteen species of the subfamily Deltocephalinae were examined using microscopic and molecular techniques. Athysanus argentarius, Euscelis incisus, Doratura stylata, Arthaldeus pascuellus, Errastunus ocellaris, Jassargus flori, Jassargus pseudocellaris, Psammotettix alienus, Psammotettix confinis, Turrutus socialis and Verdanus abdominalis harbor two types of ancient bacteriome-associated microorganisms: bacteria Sulcia (phylum Bacteroidetes) and bacteria Nasuia (phylum Proteobacteria, class Betaproteobacteria). In Balclutha calamagrostis and Balclutha punctata, the bacterium Nasuia has not been detected. In the bacteriomes of both species of Balclutha examined, only bacteria Sulcia occur, whereas Sodalis-like symbionts (phylum Proteobacteria, class Gammaproteobacteria) are localized in the fat body cells, in close vicinity of the bacteriomes. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the co-existence in Deltocephalinae leafhoppers of the ancient symbiont Sulcia and the more recently acquired Sodalis-like bacterium. The obtained results provide further evidence indicating that Deltocephalinae leafhoppers are characterized by a large diversity of symbiotic systems, which results from symbiont acquisition and replacement. The obtained results are additionally discussed in phylogenetic context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Kobiałka
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Michalik
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Jacek Szwedo
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Teresa Szklarzewicz
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland.
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Szklarzewicz T, Kalandyk-Kołodziejczyk M, Michalik K, Jankowska W, Michalik A. Symbiotic microorganisms in Puto superbus (Leonardi, 1907) (Insecta, Hemiptera, Coccomorpha: Putoidae). PROTOPLASMA 2018; 255:129-138. [PMID: 28667411 PMCID: PMC5756284 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-017-1135-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The scale insect Puto superbus (Putoidae) lives in mutualistic symbiotic association with bacteria. Molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed that symbionts of P. superbus belong to the gammaproteobacterial genus Sodalis. In the adult females, symbionts occur both in the bacteriocytes constituting compact bacteriomes and in individual bacteriocytes, which are dispersed among ovarioles. The bacteriocytes also house a few small, rod-shaped Wolbachia bacteria in addition to the numerous large, elongated Sodalis-allied bacteria. The symbiotic microorganisms are transovarially transmitted from generation to generation. In adult females which have choriogenic oocytes in the ovarioles, the bacteriocytes gather around the basal part of the tropharium. Next, the entire bacteriocytes pass through the follicular epithelium surrounding the neck region of the ovariole and enter the space between oocyte and follicular epithelium (perivitelline space). In the perivitelline space, the bacteriocytes assemble extracellularly in the deep depression of the oolemma at the anterior pole of the oocyte, forming a "symbiont ball".
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Szklarzewicz
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Katarzyna Michalik
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Władysława Jankowska
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Michalik
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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Šochová E, Husník F, Nováková E, Halajian A, Hypša V. Arsenophonus and Sodalis replacements shape evolution of symbiosis in louse flies. PeerJ 2017; 5:e4099. [PMID: 29250466 PMCID: PMC5729840 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiotic interactions between insects and bacteria are ubiquitous and form a continuum from loose facultative symbiosis to greatly intimate and stable obligate symbiosis. In blood-sucking insects living exclusively on vertebrate blood, obligate endosymbionts are essential for hosts and hypothesized to supplement B-vitamins and cofactors missing from their blood diet. The role and distribution of facultative endosymbionts and their evolutionary significance as seeds of obligate symbioses are much less understood. Here, using phylogenetic approaches, we focus on the Hippoboscidae phylogeny as well as the stability and dynamics of obligate symbioses within this bloodsucking group. In particular, we demonstrate a new potentially obligate lineage of Sodalis co-evolving with the Olfersini subclade of Hippoboscidae. We also show several likely facultative Sodalis lineages closely related to Sodalis praecaptivus (HS strain) and suggest repeated acquisition of novel symbionts from the environment. Similar to Sodalis, Arsenophonus endosymbionts also form both obligate endosymbiotic lineages co-evolving with their hosts (Ornithomyini and Ornithoica groups) as well as possibly facultative infections incongruent with the Hippoboscidae phylogeny. Finally, we reveal substantial diversity of Wolbachia strains detected in Hippoboscidae samples falling into three supergroups: A, B, and the most common F. Altogether, our results prove the associations between Hippoboscoidea and their symbiotic bacteria to undergo surprisingly dynamic, yet selective, evolutionary processes strongly shaped by repeated endosymbiont replacements. Interestingly, obligate symbionts only originate from two endosymbiont genera, Arsenophonus and Sodalis, suggesting that the host is either highly selective about its future obligate symbionts or that these two lineages are the most competitive when establishing symbioses in louse flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Šochová
- Department of Parasitology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Filip Husník
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Nováková
- Department of Parasitology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Ali Halajian
- Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
| | - Václav Hypša
- Department of Parasitology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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Hall AAG, Morrow JL, Fromont C, Steinbauer MJ, Taylor GS, Johnson SN, Cook JM, Riegler M. Codivergence of the primary bacterial endosymbiont of psyllids versus host switches and replacement of their secondary bacterial endosymbionts. Environ Microbiol 2016; 18:2591-603. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aidan A. G. Hall
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University; Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
| | - Jennifer L. Morrow
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University; Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
| | - Caroline Fromont
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University; Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
| | - Martin J. Steinbauer
- Department of Ecology, Environment & Evolution; La Trobe University; Melbourne VIC 3084 Australia
| | - Gary S. Taylor
- Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity; The University of Adelaide; Adelaide SA 5005 Australia
| | - Scott N. Johnson
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University; Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
| | - James M. Cook
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University; Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
| | - Markus Riegler
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University; Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
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Grandeur Alliances: Symbiont Metabolic Integration and Obligate Arthropod Hematophagy. Trends Parasitol 2016; 32:739-749. [PMID: 27236581 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2016.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Several arthropod taxa live exclusively on vertebrate blood. This food source lacks essential metabolites required for the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis, and as such, these arthropods have formed symbioses with nutrient-supplementing microbes that facilitate their host's 'hematophagous' feeding ecology. Herein we highlight metabolic contributions of bacterial symbionts that reside within tsetse flies, bed bugs, lice, reduviid bugs, and ticks, with specific emphasis on B vitamin and cofactor biosynthesis. Importantly, these arthropods can transmit pathogens of medical and veterinary relevance and/or cause infestations that induce psychological and dermatological distress. Microbial metabolites, and the biochemical pathways that generate them, can serve as specific targets of novel control mechanisms aimed at disrupting the metabolism of hematophagous arthropods, thus combatting pest invasion and vector-borne pathogen transmission.
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Two Bacterial Genera, Sodalis and Rickettsia, Associated with the Seal Louse Proechinophthirus fluctus (Phthiraptera: Anoplura). Appl Environ Microbiol 2016; 82:3185-97. [PMID: 26994086 PMCID: PMC4959230 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00282-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Roughly 10% to 15% of insect species host heritable symbiotic bacteria known as endosymbionts. The lice parasitizing mammals rely on endosymbionts to provide essential vitamins absent in their blood meals. Here, we describe two bacterial associates from a louse, Proechinophthirus fluctus, which is an obligate ectoparasite of a marine mammal. One of these is a heritable endosymbiont that is not closely related to endosymbionts of other mammalian lice. Rather, it is more closely related to endosymbionts of the genus Sodalis associated with spittlebugs and feather-chewing bird lice. Localization and vertical transmission of this endosymbiont are also more similar to those of bird lice than to those of other mammalian lice. The endosymbiont genome appears to be degrading in symbiosis; however, it is considerably larger than the genomes of other mammalian louse endosymbionts. These patterns suggest the possibility that this Sodalis endosymbiont might be recently acquired, replacing a now-extinct, ancient endosymbiont. From the same lice, we also identified an abundant bacterium belonging to the genus Rickettsia that is closely related to Rickettsia ricketsii, a human pathogen vectored by ticks. No obvious masses of the Rickettsia bacterium were observed in louse tissues, nor did we find any evidence of vertical transmission, so the nature of its association remains unclear. IMPORTANCE Many insects are host to heritable symbiotic bacteria. These heritable bacteria have been identified from numerous species of parasitic lice. It appears that novel symbioses have formed between lice and bacteria many times, with new bacterial symbionts potentially replacing existing ones. However, little was known about the symbionts of lice parasitizing marine mammals. Here, we identified a heritable bacterial symbiont in lice parasitizing northern fur seals. This bacterial symbiont appears to have been recently acquired by the lice. The findings reported here provide insights into how new symbioses form and how this lifestyle is shaping the symbiont genome.
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Arsenophonus and Sodalis Symbionts in Louse Flies: an Analogy to the Wigglesworthia and Sodalis System in Tsetse Flies. Appl Environ Microbiol 2015; 81:6189-99. [PMID: 26150448 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01487-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Symbiosis between insects and bacteria result in a variety of arrangements, genomic modifications, and metabolic interconnections. Here, we present genomic, phylogenetic, and morphological characteristics of a symbiotic system associated with Melophagus ovinus, a member of the blood-feeding family Hippoboscidae. The system comprises four unrelated bacteria representing different stages in symbiosis evolution, from typical obligate mutualists inhabiting bacteriomes to freely associated commensals and parasites. Interestingly, the whole system provides a remarkable analogy to the association between Glossina and its symbiotic bacteria. In both, the symbiotic systems are composed of an obligate symbiont and two facultative intracellular associates, Sodalis and Wolbachia. In addition, extracellular Bartonella resides in the gut of Melophagus. However, the phylogenetic origins of the two obligate mutualist symbionts differ. In Glossina, the mutualistic Wigglesworthia appears to be a relatively isolated symbiotic lineage, whereas in Melophagus, the obligate symbiont originated within the widely distributed Arsenophonus cluster. Although phylogenetically distant, the two obligate symbionts display several remarkably similar traits (e.g., transmission via the host's "milk glands" or similar pattern of genome reduction). To obtain better insight into the biology and possible role of the M. ovinus obligate symbiont, "Candidatus Arsenophonus melophagi," we performed several comparisons of its gene content based on assignments of the Cluster of Orthologous Genes (COG). Using this criterion, we show that within a set of 44 primary and secondary symbionts, "Ca. Arsenophonus melophagi" is most similar to Wigglesworthia. On the other hand, these two bacteria also display interesting differences, such as absence of flagellar genes in Arsenophonus and their presence in Wigglesworthia. This finding implies that a flagellum is not essential for bacterial transmission via milk glands.
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Hosokawa T, Kaiwa N, Matsuura Y, Kikuchi Y, Fukatsu T. Infection prevalence of Sodalis symbionts among stinkbugs. ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2015; 1:5. [PMID: 26605050 PMCID: PMC4604117 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-014-0009-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2014] [Accepted: 11/11/2014] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Diverse insects and other organisms are associated with microbial symbionts, which often significantly contribute to growth and survival of their hosts and/or drastically affect phenotypes of their hosts in a variety of ways. Sodalis glossinidius was first identified as a facultative bacterial symbiont of tsetse flies, and recent studies revealed that Sodalis-allied bacteria encompass diverse ecological niches ranging from free-living bacteria through facultative symbionts to obligate symbionts associated with a diverse array of insects. Despite potential ecological and evolutionary relevance of the Sodalis symbionts, their infection prevalence in natural insect populations has been poorly investigated. RESULTS Here we surveyed diverse stinkbugs and allied terrestrial heteropteran bugs, which represented 17 families, 77 genera, 108 species, 310 populations and 960 individuals, for infection with the Sodalis symbionts. Diagnostic PCR detected relatively low infection frequencies of the Sodalis symbionts: 13.6% (14/103) of the species, 7.5% (22/295) of the populations, and 4.3% (35/822) of the individuals of the stinkbugs except for those belonging to the family Urostylididae. Among the urostylidid stinkbugs, strikingly, the Sodalis symbionts exhibited very high infection frequencies: 100% (5/5) of the species, 100% (15/15) of the populations, and 94.2% (130/138) of the individuals we examined. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that all the symbionts were placed in the clade of Sodalis-allied bacteria while the symbiont phylogeny did not reflect the systematics of their stinkbug hosts. Notably, the Sodalis symbionts of the urostylidid stinkbugs were not clustered with the Sodalis symbionts of the other stinkbug groups on the phylogeny, suggesting their distinct evolutionary trajectories. CONCLUSIONS The relatively low infection frequency and the overall host-symbiont phylogenetic incongruence suggest that the Sodalis symbionts are, in general, facultative symbiotic associates in the majority of the stinkbug groups. On the other hand, it is conceivable, although speculative, that the Sodalis symbionts may play some substantial biological roles for their host stinkbugs of the Urostylididae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Hosokawa
- />Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan
- />Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, 903-0213 Japan
| | - Nahomi Kaiwa
- />Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan
- />Department of General Systems Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 153-8902 Japan
| | - Yu Matsuura
- />Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan
- />Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810 Japan
| | - Yoshitomo Kikuchi
- />Bioproduction Research Institute, Hokkaido Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Sapporo, 062-8517 Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- />Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan
- />Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8572 Japan
- />Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
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Sassera D, Epis S, Pajoro M, Bandi C. Microbial symbiosis and the control of vector-borne pathogens in tsetse flies, human lice, and triatomine bugs. Pathog Glob Health 2014; 107:285-92. [PMID: 24188239 DOI: 10.1179/2047773213y.0000000109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiosis is a widespread biological phenomenon, and is particularly common in arthropods. Bloodsucking insects are among the organisms that rely on beneficial bacterial symbionts to complement their unbalanced diet. This review is focused on describing symbiosis, and possible strategies for the symbiont-based control of insects and insect-borne diseases, in three bloodsucking insects of medical importance: the flies of the genus Glossina, the lice of the genus Pediculus, and triatomine bugs of the subfamily Triatominae. Glossina flies are vector of Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of sleeping sickness and other pathologies. They are also associated with two distinct bacterial symbionts, the primary symbiont Wigglesworthia spp., and the secondary, culturable symbiont Sodalis glossinidius. The primary symbiont of human lice, Riesia pediculicola, has been shown to be fundamental for the host, due to its capacity to synthesize B-group vitamins. An antisymbiotic approach, with antibiotic treatment targeted on the lice symbionts, could represent an alternative strategy to control these ectoparasites. In the case of triatominae bugs, the genetic modification of their symbiotic Rhodococcus bacteria, for production of anti-Trypanosoma molecules, is an example of paratransgenesis, i.e. the use of symbiotic microorganism engineered in order to reduce the vector competence of the insect host.
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20
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Duron O, Schneppat UE, Berthomieu A, Goodman SM, Droz B, Paupy C, Nkoghe JO, Rahola N, Tortosa P. Origin, acquisition and diversification of heritable bacterial endosymbionts in louse flies and bat flies. Mol Ecol 2014; 23:2105-17. [PMID: 24612422 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2013] [Revised: 02/10/2014] [Accepted: 02/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The γ-proteobacterium Arsenophonus and its close relatives (Arsenophonus and like organisms, ALOs) are emerging as a novel clade of endosymbionts, which are exceptionally widespread in insects. The biology of ALOs is, however, in most cases entirely unknown, and it is unclear how these endosymbionts spread across insect populations. Here, we investigate this aspect through the examination of the presence, the diversity and the evolutionary history of ALOs in 25 related species of blood-feeding flies: tsetse flies (Glossinidae), louse flies (Hippoboscidae) and bat flies (Nycteribiidae and Streblidae). While these endosymbionts were not found in tsetse flies, we identify louse flies and bat flies as harbouring the highest diversity of ALO strains reported to date, including a novel ALO clade, as well as Arsenophonus and the recently described Candidatus Aschnera chinzeii. We further show that the origin of ALO endosymbioses extends deep into the evolutionary past of louse flies and bat flies, and that it probably played a major role in the ecological specialization of their hosts. The evolutionary history of ALOs is notably complex and was shaped by both vertical transmission and horizontal transfers with frequent host turnover and apparent symbiont replacement in host lineages. In particular, ALOs have evolved repeatedly and independently close relationships with diverse groups of louse flies and bat flies, as well as phylogenetically more distant insect families, suggesting that ALO endosymbioses are exceptionally dynamic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Duron
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UMR 5290-224 CNRS-IRD-UM1-UM2, Centre de Recherche IRD, 34090, Montpellier, France
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21
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Abstract
Microbial symbionts can be instrumental to the evolutionary success of their hosts. Here, we discuss medically significant tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae), a group comprised of over 30 species, and their use as a valuable model system to study the evolution of the holobiont (i.e., the host and associated microbes). We first describe the tsetse microbiota, which, despite its simplicity, harbors a diverse range of associations. The maternally transmitted microbes consistently include two Gammaproteobacteria, the obligate mutualists Wigglesworthia spp. and the commensal Sodalis glossinidius, along with the parasitic Alphaproteobacteria Wolbachia. These associations differ in their establishment times, making them unique and distinct from previously characterized symbioses, where multiple microbial partners have associated with their host for a significant portion of its evolution. We then expand into discussing the functional roles and intracommunity dynamics within this holobiont, which enhances our understanding of tsetse biology to encompass the vital functions and interactions of the microbial community. Potential disturbances influencing the tsetse microbiome, including salivary gland hypertrophy virus and trypanosome infections, are highlighted. While previous studies have described evolutionary consequences of host association for symbionts, the initial steps facilitating their incorporation into a holobiont and integration of partner biology have only begun to be explored. Research on the tsetse holobiont will contribute to the understanding of how microbial metabolic integration and interdependency initially may develop within hosts, elucidating mechanisms driving adaptations leading to cooperation and coresidence within the microbial community. Lastly, increased knowledge of the tsetse holobiont may also contribute to generating novel African trypanosomiasis disease control strategies.
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22
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Smith WA, Oakeson KF, Johnson KP, Reed DL, Carter T, Smith KL, Koga R, Fukatsu T, Clayton DH, Dale C. Phylogenetic analysis of symbionts in feather-feeding lice of the genus Columbicola: evidence for repeated symbiont replacements. BMC Evol Biol 2013; 13:109. [PMID: 23725492 PMCID: PMC3724504 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2012] [Accepted: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many groups of insects have obligate bacterial symbionts that are vertically transmitted. Such associations are typically characterized by the presence of a monophyletic group of bacteria living in a well-defined host clade. In addition the phylogeny of the symbiotic bacteria is typically congruent with that of the host, signifying co-speciation. Here we show that bacteria living in a single genus of feather lice, Columbicola (Insecta: Phthiraptera), present an exception to this typical pattern. RESULTS The phylogeny of Columbicola spp. symbionts revealed the presence of three candidate clades, with the most species-rich clade having a comb-like topology with very short internodes and long terminal branches. Evolutionary simulations indicate that this topology is characteristic of a process of repeated symbiont replacement over a brief time period. The two remaining candidate clades in our study exhibit high levels of nucleotide substitution, suggesting accelerated molecular evolution due to relaxed purifying selection or smaller effective population size, which is typical of many vertically transmitted insect symbionts. Representatives of the fast-evolving and slow-evolving symbiont lineages exhibit the same localization, migration, and transmission patterns in their hosts, implying direct replacement. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that repeated, independent symbiont replacements have taken place over the course of the relatively recent radiation of Columbicola spp. These results are compatible with the notion that lice and other insects have the capability to acquire novel symbionts through the domestication of progenitor strains residing in their local environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy A Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Kelly F Oakeson
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Kevin P Johnson
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, 1816 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
| | - David L Reed
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Tamar Carter
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Kari L Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Ryuichi Koga
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Dale H Clayton
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Colin Dale
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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A 454 survey reveals the community composition and core microbiome of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) across an Urban Landscape. PLoS One 2013; 8:e61465. [PMID: 23585900 PMCID: PMC3621965 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2012] [Accepted: 03/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Elucidating the spatial dynamic and core constituents of the microbial communities found in association with arthropod hosts is of crucial importance for insects that may vector human or agricultural pathogens. The hematophagous Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), known as the human bed bug, has made a recent resurgence in North America, as well as worldwide, potentially owing to increased travel, climate change and resistance to insecticides. A comprehensive survey of the bed bug microbiome has not been performed to date, nor has an assessment of the spatial dynamics of its microbiome. Here we present a survey of internal and external bed bug microbial communities by amplifying the V4–V6 hypervariable region of the 16S rDNA gene region followed by 454 Titanium sequencing using 31 individuals from eight distinct collection locations obtained from residences in Cincinnati, OH. Across all samples, 97% of the microbial community is made up of two dominant OTUs, previously identified as the α-proteobacterium Wolbachia and an unnamed γ-proteobacterium from the Enterobacteriaceae. Microbial communities varied among host locations for measures of community diversity and exhibited structure according to collection location. This broad survey represents the most in-depth assessment, to date, of the microbes that associate with bed bugs.
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Abd-Alla AMM, Bergoin M, Parker AG, Maniania NK, Vlak JM, Bourtzis K, Boucias DG, Aksoy S. Improving Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for tsetse flies through research on their symbionts and pathogens. J Invertebr Pathol 2013; 112 Suppl:S2-10. [PMID: 22841636 PMCID: PMC4242710 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2012.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2012] [Revised: 05/10/2012] [Accepted: 05/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) are the cyclical vectors of the trypanosomes, which cause human African trypanosomosis (HAT) or sleeping sickness in humans and African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) or nagana in animals. Due to the lack of effective vaccines and inexpensive drugs for HAT, and the development of resistance of the trypanosomes against the available trypanocidal drugs, vector control remains the most efficient strategy for sustainable management of these diseases. Among the control methods used for tsetse flies, Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), in the frame of area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM), represents an effective tactic to suppress and/or eradicate tsetse flies. One constraint in implementing SIT is the mass production of target species. Tsetse flies harbor obligate bacterial symbionts and salivary gland hypertrophy virus which modulate the fecundity of the infected flies. In support of the future expansion of the SIT for tsetse fly control, the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture implemented a six year Coordinated Research Project (CRP) entitled "Improving SIT for Tsetse Flies through Research on their Symbionts and Pathogens". The consortium focused on the prevalence and the interaction between the bacterial symbionts and the virus, the development of strategies to manage virus infections in tsetse colonies, the use of entomopathogenic fungi to control tsetse flies in combination with SIT, and the development of symbiont-based strategies to control tsetse flies and trypanosomosis. The results of the CRP and the solutions envisaged to alleviate the constraints of the mass rearing of tsetse flies for SIT are presented in this special issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adly M M Abd-Alla
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna, Austria.
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Diversification of endosymbiosis: replacements, co-speciation and promiscuity of bacteriocyte symbionts in weevils. ISME JOURNAL 2013; 7:1378-90. [PMID: 23446834 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2013.27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The processes and mechanisms underlying the diversification of host-microbe endosymbiotic associations are of evolutionary interest. Here we investigated the bacteriocyte-associated primary symbionts of weevils wherein the ancient symbiont Nardonella has experienced two independent replacement events: once by Curculioniphilus symbiont in the lineage of Curculio and allied weevils of the tribe Curculionini, and once by Sodalis-allied symbiont in the lineage of grain weevils of the genus Sitophilus. The Curculioniphilus symbiont was detected from 27 of 36 Curculionini species examined, the symbiont phylogeny was congruent with the host weevil phylogeny, and the symbiont gene sequences exhibited AT-biased nucleotide compositions and accelerated molecular evolution. These results suggest that the Curculioniphilus symbiont was acquired by an ancestor of the tribe Curculionini, replaced the original symbiont Nardonella, and has co-speciated with the host weevils over evolutionary time, but has been occasionally lost in several host lineages. By contrast, the Sodalis-allied symbiont of Sitophilus weevils exhibited no host-symbiont co-speciation, no AT-biased nucleotide compositions and only moderately accelerated molecular evolution. These results suggest that the Sodalis-allied symbiont was certainly acquired by an ancestor of the Sitophilus weevils and replaced the original Nardonella symbiont, but the symbiotic association must have experienced occasional re-associations such as new acquisitions, horizontal transfers, replacements and/or losses. We detected Sodalis-allied facultative symbionts in populations of the Curculionini weevils, which might represent potential evolutionary sources of the Sodalis-allied primary symbionts. Comparison of these newcomer bacteriocyte-associated symbiont lineages highlights potential evolutionary trajectories and consequences of novel symbionts after independent replacements of the same ancient symbiont.
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Russell JA, Funaro CF, Giraldo YM, Goldman-Huertas B, Suh D, Kronauer DJC, Moreau CS, Pierce NE. A veritable menagerie of heritable bacteria from ants, butterflies, and beyond: broad molecular surveys and a systematic review. PLoS One 2012; 7:e51027. [PMID: 23284655 PMCID: PMC3527441 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2012] [Accepted: 10/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternally transmitted bacteria have been important players in the evolution of insects and other arthropods, affecting their nutrition, defense, development, and reproduction. Wolbachia are the best studied among these and typically the most prevalent. While several other bacteria have independently evolved a heritable lifestyle, less is known about their host ranges. Moreover, most groups of insects have not had their heritable microflora systematically surveyed across a broad range of their taxonomic diversity. To help remedy these shortcomings we used diagnostic PCR to screen for five groups of heritable symbionts-Arsenophonus spp., Cardinium hertigii, Hamiltonella defensa, Spiroplasma spp., and Wolbachia spp.-across the ants and lepidopterans (focusing, in the latter case, on two butterfly families-the Lycaenidae and Nymphalidae). We did not detect Cardinium or Hamiltonella in any host. Wolbachia were the most widespread, while Spiroplasma (ants and lepidopterans) and Arsenophonus (ants only) were present at low levels. Co-infections with different Wolbachia strains appeared especially common in ants and less so in lepidopterans. While no additional facultative heritable symbionts were found among ants using universal bacterial primers, microbes related to heritable enteric bacteria were detected in several hosts. In summary, our findings show that Wolbachia are the dominant heritable symbionts of ants and at least some lepidopterans. However, a systematic review of symbiont frequencies across host taxa revealed that this is not always the case across other arthropods. Furthermore, comparisons of symbiont frequencies revealed that the prevalence of Wolbachia and other heritable symbionts varies substantially across lower-level arthropod taxa. We discuss the correlates, potential causes, and implications of these patterns, providing hypotheses on host attributes that may shape the distributions of these influential bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Russell
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
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Clayton AL, Oakeson KF, Gutin M, Pontes A, Dunn DM, von Niederhausern AC, Weiss RB, Fisher M, Dale C. A novel human-infection-derived bacterium provides insights into the evolutionary origins of mutualistic insect-bacterial symbioses. PLoS Genet 2012; 8:e1002990. [PMID: 23166503 PMCID: PMC3499248 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2012] [Accepted: 08/10/2012] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite extensive study, little is known about the origins of the mutualistic bacterial endosymbionts that inhabit approximately 10% of the world's insects. In this study, we characterized a novel opportunistic human pathogen, designated “strain HS,” and found that it is a close relative of the insect endosymbiont Sodalis glossinidius. Our results indicate that ancestral relatives of strain HS have served as progenitors for the independent descent of Sodalis-allied endosymbionts found in several insect hosts. Comparative analyses indicate that the gene inventories of the insect endosymbionts were independently derived from a common ancestral template through a combination of irreversible degenerative changes. Our results provide compelling support for the notion that mutualists evolve from pathogenic progenitors. They also elucidate the role of degenerative evolutionary processes in shaping the gene inventories of symbiotic bacteria at a very early stage in these mutualistic associations. Many insects harbor symbiotic bacteria that perform diverse functions within their hosts. However, the origins of these associations have been difficult to define. In this study we isolate a novel bacterium from a human infection and show that this bacterium is a close relative of the Sodalis-allied clade of insect symbionts. Comparative genomic analyses reveal that this organism maintains many genes that have been inactivated and lost independently in derived insect symbionts as a result of rapid genome degeneration. Our work also shows that recently derived Sodalis-allied symbionts maintain a significant population of “cryptic” pseudogenes that are assumed to have no beneficial function in the symbiosis but have not yet accumulated mutations that disrupt their translation. Taken together, our results show that genome degeneration proceeds rapidly following the onset of symbiosis. They also highlight the potential for diverse insect taxa to acquire closely related insect symbionts as a consequence of vectoring bacterial pathogens to plants and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam L Clayton
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America.
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Rosenblueth M, Sayavedra L, Sámano-Sánchez H, Roth A, Martínez-Romero E. Evolutionary relationships of flavobacterial and enterobacterial endosymbionts with their scale insect hosts (Hemiptera: Coccoidea). J Evol Biol 2012; 25:2357-68. [PMID: 22994649 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02611.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2011] [Revised: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 08/09/2012] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Flavobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae have been previously reported as scale insect endosymbionts. The purpose of this work was twofold: first, to screen different scale insect families for the presence of these endosymbionts by PCR analyses and second, to elucidate the history of cophylogeny between these bacteria and the insects by analysing a portion of 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene sequences by two reconciliation tools, CoRe-PA and Jane. From a survey of 27 scale insects within seven families, we identified Flavobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae as coexisting in ten species that belong to the Ortheziidae, Monophlebidae, Diaspididae and Coccidae families, and we frequently found two closely related enterobacteria harboured in the same individual. Analyses performed with CoRe-PA and Jane suggest that Flavobacteria from the scale insects analysed have a unique origin, except for Candidatus Brownia rhizoecola (Flavobacteria of Pseudococcidae, Phenacoccinae), which seems to come from a nonscale insect. Nevertheless, cospeciation between Flavobacteria and scale insects is suggested only within the families Monophlebidae, Ortheziidae and Diaspididae, and host switches seem to have occurred from the ancestors of Monophlebidae and Ortheziidae to insects from families Coccidae, Lecanodiaspididae, Eriococcidae and Pseudococcidae. Our analyses suggest that Enterobacteriaceae underwent more evolutionary events (losses, duplications and host switches), and their phylogenies showed a lower proportion of congruent nodes between host and bacteria, indicating a more relaxed relationship with scale insects compared with Flavobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónica Rosenblueth
- Programa de Ecología Genómica, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
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Van Den Abbeele J, Bourtzis K, Weiss B, Cordón-Rosales C, Miller W, Abd-Alla AMM, Parker A. Enhancing tsetse fly refractoriness to trypanosome infection--a new IAEA coordinated research project. J Invertebr Pathol 2012; 112 Suppl:S142-7. [PMID: 22841950 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2012.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2012] [Revised: 05/15/2012] [Accepted: 05/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
To date, IAEA-supported Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) projects for tsetse and trypanosomiasis control have been in areas without human sleeping sickness, but future projects could include areas of actual or potential human disease transmission. In this context it would be imperative that released sterile tsetse flies are incompetent to transmit the disease-causing trypanosome parasite. Therefore, development of tsetse fly strains refractory to trypanosome infection is highly desirable as a simple and effective method of ensuring vector incompetence of the released flies. This new IAEA Coordinated Research Project (CRP) focuses on gaining a deeper knowledge of the tripartite interactions between the tsetse fly vectors, their symbionts and trypanosome parasites. The objective of this CRP is to acquire a better understanding of mechanisms that limit the development of trypanosome infections in tsetse and how these may be enhanced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Van Den Abbeele
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Unit of Veterinary Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
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Soumana IH, Simo G, Njiokou F, Tchicaya B, Abd-Alla AMM, Cuny G, Geiger A. The bacterial flora of tsetse fly midgut and its effect on trypanosome transmission. J Invertebr Pathol 2012; 112 Suppl:S89-93. [PMID: 22841948 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2012.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2012] [Revised: 03/05/2012] [Accepted: 03/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The tsetse fly, Glossina palpalis is a vector of the trypanosome that causes sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in cattle along with associated human health problems and massive economic losses. The insect is also known to carry a number of symbionts such as Sodalis, Wigglesworthia, Wolbachia whose effects on the physiology of the insect have been studied in depth. However, effects of other bacterial flora on the physiology of the host and vector competence have received little attention. Epidemiological studies on tsetse fly populations from different geographic sites revealed the presence of a variety of bacteria in the midgut. The most common of the flora belong to the genera Entrobacter (most common), Enterococcus, and Acinetobacter. It was a little surprising to find such diversity in the tsetse midgut since the insect is monophagous consuming vertebrate blood only. Diversity of bacteria is normally associated with polyphagous insects. In contrast to the symbionts, the role of resident midgut bacterial flora on the physiology of the fly and vector competence remains to be elucidated. With regard, Sodalis glossinidius, our data showed that flies harbouring this symbiont have three times greater probability of being infected by trypanosomes than flies without the symbiont. The data delineated in these studies under score the need to carry out detailed investigations on the role of resident bacteria on the physiology of the fly and vector competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Illiassou Hamidou Soumana
- UMR 177, IRD-CIRAD, CIRAD TA A-17/G, Campus International de Baillarguet, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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Chrudimský T, Husník F, Nováková E, Hypša V. Candidatus Sodalis melophagi sp. nov.: phylogenetically independent comparative model to the tsetse fly symbiont Sodalis glossinidius. PLoS One 2012; 7:e40354. [PMID: 22815743 PMCID: PMC3398932 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0040354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2011] [Accepted: 06/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria of the genus Sodalis live in symbiosis with various groups of insects. The best known member of this group, a secondary symbiont of tsetse flies Sodalis glossinidius, has become one of the most important models in investigating establishment and evolution of insect-bacteria symbiosis. It represents a bacterium in the early/intermediate state of the transition towards symbiosis, which allows for exploring such interesting topics as: usage of secretory systems for entering the host cell, tempo of the genome modification, and metabolic interaction with a coexisting primary symbiont. In this study, we describe a new Sodalis species which could provide a useful comparative model to the tsetse symbiont. It lives in association with Melophagus ovinus, an insect related to tsetse flies, and resembles S. glossinidius in several important traits. Similar to S. glossinidius, it cohabits the host with another symbiotic bacterium, the bacteriome-harbored primary symbiont of the genus Arsenophonus. As a typical secondary symbiont, Candidatus Sodalis melophagi infects various host tissues, including bacteriome. We provide basic morphological and molecular characteristics of the symbiont and show that these traits also correspond to the early/intermediate state of the evolution towards symbiosis. Particularly, we demonstrate the ability of the bacterium to live in insect cell culture as well as in cell-free medium. We also provide basic characteristics of type three secretion system and using three reference sequences (16 S rDNA, groEL and spaPQR region) we show that the bacterium branched within the genus Sodalis, but originated independently of the two previously described symbionts of hippoboscoids. We propose the name Candidatus Sodalis melophagi for this new bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Chrudimský
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
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Boyd B, Reed D. Taxonomy of lice and their endosymbiotic bacteria in the post-genomic era. Clin Microbiol Infect 2012; 18:324-31. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03782.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Husník F, Chrudimský T, Hypša V. Multiple origins of endosymbiosis within the Enterobacteriaceae (γ-Proteobacteria): convergence of complex phylogenetic approaches. BMC Biol 2011; 9:87. [PMID: 22201529 PMCID: PMC3271043 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-9-87] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2011] [Accepted: 12/28/2011] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae gave rise to a variety of symbiotic forms, from the loosely associated commensals, often designated as secondary (S) symbionts, to obligate mutualists, called primary (P) symbionts. Determination of the evolutionary processes behind this phenomenon has long been hampered by the unreliability of phylogenetic reconstructions within this group of bacteria. The main reasons have been the absence of sufficient data, the highly derived nature of the symbiont genomes and lack of appropriate phylogenetic methods. Due to the extremely aberrant nature of their DNA, the symbiotic lineages within Enterobacteriaceae form long branches and tend to cluster as a monophyletic group. This state of phylogenetic uncertainty is now improving with an increasing number of complete bacterial genomes and development of new methods. In this study, we address the monophyly versus polyphyly of enterobacterial symbionts by exploring a multigene matrix within a complex phylogenetic framework. RESULTS We assembled the richest taxon sampling of Enterobacteriaceae to date (50 taxa, 69 orthologous genes with no missing data) and analyzed both nucleic and amino acid data sets using several probabilistic methods. We particularly focused on the long-branch attraction-reducing methods, such as a nucleotide and amino acid data recoding and exclusion (including our new approach and slow-fast analysis), taxa exclusion and usage of complex evolutionary models, such as nonhomogeneous model and models accounting for site-specific features of protein evolution (CAT and CAT+GTR). Our data strongly suggest independent origins of four symbiotic clusters; the first is formed by Hamiltonella and Regiella (S-symbionts) placed as a sister clade to Yersinia, the second comprises Arsenophonus and Riesia (S- and P-symbionts) as a sister clade to Proteus, the third Sodalis, Baumannia, Blochmannia and Wigglesworthia (S- and P-symbionts) as a sister or paraphyletic clade to the Pectobacterium and Dickeya clade and, finally, Buchnera species and Ishikawaella (P-symbionts) clustering with the Erwinia and Pantoea clade. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study confirm the efficiency of several artifact-reducing methods and strongly point towards the polyphyly of P-symbionts within Enterobacteriaceae. Interestingly, the model species of symbiotic bacteria research, Buchnera and Wigglesworthia, originated from closely related, but different, ancestors. The possible origins of intracellular symbiotic bacteria from gut-associated or pathogenic bacteria are suggested, as well as the role of facultative secondary symbionts as a source of bacteria that can gradually become obligate maternally transferred symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Husník
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Chrudimský
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Hypša
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice 37005, Czech Republic
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of ASCR, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice 37005, Czech Republic
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Snyder AK, Adkins KZ, Rio RVM. Use of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) Regions to Examine Symbiont Divergence and as a Diagnostic Tool for Sodalis-Related Bacteria. INSECTS 2011; 2:515-31. [PMID: 26467831 PMCID: PMC4553445 DOI: 10.3390/insects2040515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2011] [Revised: 11/15/2011] [Accepted: 11/17/2011] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria excel in most ecological niches, including insect symbioses. A cluster of bacterial symbionts, established within a broad range of insects, share high 16S rRNA similarities with the secondary symbiont of the tsetse fly (Diptera: Glossinidae), Sodalis glossinidius. Although 16S rRNA has proven informative towards characterization of this clade, the gene is insufficient for examining recent divergence due to selective constraints. Here, we assess the application of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, specifically the ITS(glu) and ITS(ala,ile), used in conjunction with 16S rRNA to enhance the phylogenetic resolution of Sodalis-allied bacteria. The 16S rRNA + ITS regions of Sodalis and allied bacteria demonstrated significant divergence and were robust towards phylogenetic resolution. A monophyletic clade of Sodalis isolates from tsetse species, distinct from other Enterobacteriaceae, was consistently observed suggesting diversification due to host adaptation. In contrast, the phylogenetic distribution of symbionts isolated from hippoboscid flies and various Hemiptera and Coleoptera were intertwined suggesting either horizontal transfer or a recent establishment from an environmental source. Lineage splitting of Sodalis-allied bacteria into symbiotic and free-living sister groups was also observed. Additionally, we propose an ITS region as a diagnostic marker for the identification of additional Sodalis-allied symbionts in the field. These results expand our knowledge of informative genome regions to assess genetic divergence since splitting from the last common ancestor, of this versatile insect symbiont clade that have become increasingly recognized as valuable towards our understanding of the evolution of symbiosis. These facultative and recently associated symbionts may provide a novel source of traits adaptable to the dynamic ecologies encountered by diverse host backgrounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K Snyder
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
| | - Kenneth Z Adkins
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
| | - Rita V M Rio
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
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Pontes MH, Smith KL, De Vooght L, Van Den Abbeele J, Dale C. Attenuation of the sensing capabilities of PhoQ in transition to obligate insect-bacterial association. PLoS Genet 2011; 7:e1002349. [PMID: 22072980 PMCID: PMC3207850 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2011] [Accepted: 08/30/2011] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Sodalis glossinidius, a maternally inherited endosymbiont of the tsetse fly, maintains genes encoding homologues of the PhoP-PhoQ two-component regulatory system. This two-component system has been extensively studied in facultative bacterial pathogens and is known to serve as an environmental magnesium sensor and a regulator of key virulence determinants. In the current study, we show that the inactivation of the response regulator, phoP, renders S. glossinidius sensitive to insect derived cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The resulting mutant strain displays reduced expression of genes involved in the structural modification of lipid A that facilitates resistance to AMPs. In addition, the inactivation of phoP alters the expression of type-III secretion system (TTSS) genes encoded within three distinct chromosomal regions, indicating that PhoP-PhoQ also serves as a master regulator of TTSS gene expression. In the absence of phoP, S. glossinidius is unable to superinfect either its natural tsetse fly host or a closely related hippoboscid louse fly. Furthermore, we show that the S. glossinidius PhoQ sensor kinase has undergone functional adaptations that result in a substantially diminished ability to sense ancestral signals. The loss of PhoQ's sensory capability is predicted to represent a novel adaptation to the static symbiotic lifestyle, allowing S. glossinidius to constitutively express genes that facilitate resistance to host derived AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kari Lyn Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Linda De Vooght
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jan Van Den Abbeele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Colin Dale
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Microbiome influences on insect host vector competence. Trends Parasitol 2011; 27:514-22. [PMID: 21697014 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2011.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 256] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2011] [Revised: 04/29/2011] [Accepted: 05/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Insect symbioses lack the complexity and diversity of those associated with higher eukaryotic hosts. Symbiotic microbiomes are beneficial to their insect hosts in many ways, including dietary supplementation, tolerance to environmental perturbations and maintenance and/or enhancement of host immune system homeostasis. Recent studies have also highlighted the importance of the microbiome in the context of host pathogen transmission processes. Here we provide an overview of the relationship between insect disease vectors, such as tsetse flies and mosquitoes, and their associated microbiome. Several mechanisms are discussed through which symbiotic microbes can influence the ability of their host to transmit pathogens, as well as potential disease control strategies that harness symbiotic microbes to reduce pathogen transmission through an insect vector.
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Kaiwa N, Hosokawa T, Kikuchi Y, Nikoh N, Meng XY, Kimura N, Ito M, Fukatsu T. Bacterial symbionts of the giant jewel stinkbug Eucorysses grandis (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae). Zoolog Sci 2011; 28:169-74. [PMID: 21385056 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.28.169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Microbiological characterization of gut symbiotic bacteria in a limited number of stinkbugs of the families Acanthosomatidae, Plataspidae, Pentatomidae, Scutelleridae, Parastrachiidae, Alydidae and Pyrrhocoridae has shown symbiotic association with midgut bacteria to be common in phytophagous taxa of these heteropteran insects. Here we investigated the midgut bacterial symbiont of Eucorysses grandis, a stinkbug of the family Scutelleridae. A specific gammaproteobacterium was consistently identified in insects from five different geographic origins. The bacterium was detected in 64 of 64 insects sampled from three host populations. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the bacterium constitutes a distinct lineage in the Gammaproteobacteria, neither closely related to the gut symbiont of another scutellerid stinkbug, Cantao ocellatus, nor to gut symbionts of other stinkbugs. Diagnostic PCR, in situ hybridization and electron microscopy demonstrated that the bacterium is located extracelluarly, in the midgut fourth section, which possesses crypts. These results indicate that the primary gut symbionts have multiple evolutionary origins in the Scutelleridae. A Sodalis-allied facultative symbiont was also identified in some insects from natural populations. Biological aspects of the primary gut symbiont and the secondary Sodalis-allied symbiont are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahomi Kaiwa
- Department of General Systems Studies, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
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Degnan PH, Bittleston LS, Hansen AK, Sabree ZL, Moran NA, Almeida RPP. Origin and examination of a leafhopper facultative endosymbiont. Curr Microbiol 2011; 62:1565-72. [PMID: 21336565 PMCID: PMC3069327 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-011-9893-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2010] [Accepted: 02/01/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Eukaryotes engage in intimate interactions with microbes that range in age and type of association. Although many conspicuous examples of ancient insect associates are studied (e.g., Buchnera aphidicola), fewer examples of younger associations are known. Here, we further characterize a recently evolved bacterial endosymbiont of the leafhopper Euscelidius variegatus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae), called BEV. We found that BEV, continuously maintained in E. variegatus hosts at UC Berkeley since 1984, is vertically transmitted with high fidelity. Unlike many vertically transmitted, ancient endosymbioses, the BEV-E. variegatus association is not obligate for either partner, and BEV can be cultivated axenically. Sufficient BEV colonies were grown and harvested to estimate its genome size and provide a partial survey of the genome sequence. The BEV chromosome is about 3.8 Mbp, and there is evidence for an extrachromosomal element roughly 53 kb in size (e.g., prophage or plasmid). We sequenced 438 kb of unique short-insert clones, representing about 12% of the BEV genome. Nearly half of the gene fragments were similar to mobile DNA, including 15 distinct types of insertion sequences (IS). Analyses revealed that BEV not only shares virulence genes with plant pathogens, but also is closely related to the plant pathogenic genera Dickeya, Pectobacterium, and Brenneria. However, the slightly reduced genome size, abundance of mobile DNA, fastidious growth in culture, and efficient vertical transmission suggest that symbiosis with E. variegatus has had a significant impact on genome evolution in BEV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick H Degnan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Snyder AK, McMillen CM, Wallenhorst P, Rio RVM. The phylogeny of Sodalis-like symbionts as reconstructed using surface-encoding loci. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2011; 317:143-51. [PMID: 21251054 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2011.02221.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA support close relationships between the Gammaproteobacteria Sodalis glossinidius, a tsetse (Diptera: Glossinidae) symbiont, and bacteria infecting diverse insect orders. To further examine the evolutionary relationships of these Sodalis-like symbionts, phylogenetic trees were constructed for a subset of putative surface-encoding genes (i.e. ompA, spr, slyB, rcsF, ycfM, and ompC). The ompA and ompC loci were used toward examining the intra- and interspecific diversity of Sodalis within tsetse, respectively. Intraspecific analyses of ompA support elevated nonsynonymous (dN) polymorphism with an excess of singletons, indicating diversifying selection, specifically within the tsetse Glossina morsitans. Additionally, interspecific ompC comparisons between Sodalis and Escherichia coli demonstrate deviation from neutrality, with higher fixed dN observed at sites associated with extracellular loops. Surface-encoding genes varied in their phylogenetic resolution of Sodalis and related bacteria, suggesting conserved vs. host-specific roles. Moreover, Sodalis and its close relatives exhibit genetic divergence at the rcsF, ompA, and ompC loci, indicative of initial molecular divergence. The application of outer membrane genes as markers for further delineating the systematics of recently diverged bacteria is discussed. These results increase our understanding of insect symbiont evolution, while also identifying early genome alterations occurring upon integration of microorganisms with eukaryotic hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K Snyder
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
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Pérez-Brocal V, Latorre A, Moya A. Symbionts and pathogens: what is the difference? Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2011; 358:215-43. [PMID: 22076025 DOI: 10.1007/82_2011_190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The ecological relationships that organisms establish with others can be considered as broad and diverse as the forms of life that inhabit and interact in our planet. Those interactions can be considered as a continuum spectrum, ranging from beneficial to detrimental outcomes. However, this picture has revealed as more complex and dynamic than previously thought, involving not only factors that affect the two or more members that interact, but also external forces, with chance playing a crucial role in this interplay. Thus, defining a particular symbiont as mutualist or pathogen in an exclusive way, based on simple rules of classification is increasingly challenging if not unfeasible, since new methodologies are providing more evidences that depict exceptions, reversions and transitions within either side of this continuum, especially evident at early stages of symbiotic associations. This imposes a wider and more dynamic view of a complex landscape of interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicente Pérez-Brocal
- Área de Genómica y Salud, Centro Superior de Investigación en Salud Pública, Valencia, Spain.
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Primary gut symbiont and secondary, Sodalis-allied symbiont of the Scutellerid stinkbug Cantao ocellatus. Appl Environ Microbiol 2010; 76:3486-94. [PMID: 20400564 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00421-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Symbiotic associations with midgut bacteria have been commonly found in diverse phytophagous heteropteran groups, where microbiological characterization of the symbiotic bacteria has been restricted to the stinkbug families Acanthosomatidae, Plataspidae, Pentatomidae, Alydidae, and Pyrrhocoridae. Here we investigated the midgut bacterial symbiont of Cantao ocellatus, a stinkbug of the family Scutelleridae. A specific gammaproteobacterium was consistently identified from the insects of different geographic origins. The bacterium was detected in all 116 insects collected from 9 natural host populations. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the bacterium constitutes a distinct lineage in the Gammaproteobacteria, not closely related to gut symbionts of other stinkbugs. Diagnostic PCR and in situ hybridization demonstrated that the bacterium is extracellularly located in the midgut 4th section with crypts. Electron microscopy of the crypts revealed a peculiar histological configuration at the host-symbiont interface. Egg sterilization experiments confirmed that the bacterium is vertically transmitted to stinkbug nymphs via egg surface contamination. In addition to the gut symbiont, some individuals of C. ocellatus harbored another bacterial symbiont in their gonads, which was closely related to Sodalis glossinidius, the secondary endosymbiont of tsetse flies. Biological aspects of the primary gut symbiont and the secondary Sodalis-allied symbiont are discussed.
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Grünwald S, Pilhofer M, Höll W. Microbial associations in gut systems of wood- and bark-inhabiting longhorned beetles [Coleoptera: Cerambycidae]. Syst Appl Microbiol 2010; 33:25-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.syapm.2009.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2008] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Abstract
Insect heritable symbionts have proven to be ubiquitous, based on molecular screening of various insect lineages. Recently, molecular and experimental approaches have yielded an immensely richer understanding of their diverse biological roles, resulting in a burgeoning research literature. Increasingly, commonalities and intermediates are being discovered between categories of symbionts once considered distinct: obligate mutualists that provision nutrients, facultative mutualists that provide protection against enemies or stress, and symbionts such as Wolbachia that manipulate reproductive systems. Among the most far-reaching impacts of widespread heritable symbiosis is that it may promote speciation by increasing reproductive and ecological isolation of host populations, and it effectively provides a means for transfer of genetic information among host lineages. In addition, insect symbionts provide some of the extremes of cellular genomes, including the smallest and the fastest evolving, raising new questions about the limits of evolution of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy A Moran
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
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An insect symbiosis is influenced by bacterium-specific polymorphisms in outer-membrane protein A. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:15088-93. [PMID: 18815366 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0805666105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Beneficial bacterial symbioses are ubiquitous in nature. However, the functional and molecular basis of host tolerance to resident symbiotic microbes, in contrast to resistance to closely related bacteria that are recognized as foreign, remain largely unknown. We used the tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans), which depends on symbiotic flora for fecundity and has limited exposure to foreign microbes, to investigate the tolerance phenomenon exhibited during symbiosis. We examined the potential role of bacterium-specific polymorphisms present in the major bacterial surface protein, outer-membrane protein A (OmpA), on host infection outcomes. Tsetse were successfully superinfected with their mutualistic facultative symbiont, Sodalis glossinidius, whereas infections with Escherichia coli K12 were lethal. In contrast, tsetse were resistant to an E. coli OmpA mutant strain, whereas recombinant Sodalis expressing E. coli OmpA became pathogenic. Profiling of tsetse immunity-related gene expression incriminated peptidoglycan recognition protein (pgrp)-lb as a determinant of the infection outcomes we observed. RNAi-induced knockdown of tsetse pgrp-lb significantly reduced host mortality after infection with otherwise lethal E. coli K12. Our results show that polymorphisms in the exposed loop domains of OmpA represent a microbial adaptation that mediates host tolerance of endogenous symbiotic bacteria.
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Fukatsu T, Koga R, Smith WA, Tanaka K, Nikoh N, Sasaki-Fukatsu K, Yoshizawa K, Dale C, Clayton DH. Bacterial endosymbiont of the slender pigeon louse, Columbicola columbae, allied to endosymbionts of grain weevils and tsetse flies. Appl Environ Microbiol 2007; 73:6660-8. [PMID: 17766458 PMCID: PMC2075037 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01131-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study focuses on a symbiotic bacterium found in the slender pigeon louse, Columbicola columbae (Insecta: Phthiraptera). Molecular phylogenetic analyses indicated that the symbiont belongs to the gamma subdivision of the class Proteobacteria and is allied to Sodalis glossinidius, the secondary symbiont of tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) and also to the primary symbiont of grain weevils (Sitophilus spp.). Relative-rate tests revealed that the symbiont of C. columbae exhibits accelerated molecular evolution in comparison with the tsetse fly symbiont and the weevil symbiont. Whole-mount in situ hybridization was used to localize the symbiont and determine infection dynamics during host development. In first- and second-instar nymphs, the symbionts were localized in the cytoplasm of oval bacteriocytes that formed small aggregates on both sides of the body cavity. In third-instar nymphs, the bacteriocytes migrated to the central body and were finally located in the anterior region of the lateral oviducts, forming conspicuous tissue formations called ovarial ampullae. In adult females, the symbionts were transmitted from the ovarial ampullae to developing oocytes in the ovarioles. In adult males, the bacteriocytes often disappeared without migration. A diagnostic PCR survey of insects collected from Japan, the United States, Australia, and Argentina detected 96.5% (109/113) infection, with a few uninfected male insects. This study provides the first microbial characterization of a bacteriocyte-associated symbiont from a chewing louse. Possible biological roles of the symbiont are discussed in relation to the host nutritional physiology associated with the feather-feeding lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan.
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