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Beza-Beza CF, Wiegmann BM, Ware JA, Petersen M, Gunter N, Cole ME, Schwarz M, Bertone MA, Young D, Mikaelyan A. Chewing through challenges: Exploring the evolutionary pathways to wood-feeding in insects. Bioessays 2024; 46:e2300241. [PMID: 38537113 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Decaying wood, while an abundant and stable resource, presents considerable nutritional challenges due to its structural rigidity, chemical recalcitrance, and low nitrogen content. Despite these challenges, certain insect lineages have successfully evolved saproxylophagy (consuming and deriving sustenance from decaying wood), impacting nutrient recycling in ecosystems and carbon sequestration dynamics. This study explores the uneven phylogenetic distribution of saproxylophagy across insects and delves into the evolutionary origins of this trait in disparate insect orders. Employing a comprehensive analysis of gut microbiome data, from both saproxylophagous insects and their non-saproxylophagous relatives, including new data from unexplored wood-feeding insects, this Hypothesis paper discusses the broader phylogenetic context and potential adaptations necessary for this dietary specialization. The study proposes the "Detritivore-First Hypothesis," suggesting an evolutionary pathway to saproxylophagy through detritivory, and highlights the critical role of symbiotic gut microbiomes in the digestion of decaying wood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian F Beza-Beza
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Brian M Wiegmann
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jessica A Ware
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Matt Petersen
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Nicole Gunter
- Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Marissa E Cole
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Melbert Schwarz
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Matthew A Bertone
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Daniel Young
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Aram Mikaelyan
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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2
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Sinotte VM, Renelies-Hamilton J, Andreu-Sánchez S, Vasseur-Cognet M, Poulsen M. Selective enrichment of founding reproductive microbiomes allows extensive vertical transmission in a fungus-farming termite. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231559. [PMID: 37848067 PMCID: PMC10581767 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutualistic coevolution can be mediated by vertical transmission of symbionts between host generations. Termites host complex gut bacterial communities with evolutionary histories indicative of mixed-mode transmission. Here, we document that vertical transmission of gut bacterial strains is congruent across parent to offspring colonies in four pedigrees of the fungus-farming termite Macrotermes natalensis. We show that 44% of the offspring colony microbiome, including more than 80 bacterial genera and pedigree-specific strains, are consistently inherited. We go on to demonstrate that this is achieved because colony-founding reproductives are selectively enriched with a set of non-random, environmentally sensitive and termite-specific gut microbes from their colonies of origin. These symbionts transfer to offspring colony workers with high fidelity, after which priority effects appear to influence the composition of the establishing microbiome. Termite reproductives thus secure transmission of complex communities of specific, co-evolved microbes that are critical to their offspring colonies. Extensive yet imperfect inheritance implies that the maturing colony benefits from acquiring environmental microbes to complement combinations of termite, fungus and vertically transmitted microbes; a mode of transmission that is emerging as a prevailing strategy for hosts to assemble complex adaptive microbiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica M. Sinotte
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Justinn Renelies-Hamilton
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
| | - Sergio Andreu-Sánchez
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
- Department of Paediatrics, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mireille Vasseur-Cognet
- UMR IRD 242, UPEC, CNRS 7618, UPMC 113, INRAe 1392, Paris 7 113, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Bondy, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | - Michael Poulsen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
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3
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Roy A, Houot B, Kushwaha S, Anderson P. Impact of transgenerational host switch on gut bacterial assemblage in generalist pest, Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1172601. [PMID: 37520373 PMCID: PMC10374326 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1172601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Diet composition is vital in shaping gut microbial assemblage in many insects. Minimal knowledge is available about the influence of transgenerational diet transition on gut microbial community structure and function in polyphagous pests. This study investigated transgenerational diet-induced changes in Spodoptera littoralis larval gut bacteriome using 16S ribosomal sequencing. Our data revealed that 88% of bacterial populations in the S. littoralis larval gut comprise Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. The first diet transition experiment from an artificial diet (F0) to a plant diet (F1), cabbage and cotton, caused an alteration of bacterial communities in the S. littoralis larval gut. The second transgenerational diet switch, where F1 larvae feed on the same plant in the F2 generation, displayed a significant variation suggesting further restructuring of the microbial communities in the Spodoptera larval gut. F1 larvae were also challenged with the plant diet transition at the F2 generation (cabbage to cotton or cotton to cabbage). After feeding on different plant diets, the microbial assemblage of F2 larvae pointed to considerable differences from other F2 larvae that continued on the same diet. Our results showed that S. littoralis larval gut bacteriome responds rapidly and inexplicably to different diet changes. Further experiments must be conducted to determine the developmental and ecological consequences of such changes. Nevertheless, this study improves our perception of the impact of transgenerational diet switches on the resident gut bacteriome in S. littoralis larvae and could facilitate future research to understand the importance of symbiosis in lepidopteran generalists better.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Roy
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, EXTEMIT-K and EVA.4.0 Unit, Czech University of Life Sciences, Suchdol, Czechia
| | - Benjamin Houot
- Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Sandeep Kushwaha
- Department of Bioinformatics, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad, India
| | - Peter Anderson
- Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
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Suenami S, Koto A, Miyazaki R. Basic Structures of Gut Bacterial Communities in Eusocial Insects. INSECTS 2023; 14:insects14050444. [PMID: 37233072 DOI: 10.3390/insects14050444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Gut bacterial communities assist host animals with numerous functions such as food digestion, nutritional provision, or immunity. Some social mammals and insects are unique in that their gut microbial communities are stable among individuals. In this review, we focus on the gut bacterial communities of eusocial insects, including bees, ants, and termites, to provide an overview of their community structures and to gain insights into any general aspects of their structural basis. Pseudomonadota and Bacillota are prevalent bacterial phyla commonly detected in those three insect groups, but their compositions are distinct at lower taxonomic levels. Eusocial insects harbor unique gut bacterial communities that are shared within host species, while their stability varies depending on host physiology and ecology. Species with narrow dietary habits, such as eusocial bees, harbor highly stable and intraspecific microbial communities, while generalists, such as most ant species, exhibit relatively diverse community structures. Caste differences could influence the relative abundance of community members without significantly altering the taxonomic composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shota Suenami
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Akiko Koto
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
- Computational Bio Big Data Open Innovation Laboratory (CBBD-OIL), AIST, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - Ryo Miyazaki
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
- Computational Bio Big Data Open Innovation Laboratory (CBBD-OIL), AIST, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan
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Xie R, Dong C, Wang S, Danso B, Dar MA, Pandit RS, Pawar KD, Geng A, Zhu D, Li X, Xu Q, Sun J. Host-Specific Diversity of Culturable Bacteria in the Gut Systems of Fungus-Growing Termites and Their Potential Functions towards Lignocellulose Bioconversion. INSECTS 2023; 14:403. [PMID: 37103218 PMCID: PMC10146277 DOI: 10.3390/insects14040403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Fungus-growing termites are eusocial insects that represent one of the most efficient and unique systems for lignocellulose bioconversion, evolved from a sophisticated symbiosis with lignocellulolytic fungi and gut bacterial communities. Despite a plethora of information generated during the last century, some essential information on gut bacterial profiles and their unique contributions to wood digestion in some fungus-growing termites is still inadequate. Hence, using the culture-dependent approach, the present study aims to assess and compare the diversity of lignocellulose-degrading bacterial symbionts within the gut systems of three fungus-growing termites: Ancistrotermes pakistanicus, Odontotermes longignathus, and Macrotermes sp. A total of 32 bacterial species, belonging to 18 genera and 10 different families, were successfully isolated and identified from three fungus-growing termites using Avicel or xylan as the sole source of carbon. Enterobacteriaceae was the most dominant family represented by 68.1% of the total bacteria, followed by Yersiniaceae (10.6%) and Moraxellaceae (9%). Interestingly, five bacterial genera such as Enterobacter, Citrobacter, Acinetobacter, Trabulsiella, and Kluyvera were common among the tested termites, while the other bacteria demonstrated a termite-specific distribution. Further, the lignocellulolytic potential of selected bacterial strains was tested on agricultural waste to evaluate their capability for lignocellulose bioconversion. The highest substrate degradation was achieved with E. chengduensis MA11 which degraded 45.52% of rice straw. All of the potential strains showed endoglucanase, exoglucanase, and xylanase activities depicting a symbiotic role towards the lignocellulose digestion within the termite gut. The above results indicated that fungus-growing termites harbor a diverse array of bacterial symbionts that differ from species to species, which may play an inevitable role to enhance the degradation efficacy in lignocellulose decomposition. The present study further elaborates our knowledge about the termite-bacteria symbiosis for lignocellulose bioconversion which could be helpful to design a future biorefinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongrong Xie
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Chenchen Dong
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Shengjie Wang
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Blessing Danso
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Mudasir A. Dar
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
- Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | | | - Kiran D. Pawar
- School of Nanoscience and Biotechnology, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 416004, India
| | - Alei Geng
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Daochen Zhu
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Xia Li
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Qing Xu
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Jianzhong Sun
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
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6
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Kundu P, Ghosh A. Genome-scale community modeling for deciphering the inter-microbial metabolic interactions in fungus-farming termite gut microbiome. Comput Biol Med 2023; 154:106600. [PMID: 36739820 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.106600] [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: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Specialized microbial communities in the fungus-farming termite gut and fungal comb microbiome help maintain host nutrition through interactive biochemical activities of complex carbohydrate degradation. Numerous research studies have been focused on identifying the microbial species in the termite gut and fungal comb microbiota, but the community-wide metabolic interaction patterns remain obscure. The inter-microbial metabolic interactions in the community environment are essential for executing biochemical processes like complex carbohydrate degradation and maintaining the host's physicochemical homeostasis. Recent progress in high-throughput sequencing techniques and mathematical modeling provides suitable platforms for constructing multispecies genome-scale community metabolic models that can render sound knowledge about microbial metabolic interaction patterns. Here, we have implemented the genome-scale metabolic modeling strategy to map the relationship between genes, proteins, and reactions of 12 key bacterial species from fungal cultivating termite gut and fungal comb microbiota. The resulting individual genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) have been analyzed using flux balance analysis (FBA) to optimize the metabolic flux distribution pattern. Further, these individual GEMs have been integrated into genome-scale community metabolic models where a heuristics-based computational procedure has been employed to track the inter-microbial metabolic interactions. Two separate genome-scale community metabolic models were reconstructed for the O. badius gut and fungal comb microbiome. Analysis of the community models showed up to ∼167% increased flux range in lignocellulose degradation, amino acid biosynthesis, and nucleotide metabolism pathways. The inter-microbial metabolic exchange of amino acids, SCFAs, and small sugars was also upregulated in the multispecies community for maximum biomass formation. The flux variability analysis (FVA) has also been performed to calculate the feasible flux range of metabolic reactions. Furthermore, based on the calculated metabolic flux values, newly defined parameters, i.e., pairwise metabolic assistance (PMA) and community metabolic assistance (CMA) showed that the microbial species are getting up to 15% higher metabolic benefits in the multispecies community compared to pairwise growth. Assessment of the inter-microbial metabolic interaction patterns through pairwise growth support index (PGSI) indicated an increased mutualistic interaction in the termite gut environment compared to the fungal comb. Thus, this genome-scale community modeling study provides a systematic methodology to understand the inter-microbial interaction patterns with several newly defined parameters like PMA, CMA, and PGSI. The microbial metabolic assistance and interaction patterns derived from this computational approach will enhance the understanding of combinatorial microbial activities and may help develop effective synergistic microcosms to utilize complex plant polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pritam Kundu
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India
| | - Amit Ghosh
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India; P.K. Sinha Centre for Bioenergy and Renewables, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India.
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7
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Diouf M, Hervé V, Fréchault S, Lambourdière J, Ndiaye AB, Miambi E, Bourceret A, Jusselme MD, Selosse MA, Rouland-Lefèvre C. Succession of the microbiota in the gut of reproductives of Macrotermes subhyalinus (Termitidae) at colony foundation gives insights into symbionts transmission. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1055382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Termites have co-evolved with a complex gut microbiota consisting mostly of exclusive resident taxa, but key forces sustaining this exclusive partnership are still poorly understood. The potential for primary reproductives to vertically transmit their gut microbiota (mycobiome and bacteriome) to offspring was investigated using colony foundations from field-derived swarming alates of Macrotermes subhyalinus. Metabarcoding based on the fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was used to characterize the reproductives mycobiome and bacteriome over the colony foundation time. The mycobiome of swarming alates differed from that of workers of Macrotermitinae and changed randomly within and between sampling time points, highlighting no close link with the gut habitat. The fungal ectosymbiont Termitomyces was lost early from the gut of reproductives, confirming the absence of vertical transmission to offspring. Unlike fungi, the bacteriome of alates mirrored that of workers of Macroterminae. Key genera and core OTUs inherited from the mother colony mostly persisted in the gut of reproductive until the emergence of workers, enabling their vertical transmission and explaining why they were found in offspring workers. These findings demonstrate that the parental transmission may greatly contribute to the maintenance of the bacteriome and its co-evolution with termite hosts at short time scales.
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Ahmad F, Yang G, Zhu Y, Poulsen M, Li W, Yu T, Mo J. Tripartite Symbiotic Digestion of Lignocellulose in the Digestive System of a Fungus-Growing Termite. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0123422. [PMID: 36250871 PMCID: PMC9769757 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01234-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungus-growing termites are efficient in degrading and digesting plant substrates, achieved through the engagement of symbiotic gut microbiota and lignocellulolytic Termitomyces fungi cultivated for protein-rich food. Insights into where specific plant biomass components are targeted during the decomposition process are sparse. In this study, we performed several analytical approaches on the fate of plant biomass components and did amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to investigate the lignocellulose digestion in the symbiotic system of the fungus-growing termite Odontotermes formosanus (Shiraki) and to compare bacterial communities across the different stages in the degradation process. We observed a gradual reduction of lignocellulose components throughout the process. Our findings support that the digestive tract of young workers initiates the degradation of lignocellulose but leaves most of the lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose, which enters the fresh fungus comb, where decomposition primarily occurs. We found a high diversity and quantity of monomeric sugars in older parts of the fungus comb, indicating that the decomposition of lignocellulose enriches the old comb with sugars that can be utilized by Termitomyces and termite workers. Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene showed clear differences in community composition associated with the different stages of plant biomass decomposition which could work synergistically with Termitomyces to shape the digestion process. IMPORTANCE Fungus-farming termites have a mutualist association with fungi of the genus Termitomyces and gut microbiota to support the nearly complete decomposition of lignocellulose to gain access to nutrients. This elaborate strategy of plant biomass digestion makes them ecologically successful dominant decomposers in (sub)tropical Old World ecosystems. We employed acid detergent fiber analysis, high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS), and amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to examine which lignocellulose components were digested and which bacteria were abundant throughout the decomposition process. Our findings suggest that although the first gut passage initiates lignocellulose digestion, the most prominent decomposition occurs within the fungus comb. Moreover, distinct bacterial communities were associated with different stages of decomposition, potentially contributing to the breakdown of particular plant components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhan Ahmad
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
- Entomology Section, Central Cotton Research Institute, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
- Entomology Section, Central Cotton Research Institute, Sakrand, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Guiying Yang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yaning Zhu
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Michael Poulsen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen East, Denmark
| | - Wuhan Li
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ting Yu
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianchu Mo
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
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Choudhary M, Kumar V, Naik B, Verma A, Saris PEJ, Kumar V, Gupta S. Antifungal metabolites, their novel sources, and targets to combat drug resistance. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1061603. [PMID: 36532457 PMCID: PMC9755354 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1061603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Excessive antibiotic prescriptions as well as their misuse in agriculture are the main causes of antimicrobial resistance which poses a growing threat to public health. It necessitates the search for novel chemicals to combat drug resistance. Since ancient times, naturally occurring medicines have been employed and the enormous variety of bioactive chemicals found in nature has long served as an inspiration for researchers looking for possible therapeutics. Secondary metabolites from microorganisms, particularly those from actinomycetes, have made it incredibly easy to find new molecules. Different actinomycetes species account for more than 70% of naturally generated antibiotics currently used in medicine, and they also produce a variety of secondary metabolites, including pigments, enzymes, and anti-inflammatory compounds. They continue to be a crucial source of fresh chemical diversity and a crucial component of drug discovery. This review summarizes some uncommon sources of antifungal metabolites and highlights the importance of further research on these unusual habitats as a source of novel antimicrobial molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megha Choudhary
- Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun, India
| | - Vijay Kumar
- Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun, India
| | - Bindu Naik
- Department of Life Sciences (Food Technology & Nutrition), Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun, India
| | - Ankit Verma
- Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun, India
| | - Per Erik Joakim Saris
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Vivek Kumar
- Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun, India
| | - Sanjay Gupta
- Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun, India
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10
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Zada S, Sajjad W, Rafiq M, Ali S, Hu Z, Wang H, Cai R. Cave Microbes as a Potential Source of Drugs Development in the Modern Era. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 84:676-687. [PMID: 34693460 PMCID: PMC8542507 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01889-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The world is constantly facing threats, including the emergence of new pathogens and antibiotic resistance among extant pathogens, which is a matter of concern. Therefore, the need for natural and effective sources of drugs is inevitable. The ancient and pristine ecosystems of caves contain a unique microbial world and could provide a possible source of antimicrobial metabolites. The association between humans and caves is as old as human history itself. Historically, cave environments have been used to treat patients with respiratory tract infections, which is referred to as speleotherapy. Today, the pristine environment of caves that comprise a poorly explored microbial world is a potential source of antimicrobial and anticancer drugs. Oligotrophic conditions in caves enhance the competition among microbial communities, and unique antimicrobial agents may be used in this competition. This review suggests that the world needs a novel and effective source of drug discovery. Therefore, being the emerging spot of modern human civilization, caves could play a crucial role in the current medical crisis, and cave microorganisms may have the potential to produce novel antimicrobial and anticancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahib Zada
- Biology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Wasim Sajjad
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Muhammad Rafiq
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences, QUETTA, Pakistan
| | - Sardar Ali
- Biology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Zhong Hu
- Biology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Biology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Runlin Cai
- Biology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China.
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11
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Kundu P, Mondal S, Ghosh A. Bacterial species metabolic interaction network for deciphering the lignocellulolytic system in fungal cultivating termite gut microbiota. Biosystems 2022; 221:104763. [PMID: 36029916 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2022.104763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Fungus-cultivating termite Odontotermes badius developed a mutualistic association with Termitomyces fungi for the plant material decomposition and providing a food source for the host survival. The mutualistic relationship sifted the microbiome composition of the termite gut and Termitomyces fungal comb. Symbiotic bacterial communities in the O. badius gut and fungal comb have been studied extensively to identify abundant bacteria and their lignocellulose degradation capabilities. Despite several metagenomic studies, the species-wide metabolic interaction pattern of bacterial communities in termite gut and fungal comb remains unclear. The bacterial species metabolic interaction network (BSMIN) has been constructed with 230 bacteria identified from the O. badius gut and fungal comb microbiota. The network portrayed the metabolic map of the entire microbiota and highlighted several inter-species biochemical interactions like cross-feeding, metabolic interdependency, and competition. Further, the reconstruction and analysis of the bacterial influence network (BIN) quantified the positive and negative pairwise influences in the termite gut and fungal comb microbial communities. Several key macromolecule degraders and fermentative microbial entities have been identified by analyzing the BIN. The mechanistic interplay between these influential microbial groups and the crucial glycoside hydrolases (GH) enzymes produced by the macromolecule degraders execute the community-wide functionality of lignocellulose degradation and subsequent fermentation. The metabolic interaction pattern between the nine influential microbial species has been determined by considering them growing in a synthetic microbial community. Competition (30%), parasitism (47%), and mutualism (17%) were predicted to be the major mode of metabolic interaction in this synthetic microbial community. Further, the antagonistic metabolic effect was found to be very high in the metabolic-deprived condition, which may disrupt the community functionality. Thus, metabolic interactions of the crucial bacterial species and their GH enzyme cocktail identified from the O. badius gut and fungal comb microbiota may provide essential knowledge for developing a synthetic microcosm with efficient lignocellulolytic machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pritam Kundu
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India
| | - Suman Mondal
- P.K. Sinha Centre for Bioenergy and Renewables, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India
| | - Amit Ghosh
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India; P.K. Sinha Centre for Bioenergy and Renewables, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India.
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12
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Zheng X, Zhu Q, Qin M, Zhou Z, Liu C, Wang L, Shi F. The Role of Feeding Characteristics in Shaping Gut Microbiota Composition and Function of Ensifera (Orthoptera). INSECTS 2022; 13:719. [PMID: 36005344 PMCID: PMC9409189 DOI: 10.3390/insects13080719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Feeding habits were the primary factor affecting the gut bacterial communities in Ensifera. However, the interaction mechanism between the gut microbiota and feeding characteristics is not precisely understood. Here, the gut microbiota of Ensifera with diverse feeding habits was analyzed by shotgun metagenomic sequencing to further clarify the composition and function of the gut microbiota and its relationship with feeding characteristics. Our results indicate that under the influence of feeding habits, the gut microbial communities of Ensifera showed specific characteristics. Firstly, the gut microbial communities of the Ensifera with different feeding habits differed significantly, among which the gut microbial diversity of the herbivorous Mecopoda niponensis was the highest. Secondly, the functional genes related to feeding habits were in high abundance. Thirdly, the specific function of the gut microbial species in the omnivorous Gryllotalpa orientalis showed that the more diverse the feeding behavior of Ensifera, the worse the functional specificity related to the feeding characteristics of its gut microbiota. However, feeding habits were not the only factors affecting the gut microbiota of Ensifera. Some microorganisms' genes, whose functions were unrelated to feeding characteristics but were relevant to energy acquisition and nutrient absorption, were detected in high abundance. Our results were the first to report on the composition and function of the gut microbiota of Ensifera based on shotgun metagenomic sequencing and to explore the potential mechanism of the gut microbiota's association with diverse feeding habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
- Laboratory of Enzyme Preparation, Hebei Research Institute of Microbiology Co., Ltd., Baoding 071051, China
| | - Qidi Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
| | - Meng Qin
- Laboratory of Enzyme Preparation, Hebei Research Institute of Microbiology Co., Ltd., Baoding 071051, China
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Zhijun Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
| | - Chunmao Liu
- Laboratory of Enzyme Preparation, Hebei Research Institute of Microbiology Co., Ltd., Baoding 071051, China
| | - Liyuan Wang
- Laboratory of Enzyme Preparation, Hebei Research Institute of Microbiology Co., Ltd., Baoding 071051, China
| | - Fuming Shi
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
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13
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Agarwal R, Gupta M, Antony A, Sen R, Raychoudhury R. In Vitro Studies Reveal that Pseudomonas, from Odontotermes obesus Colonies, can Function as a Defensive Mutualist as it Prevents the Weedy Fungus While Keeping the Crop Fungus Unaffected. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 84:391-403. [PMID: 34495359 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01798-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Insects that farm monocultures of fungi are canonical examples of nutritional symbiosis as well as independent evolution of agriculture in non-human animals. But just like in human agriculture, these fungal crops face constant threat of invasion by weeds which, if unchecked, take over the crop fungus. In fungus-growing termites, the crop fungus (Termitomyces) faces such challenges from the weedy fungus Pseudoxylaria. The mechanism by which Pseudoxylaria is suppressed is not known. However, evidence suggests that some bacterial secondary symbionts can serve as defensive mutualists by preventing the growth of Pseudoxylaria. However, such secondary symbionts must possess the dual, yet contrasting, capabilities of suppressing the weedy fungus while keeping the growth of the crop fungus unaffected. This study describes the isolation, identification, and culture-dependent estimation of the roles of several such putative defensive mutualists from the colonies of the wide-spread fungus-growing termite from India, Odontotermes obesus. From the 38 bacterial cultures tested, a strain of Pseudomonas showed significantly greater suppression of the weedy fungus than the crop fungus. Moreover, a 16S rRNA pan-microbiome survey, using the Nanopore platform, revealed Pseudomonas to be a part of the core microbiota of O. obesus. A meta-analysis of microbiota composition across different species of Odontotermes also confirms the widespread prevalence of Pseudomonas within this termite. These lines of evidence indicate that Pseudomonas could be playing the role of defensive mutualist within Odontotermes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renuka Agarwal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science and Education Research Mohali (IISER Mohali), Knowledge City, Sector 81, Manauli, SAS Nagar, Punjab, PO 140306, India
| | - Manisha Gupta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science and Education Research Mohali (IISER Mohali), Knowledge City, Sector 81, Manauli, SAS Nagar, Punjab, PO 140306, India
| | - Abin Antony
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science and Education Research Mohali (IISER Mohali), Knowledge City, Sector 81, Manauli, SAS Nagar, Punjab, PO 140306, India
| | - Ruchira Sen
- Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26, Chandigarh, 160019, India
| | - Rhitoban Raychoudhury
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science and Education Research Mohali (IISER Mohali), Knowledge City, Sector 81, Manauli, SAS Nagar, Punjab, PO 140306, India.
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14
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Abstract
Within social insect colonies, microbiomes often differ between castes due to their different functional roles and between colony locations. Trachymyrmex septentrionalis fungus-growing ants form colonies throughout the eastern United States and northern Mexico that include workers, female and male alates (unmated reproductive castes), larvae, and pupae. How T. septentrionalis microbiomes vary across this geographic range and between castes is unknown. Our sampling of individual ants from colonies across the eastern United States revealed a conserved T. septentrionalis worker ant microbiome and revealed that worker ant microbiomes are more conserved within colonies than between them. A deeper sampling of individual ants from two colonies that included all available castes (pupae, larvae, workers, and female and male alates), from both before and after adaptation to controlled laboratory conditions, revealed that ant microbiomes from each colony, caste, and rearing condition were typically conserved within but not between each sampling category. Tenericute bacterial symbionts were especially abundant in these ant microbiomes and varied widely in abundance between sampling categories. This study demonstrates how individual insect colonies primarily drive the composition of their microbiomes and shows that these microbiomes are further modified by developmental differences between insect castes and the different environmental conditions experienced by each colony. IMPORTANCE This study investigates microbiome assembly in the fungus-growing ant Trachymyrmex septentrionalis, showing how colony, caste, and lab adaptation influence the microbiome and revealing unique patterns of mollicute symbiont abundance. We find that ant microbiomes differ strongly between colonies but less so within colonies. Microbiomes of different castes and following lab adaptation also differ in a colony-specific manner. This study advances our understanding of the nature of individuality in social insect microbiomes and cautions against the common practice of only sampling a limited number of populations to understand microbiome diversity and function.
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15
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Zhang Y, Yang Z, Li X, Song P, Wang J. Effects of diisononyl phthalate exposure on the oxidative stress and gut microorganisms in earthworms (Eisenia fetida). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 822:153563. [PMID: 35104518 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Phthalate esters (PAEs) are widely used as plasticizers and can be ubiquitously detected in environment. However, the toxic effects and mechanisms of diisononyl phthalate (DINP) on earthworms are still poorly understood. In this study, earthworms (Eisenia fetida) were exposed to DINP at various doses (0, 300, 600, 1200, and 2400 mg/kg) to investigate their subchronic toxicity. The results demonstrated that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels displayed an "increase-decrease" trend with the increasing DINP doses after DINP exposure on days 7, 14, 21, and 28. The malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased with increasing DINP doses on days 7, 14, and then decreased on days 21, 28. The values of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) showed similar variation patterns and reached a maximum level on 21 d. Moreover, on day 28, the SOD and CAT gene expression levels were upregulated, while the GST gene expression levels were downregulated. Meanwhile, 16S rRNA genes of E. fetida gut bacteria and surrounding soil bacteria were measured after 28 days of exposure to DINP. The Chao index of E. fetida gut bacteria decreased when the treatment with the highest concentration (2400 mg/kg) was applied. At the phylum level, the abundance of Chloroflexi was significantly lower in the gut of E. fetida. In addition, the abundance of Proteobacteria at the phylum level and Ottowia at the genus level significantly increased in the surrounding soil. Overall, our results shed light on the toxic mechanism of DINP at biochemical, molecular, and omics levels, and contributed to a better understanding of the ecotoxicity of DINP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youai Zhang
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Road, Tai'an 271018, China
| | - Zhongkang Yang
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Road, Tai'an 271018, China
| | - Xianxu Li
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Road, Tai'an 271018, China
| | - Peipei Song
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Road, Tai'an 271018, China
| | - Jun Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Road, Tai'an 271018, China.
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16
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Schmidt S, Kildgaard S, Guo H, Beemelmanns C, Poulsen M. The chemical ecology of the fungus-farming termite symbiosis. Nat Prod Rep 2022; 39:231-248. [PMID: 34879123 PMCID: PMC8865390 DOI: 10.1039/d1np00022e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Covering: September 1972 to December 2020Explorations of complex symbioses have often elucidated a plethora of previously undescribed chemical compounds that may serve ecological functions in signalling, communication or defence. A case in point is the subfamily of termites that cultivate a fungus as their primary food source and maintain complex bacterial communities, from which a series of novel compound discoveries have been made. Here, we summarise the origins and types of 375 compounds that have been discovered from the symbiosis over the past four decades and discuss the potential for synergistic actions between compounds within the complex chemical mixtures in which they exist. We go on to highlight how vastly underexplored the diversity and geographic distribution of the symbiosis is, which leaves ample potential for natural product discovery of compounds of both ecological and medical importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Schmidt
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Sara Kildgaard
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Huijuan Guo
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e.V., Hans-Knöll-Institute (HKI), Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Christine Beemelmanns
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e.V., Hans-Knöll-Institute (HKI), Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Michael Poulsen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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17
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OUP accepted manuscript. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6551890. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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18
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Wu CY, Meng J, Merchant A, Zhang YX, Li MW, Zhou XG, Wang Q. Microbial Response to Fungal Infection in a Fungus-Growing Termite, Odontotermes formosanus (Shiraki). Front Microbiol 2021; 12:723508. [PMID: 34880836 PMCID: PMC8645866 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.723508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The crosstalk between gut microbiota and host immunity has emerged as one of the research foci of microbiome studies in recent years. The purpose of this study was to determine how gut microbes respond to fungal infection in termites, given their reliance on gut symbionts for food intake as well as maintaining host health. Here, we used Metarhizium robertsii, an entomopathogenic fungus, to infect Odontotermes formosanus, a fungus-growing termite in the family Termitidae, and documented changes in host gut microbiota via a combination of bacterial 16S rDNA sequencing, metagenomic shotgun sequencing, and transmission electron microscopy. Our analyses found that when challenged with Metarhizium, the termite gut showed reduced microbial diversity within the first 12 h of fungal infection and then recovered and even surpassed pre-infection flora levels. These combined results shed light on the role of gut flora in maintaining homeostasis and immune homeostasis in the host, and the impact of gut flora dysbiosis on host susceptibility to infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Yu Wu
- Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Jing Meng
- Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Austin Merchant
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Yi-Xiang Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mu-Wang Li
- School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Xu-Guo Zhou
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Qian Wang
- Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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19
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Vidkjær NH, Schmidt S, Hu H, Bodawatta KH, Beemelmanns C, Poulsen M. Species- and Caste-Specific Gut Metabolomes in Fungus-Farming Termites. Metabolites 2021; 11:metabo11120839. [PMID: 34940597 PMCID: PMC8707012 DOI: 10.3390/metabo11120839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungus-farming termites host gut microbial communities that contribute to the pre-digestion of plant biomass for manuring the fungal mutualist, and potentially to the production of defensive compounds that suppress antagonists. Termite colonies are characterized by complex division of labor and differences in diet between termite size (minor and major) and morphological (worker and soldier) castes, and this extends to the composition of their gut microbial communities. We hypothesized that gut metabolomes should mirror these differences and tested this through untargeted LC-MS/MS analyses of three South African species of fungus-farming termites. We found distinct metabolomes between species and across castes, especially between soldiers and workers. Primary metabolites dominate the metabolomes and the high number of overlapping features with the mutualistic fungus and plant material show distinct impacts of diet and the environment. The identification of a few bioactive compounds of likely microbial origin underlines the potential for compound discovery among the many unannotated features. Our untargeted approach provides a first glimpse into the complex gut metabolomes and our dereplication suggests the presence of bioactive compounds with potential defensive roles to be targeted in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanna Hjort Vidkjær
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; (S.S.); (H.H.)
- Correspondence: (N.H.V.); (M.P.); Tel.: +45-353-324-41 (N.H.V.); +45-353-303-77 (M.P.)
| | - Suzanne Schmidt
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; (S.S.); (H.H.)
| | - Haofu Hu
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; (S.S.); (H.H.)
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark;
| | - Kasun H. Bodawatta
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark;
| | - Christine Beemelmanns
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e.V., Hans-Knöll-Institute (HKI), Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany;
| | - Michael Poulsen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; (S.S.); (H.H.)
- Correspondence: (N.H.V.); (M.P.); Tel.: +45-353-324-41 (N.H.V.); +45-353-303-77 (M.P.)
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20
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Ahmad F, Yang GY, Liang SY, Zhou QH, Gaal HA, Mo JC. Multipartite symbioses in fungus-growing termites (Blattodea: Termitidae, Macrotermitinae) for the degradation of lignocellulose. INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 28:1512-1529. [PMID: 33236502 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Fungus-growing termites are among the most successful herbivorous animals and improve crop productivity and soil fertility. A range of symbiotic organisms can be found inside their nests. However, interactions of termites with these symbionts are poorly understood. This review provides detailed information on the role of multipartite symbioses (between termitophiles, termites, fungi, and bacteria) in fungus-growing termites for lignocellulose degradation. The specific functions of each component in the symbiotic system are also discussed. Based on previous studies, we argue that the enzymatic contribution from the host, fungus, and bacteria greatly facilitates the decomposition of complex polysaccharide plant materials. The host-termitophile interaction protects the termite nest from natural enemies and maintains the stability of the microenvironment inside the colony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhan Ahmad
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agricultural and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Entomology Section, Central Cotton Research Institute, Sakrand, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Gui-Ying Yang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agricultural and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shi-You Liang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agricultural and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qi-Huan Zhou
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agricultural and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hassan Ahmed Gaal
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agricultural and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia
| | - Jian-Chu Mo
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agricultural and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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21
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Sapkota R, Nakatsu CH, Scharf ME. Regulation of host phenotypic plasticity by gut symbiont communities in the eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes). J Exp Biol 2021; 224:272131. [PMID: 34515310 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Termites are eusocial insects that host a range of prokaryotic and eukaryotic gut symbionts and can differentiate into a range of caste phenotypes. Soldier caste differentiation from termite workers follows two successive molts (worker-presoldier-soldier) that are driven at the endocrine level by juvenile hormone (JH). Although physiological and eusocial mechanisms tied to JH signaling have been studied, the role of gut symbionts in the caste differentiation process is poorly understood. Here, we used the JH analog methoprene in combination with the antibiotic kanamycin to manipulate caste differentiation and gut bacterial loads in Reticulitermes flavipes termites via four bioassay treatments: kanamycin, methoprene, kanamycin+methoprene, and an untreated (negative) control. Bioassay results demonstrated a significantly higher number of presoldiers in the methoprene treatment, highest mortality in kanamycin+methoprene treatment, and significantly reduced protist numbers in all treatments except the untreated control. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing provided alpha and beta diversity results that mirrored bioassay findings. From ANCOM analysis, we found that several bacterial genera were differentially abundant among treatments. Finally, follow-up experiments showed that if methoprene and kanamycin or untreated termites are placed together, zero or rescued presoldier initiation, respectively, occurs. These findings reveal that endogenous JH selects for symbiont compositions required to successfully complete presoldier differentiation. However, if the gut is voided before the influx of JH, it cannot select for the necessary symbionts that are crucial for molting. Based on these results, we are able to provide a novel example of linkages between gut microbial communities and host phenotypic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajani Sapkota
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN 47907, USA
| | - Cindy H Nakatsu
- Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN 47907, USA
| | - Michael E Scharf
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN 47907, USA
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22
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Bayen S, Roy S, Chakraborti D, Mukhopadhyay A, Hazarika LK, Pramanik P, Borchetia S, Mukherjee S. Mutualistic relation of termites with associated microbes for their harmonious survival. Symbiosis 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-021-00809-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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23
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Song Y, Hervé V, Radek R, Pfeiffer F, Zheng H, Brune A. Characterization and phylogenomic analysis of Breznakiella homolactica gen. nov. sp. nov. indicate that termite gut treponemes evolved from non-acetogenic spirochetes in cockroaches. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:4228-4245. [PMID: 33998119 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Spirochetes of the genus Treponema are surprisingly abundant in termite guts, where they play an important role in reductive acetogenesis. Although they occur in all termites investigated, their evolutionary origin is obscure. Here, we isolated the first representative of 'termite gut treponemes' from cockroaches, the closest relatives of termites. Phylogenomic analysis revealed that Breznakiella homolactica gen. nov. sp. nov. represents the most basal lineage of the highly diverse 'termite cluster I', a deep-branching sister group of Treponemataceae (fam. 'Termitinemataceae') that was present already in the cockroach ancestor of termites and subsequently coevolved with its host. Breznakiella homolactica is obligately anaerobic and catalyses the homolactic fermentation of both hexoses and pentoses. Resting cells produced acetate in the presence of oxygen. Genome analysis revealed the presence of pyruvate oxidase and catalase, and a cryptic potential for the formation of acetate, ethanol, formate, CO2 and H2 - the fermentation products of termite gut isolates. Genes encoding key enzymes of reductive acetogenesis, however, are absent, confirming the hypothesis that the ancestral metabolism of the cluster was fermentative, and that the capacity for acetogenesis from H2 plus CO2 - the most intriguing property among termite gut treponemes - was acquired by lateral gene transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulin Song
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, Marburg, 35043, Germany
| | - Vincent Hervé
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, Marburg, 35043, Germany
| | - Renate Radek
- Institute of Biology/Zoology, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Fabienne Pfeiffer
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, Marburg, 35043, Germany
| | - Hao Zheng
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, Marburg, 35043, Germany
| | - Andreas Brune
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, Marburg, 35043, Germany
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Li J, Sang M, Jiang Y, Wei J, Shen Y, Huang Q, Li Y, Ni J. Polyene-Producing Streptomyces spp. From the Fungus-Growing Termite Macrotermes barneyi Exhibit High Inhibitory Activity Against the Antagonistic Fungus Xylaria. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:649962. [PMID: 33868208 PMCID: PMC8047067 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.649962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungus-growing termites are engaged in a tripartite mutualism with intestinal microbes and a monocultivar (Termitomyces sp.) in the fungus garden. The termites are often plagued by entomopathogen (Metarhizium anisopliae) and fungus garden is always threatened by competitors (Xylaria spp.). Here, we aim to understand the defensive role of intestinal microbes, the actinomycetes which were isolated from the gut of Macrotermes barneyi. We obtained 44 antifungal isolates, which showed moderate to strong inhibition to Xylaria sp. HPLC analysis indicated that different types of polyenes (tetraene, pentene, and heptaene) existed in the metabolites of 10 strong antifungal Streptomyces strains. Two pentene macrolides (pentamycin and 1′14-dihydroxyisochainin) were firstly purified from Streptomyces strain HF10, both exhibiting higher activity against Xylaria sp. and M. anisopliae than cultivar Termitomyces. Subsequently, tetraene and heptaene related gene disruption assay showed that the mutant strains lost the ability to produce corresponding polyenes, and they also had significantly decreased activities against Xylaria sp. and M. anisopliae compared to that of wild type strains. These results indicate that polyene-producing Streptomyces from the guts of M. barneyi have strong inhibition to competitor fungus and polyenes contribute to inhibitory effects on Xylaria sp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Moli Sang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yutong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Jianhua Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yulong Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qihong Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yaoyao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Jinfeng Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
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25
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Vikram S, Arneodo JD, Calcagno J, Ortiz M, Mon ML, Etcheverry C, Cowan DA, Talia P. Diversity structure of the microbial communities in the guts of four neotropical termite species. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10959. [PMID: 33868801 PMCID: PMC8035897 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The termite gut microbiome is dominated by lignocellulose degrading microorganisms. This study describes the intestinal microbiota of four Argentinian higher termite species with different feeding habits: Microcerotermes strunckii (hardwood), Nasutitermes corniger (softwood), Termes riograndensis (soil organic matter/grass) and Cornitermes cumulans (grass) by deep sequencing of amplified 16S rRNA and ITS genes. In addition, we have performed a taxonomic and gut community structure comparison incorporating into the analysis the previously reported microbiomes of additional termite species with varied diets. The bacterial phylum Spirochaetes was dominant in the guts of M. strunckii, N. corniger and C. cumulans, whereas Firmicutes predominated in the T. riograndensis gut microbiome. A single bacterial genus, Treponema (Spirochaetes), was dominant in all termite species, except for T. riograndensis. Both in our own sequenced samples and in the broader comparison, prokaryotic α-diversity was higher in the soil/grass feeders than in the wood feeders. Meanwhile, the β-diversity of prokaryotes and fungi was highly dissimilar among strict wood-feeders, whereas that of soil- and grass-feeders grouped more closely. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the only fungal phyla that could be identified in all gut samples, because of the lack of reference sequences in public databases. In summary, higher microbial diversity was recorded in termites with more versatile feeding sources, providing further evidence that diet, along with other factors (e.g., host taxonomy), influences the microbial community assembly in the termite gut.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surendra Vikram
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Joel D Arneodo
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Javier Calcagno
- Centro de Ciencias Naturales, Ambientales y Antropológicas, Universidad Maimonides (CCNAA), CABA, Argentina
| | - Maximiliano Ortiz
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Maria Laura Mon
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Clara Etcheverry
- Biología de los Invertebrados, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Don A Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Paola Talia
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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26
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Zhang C, Liu Q, Li X, Wang M, Liu X, Yang J, Xu J, Jiang Y. Spatial patterns and co-occurrence networks of microbial communities related to environmental heterogeneity in deep-sea surface sediments around Yap Trench, Western Pacific Ocean. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 759:143799. [PMID: 33333332 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Microbial communities are a large component of abyssal and hadal benthic environments, especially in deep-sea areas like Yap Trench, they provide a continuous source of nutrients and energy in their unique ecosystems. However, due to sampling difficulties, these microbial communities are relatively understudied. In the summer of 2017, sediment samples were collected from 21 stations around Yap Trench in the Western Pacific Ocean (mostly in the West Caroline Basin), at depths ranging from 3156 to 7837 m. Sediment samples from deep water depths and shallow water depths differed in organic matter content, median grain size, silt-clay content, and biodiversity. The structure of the microbial communities in the surface sediments had distinct relationships with environmental factors and their co-occurrence networks exhibited a clear spatial pattern. In addition, for both prokaryotes or eukaryotes, a combination of variables including silt-clay content, organic matter content, median grain size, and depth had the greatest impact on community structure. It was notable that fungi played important roles in the co-occurrence networks of deep water depth sediment samples while bacteria dominated those of shallow water depth samples. The differences in structure and ecological niches in the different networks were due to differences in sediment texture and organic matter content. Since clay had a positive effect on the diversity of bacteria, it had an indirect positive effect on fungi, leading to differences in biodiversity among different groups. More organic matter meant more nutrients were available for the growth and reproduction of microbes, which led to fewer niche overlaps. This study conducted an extensive and systematic sequencing survey of surface sediments around Yap Trench in the Western Pacific Ocean, providing insight into microbial responses to environmental heterogeneity in deep-sea benthic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenru Zhang
- College of Marine Life Sciences & Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Qian Liu
- College of Marine Life Sciences & Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Xianrong Li
- College of Marine Life Sciences & Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Min Wang
- College of Marine Life Sciences & Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiaoshou Liu
- College of Marine Life Sciences & Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Jinpeng Yang
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jishang Xu
- Key Lab of Submarine Geosciences and Prospecting Techniques, Ministry of Education, Qingdao, China; College of Marine Geosciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Yong Jiang
- College of Marine Life Sciences & Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.
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27
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An alkaline thermostable laccase from termite gut associated strain of Bacillus stratosphericus. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 179:270-278. [PMID: 33676982 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.02.205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Laccase, an important oxidoreductase, is widely distributed in various organisms. Termites are known to decompose lignocellulose efficiently with the aid of gut microorganisms. However, few laccases have been characterized from termite or its gut microbes. We aimed to screen the strain capable of degrading lignocellulose from fungus-growing termites. In this study, Bacillus stratosphericus BCMC2 with lignocellulolytic activity was firstly isolated from the hindgut of fungus-growing termite Macrotermes barneyi. The laccase gene (BaCotA) was cloned both from the BCMC2 strain and termite intestinal metagenomic DNA. BaCotA was overexpressed in E. coli, and the recombinant BaCotA showed high specific activity (554.1 U/mg). BaCotA was thermostable with an optimum temperature of 70 °C, pH 5.0. Furthermore, BaCotA was resistant to alkali and organic solvents. The enzyme remained more than 70% residual activity at pH 8.0 for 120 min; and the organic solvents such as methanol, ethanol and acetone (10%) had no inhibitory effect on laccase activity. Additionally, BaCotA exhibited efficient decolorization ability towards indigo and crystal violet. The multiple enzymatic properties suggested the presented laccase as a potential candidate for industrial applications. Moreover, this study highlighted that termite intestine is a good resource for either new strains or enzymes.
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Murphy R, Benndorf R, de Beer ZW, Vollmers J, Kaster AK, Beemelmanns C, Poulsen M. Comparative Genomics Reveals Prophylactic and Catabolic Capabilities of Actinobacteria within the Fungus-Farming Termite Symbiosis. mSphere 2021; 6:e01233-20. [PMID: 33658277 PMCID: PMC8546716 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.01233-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Actinobacteria, one of the largest bacterial phyla, are ubiquitous in many of Earth's ecosystems and often act as defensive symbionts with animal hosts. Members of the phylum have repeatedly been isolated from basidiomycete-cultivating fungus-farming termites that maintain a monoculture fungus crop on macerated dead plant substrate. The proclivity for antimicrobial and enzyme production of Actinobacteria make them likely contributors to plant decomposition and defense in the symbiosis. To test this, we analyzed the prophylactic (biosynthetic gene cluster [BGC]) and metabolic (carbohydrate-active enzyme [CAZy]) potential in 16 (10 existing and six new genomes) termite-associated Actinobacteria and compared these to the soil-dwelling close relatives. Using antiSMASH, we identified 435 BGCs, of which 329 (65 unique) were similar to known compound gene clusters, while 106 were putatively novel, suggesting ample prospects for novel compound discovery. BGCs were identified among all major compound categories, including 26 encoding the production of known antimicrobial compounds, which ranged in activity (antibacterial being most prevalent) and modes of action that might suggest broad defensive potential. Peptide pattern recognition analysis revealed 823 (43 unique) CAZymes coding for enzymes that target key plant and fungal cell wall components (predominantly chitin, cellulose, and hemicellulose), confirming a substantial degradative potential of these bacteria. Comparison of termite-associated and soil-dwelling bacteria indicated no significant difference in either BGC or CAZy potential, suggesting that the farming termite hosts may have coopted these soil-dwelling bacteria due to their metabolic potential but that they have not been subject to genome change associated with symbiosis.IMPORTANCEActinobacteria have repeatedly been isolated in fungus-farming termites, and our genome analyses provide insights into the potential roles they may serve in defense and for plant biomass breakdown. These insights, combined with their relatively higher abundances in fungus combs than in termite gut, suggest that they are more likely to play roles in fungus combs than in termite guts. Up to 25% of the BGCs we identify have no similarity to known clusters, indicating a large potential for novel chemistry to be discovered. Similarities in metabolic potential of soil-dwelling and termite-associated bacteria suggest that they have environmental origins, but their consistent presence with the termite system suggests their importance for the symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Murphy
- University of Copenhagen, Department of Biology, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Copenhagen East, Denmark
| | - René Benndorf
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Z Wilhelm de Beer
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry and Agriculture Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - John Vollmers
- Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG 5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Anne-Kristin Kaster
- Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG 5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Christine Beemelmanns
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Michael Poulsen
- University of Copenhagen, Department of Biology, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Copenhagen East, Denmark
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29
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Cheng Y, Song W, Tian H, Zhang K, Li B, Du Z, Zhang W, Wang J, Wang J, Zhu L. The effects of high-density polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics on the soil and earthworm Metaphire guillelmi gut microbiota. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 267:129219. [PMID: 33321277 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.129219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
As an emerging pollutant in terrestrial ecosystem, studies on the effects of microplastics on the gut microbiota of terrestrial organisms are relatively little even though gut microbiota is closely related to host health, metabolism and immunity as well as soil decomposition processes. In this study, earthworms Metaphire guillelmi were exposed to soil amended with 0.25% (w/w) high-density polyethylene (HDPE, 25 μm) or polypropylene (PP, 13 μm) microplastics for 28 d. The ingestion of HDPE and PP microplastics by M. guillelmi was clearly demonstrated by Nile Red fluorescence staining method. There were significant differences for the microbiota between the M. guillelmi gut and the surrounding soil, which may result from the influence of specific conditions in the gut habitat. HDPE and PP microplastics exposure did not induce gut microbiota dysbiosis in M. guillelmi. However, PP microplastics exposure significantly reduced bacterial diversity and altered bacterial community structure in the soil. Specifically, the relative abundance of Aeromonadaceae and Pseudomonadaceae significantly increased while the relative abundance of Nitrososphaeraceae and two unidentified families affiliated with Proteobacteria significantly decreased. This study broadens our understanding of the ecotoxicity of microplastics on the soil and gut microbiota of terrestrial organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yali Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, National Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.
| | - Wenhui Song
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, National Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.
| | - Huimei Tian
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.
| | - Kaihua Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, National Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.
| | - Bing Li
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, National Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.
| | - Zhongkun Du
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, National Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.
| | - Wen Zhang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Ecology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, China.
| | - Jinhua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, National Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.
| | - Jun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, National Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.
| | - Lusheng Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, National Engineering Laboratory for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.
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30
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Almela P, Justel A, Quesada A. Heterogeneity of Microbial Communities in Soils From the Antarctic Peninsula Region. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:628792. [PMID: 33664717 PMCID: PMC7920962 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.628792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Ice-free areas represent less than 1% of the Antarctic surface. However, climate change models predict a significant increase in temperatures in the coming decades, triggering a relevant reduction of the ice-covered surface. Microorganisms, adapted to the extreme and fluctuating conditions, are the dominant biota. In this article we analyze the diversity and composition of soil bacterial communities in 52 soil samples on three scales: (i) fine scale, where we compare the differences in the microbial community between top-stratum soils (0-2 cm) and deeper-stratum soils (5-10 cm) at the same sampling point; (ii) medium scale, in which we compare the composition of the microbial community of top-stratum soils from different sampling points within the same sampling location; and (iii) coarse scale, where we compare communities between comparable ecosystems located hundreds of kilometers apart along the Antarctic Peninsula. The results suggest that in ice-free soils exposed for longer periods of time (millennia) microbial communities are significantly different along the soil profiles. However, in recently (decades) deglaciated soils the communities are not different along the soil profile. Furthermore, the microbial communities found in soils at the different sampling locations show a high degree of heterogeneity, with a relevant proportion of unique amplicon sequence variants (ASV) that appeared mainly in low abundance, and only at a single sampling location. The Core90 community, defined as the ASVs shared by 90% of the soils from the 4 sampling locations, was composed of 26 ASVs, representing a small percentage of the total sequences. Nevertheless, the taxonomic composition of the Core80 (ASVs shared by 80% of sampling points per location) of the different sampling locations, was very similar, as they were mostly defined by 20 common taxa, representing up to 75.7% of the sequences of the Core80 communities, suggesting a greater homogeneity of soil bacterial taxa among distant locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Almela
- Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Justel
- Department of Mathematics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Quesada
- Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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31
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Hindgut microbiota reflects different digestive strategies in dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae). Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:AEM.02100-20. [PMID: 33355113 PMCID: PMC8090880 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02100-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Gut microbes play an important role in the biology and evolution of insects. Australian native dung beetles (Scarabaeinae) present an opportunity to study gut microbiota in an evolutionary context as they come from two distinct phylogenetic lineages and some species in each lineage have secondarily adapted to alternative or broader diets. In this study, we characterised the hindgut bacterial communities found in 21 species of dung beetles across two lineages using 16S rRNA sequencing. We found that gut microbial diversity was more dependent on host phylogeny and gut morphology than specific dietary preferences or environment. In particular, gut microbial diversity was highest in the endemic, flightless genus Cephalodesmius that feeds on a broad range of composted organic matter. The hindgut of Cephalodesmius harbours a highly conserved core set of bacteria suggesting that the bacteria are symbiotic. Symbiosis is supported by the persistence of the core microbiota across isolated beetle populations and between species in the genus. A co-evolutionary relationship is supported by the expansion of the hindgut to form a fermentation chamber and the fermentative nature of the core microbes. In contrast, Australian species of the widespread dung beetle genus Onthophagus, specialise on a single food resource such as dung or fungus, exhibit minimal food processing behaviour, have a short, narrow hindgut and a variable gut microbiota with relatively few core bacterial taxa. A conserved, complex gut microbiota is hypothesised to be unnecessary for this highly mobile genus.IMPORTANCE Dung beetles are a very important part of an ecosystem because of their role in the removal and decomposition of vertebrate dung. It has been suspected that symbiotic gut bacteria facilitate this role, a hypothesis that we have explored with high throughput barcoding. We found that differences in hindgut morphology had the greatest effect on the bacterial community composition. Species with a hindgut fermentation chamber harboured a distinctly different hindgut community compared to those species with a narrow, undifferentiated hindgut. Diet and phylogeny were also associated with differences in gut community. Further understanding of the relationships between dung beetles and their gut microbes will provide insights into the evolution of their behaviours and how gut communities contribute to their fitness.
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Kett S, Pathak A, Turillazzi S, Cavalieri D, Marvasi M. Antifungals, arthropods and antifungal resistance prevention: lessons from ecological interactions. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202716. [PMID: 33529557 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Arthropods can produce a wide range of antifungal compounds, including specialist proteins, cuticular products, venoms and haemolymphs. In spite of this, many arthropod taxa, particularly eusocial insects, make use of additional antifungal compounds derived from their mutualistic association with microbes. Because multiple taxa have evolved such mutualisms, it must be assumed that, under certain ecological circumstances, natural selection has favoured them over those relying upon endogenous antifungal compound production. Further, such associations have been shown to persist versus specific pathogenic fungal antagonists for more than 50 million years, suggesting that compounds employed have retained efficacy in spite of the pathogens' capacity to develop resistance. We provide a brief overview of antifungal compounds in the arthropods' armoury, proposing a conceptual model to suggest why their use remains so successful. Fundamental concepts embedded within such a model may suggest strategies by which to reduce the rise of antifungal resistance within the clinical milieu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Kett
- Department of Natural Sciences, Middlesex University London, London, UK
| | - Ayush Pathak
- Institute of Integrative Biology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Turillazzi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy.,Insect Pharma Entomotherapy S.r.l, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Duccio Cavalieri
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Marvasi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
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33
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Multimodularity of a GH10 Xylanase Found in the Termite Gut Metagenome. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:AEM.01714-20. [PMID: 33187992 PMCID: PMC7848910 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01714-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Xylan is the major hemicellulosic polysaccharide in cereals and contributes to the recalcitrance of the plant cell wall toward degradation. Bacteroidetes, one of the main phyla in rumen and human gut microbiota, have been shown to encode polysaccharide utilization loci dedicated to the degradation of xylan. Here, we present the biochemical characterization of a xylanase encoded by a bacteroidetes strain isolated from the termite gut metagenome. The functional screening of a Pseudacanthotermes militaris termite gut metagenomic library revealed an array of xylan-degrading enzymes, including P. militaris 25 (Pm25), a multimodular glycoside hydrolase family 10 (GH10). Sequence analysis showed details of the unusual domain organization of this enzyme. It consists of one catalytic domain, which is intercalated by two carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs) from family 4. The genes upstream of the genes encoding Pm25 are susC-susD-unk, suggesting Pm25 is a Xyn10C-like enzyme belonging to a polysaccharide utilization locus. The majority of Xyn10C-like enzymes shared the same interrupted domain architecture and were vastly distributed in different xylan utilization loci found in gut Bacteroidetes, indicating the importance of this enzyme in glycan acquisition for gut microbiota. To understand its unusual multimodularity and the possible role of the CBMs, a detailed characterization of the full-length Pm25 and truncated variants was performed. Results revealed that the GH10 catalytic module is specific toward the hydrolysis of xylan. Ligand binding results indicate that the GH10 module and the CBMs act independently, whereas the tandem CBM4s act synergistically with each other and improve enzymatic activity when assayed on insoluble polysaccharides. In addition, we show that the UNK protein upstream of Pm25 is able to bind arabinoxylan. Altogether, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the potential role of Xyn10C-like proteins in xylan utilization systems of gut bacteria. IMPORTANCE Xylan is the major hemicellulosic polysaccharide in cereals and contributes to the recalcitrance of the plant cell wall toward degradation. Members of the Bacteroidetes, one of the main phyla in rumen and human gut microbiota, have been shown to encode polysaccharide utilization loci dedicated to the degradation of xylan. Here, we present the biochemical characterization of a xylanase encoded by a Bacteroidetes strain isolated from the termite gut metagenome. This xylanase is a multimodular enzyme, the sequence of which is interrupted by the insertion of two CBMs from family 4. Our results show that this enzyme resembles homologues that were shown to be important for xylan degradation in rumen or human diet and show that the CBM insertion in the middle of the sequence seems to be a common feature in xylan utilization systems. This study shed light on our understanding of xylan degradation and plant cell wall deconstruction, which can be applied to several applications in food, feed, and bioeconomy.
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Yang G, Ahmad F, Zhou Q, Guo M, Liang S, Gaal HA, Mo J. Investigation of Physicochemical Indices and Microbial Communities in Termite Fungus-Combs. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:581219. [PMID: 33519727 PMCID: PMC7843810 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.581219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Termitomyces species are wild edible mushrooms that possess high nutritional value and a wide range of medicinal properties. However, the cultivation of these mushrooms is very difficult because of their symbiotic association with termites. In this study, we aimed to examine the differences in physicochemical indices and microbial communities between combs with Termitomyces basidiomes (CF) and combs without Termitomyces basidiomes (CNF). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID), some commercial kits, high-throughput sequencing of the 16s RNA, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were used. Humidity, pH, and elements, i.e., Al, Ba, Fe, Mn, Ni, S, Ca, and Mg were higher while amino acids particularly alanine, tyrosine, and isoleucine were lower in CF as compared to CNF. The average contents of fatty acids were not significantly different between the two comb categories. The bacterial genera Alistipes, Burkholderia, Sediminibacterium, and Thermus were dominant in all combs. Brevibacterium, Brevundimonas, and Sediminibacterium were significantly more abundant in CF. Basidiomycota and Ascomycota were also identified in combs. Termitomyces clypeatus, Termitomyces sp. Group3, and Termitomyces sp. were the most dominant species in combs. However, any single Termitomyces species was abundantly present in an individual comb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guiying Yang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Farhan Ahmad
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Entomology Section, Central Cotton Research Institute, Sakrand, Pakistan
| | - Qihuan Zhou
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Meixia Guo
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shiyou Liang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hassan Ahmed Gaal
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Entomology, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia
| | - Jianchu Mo
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Li H, Young SE, Poulsen M, Currie CR. Symbiont-Mediated Digestion of Plant Biomass in Fungus-Farming Insects. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 66:297-316. [PMID: 32926791 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-040920-061140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Feeding on living or dead plant material is widespread in insects. Seminal work on termites and aphids has provided profound insights into the critical nutritional role that microbes play in plant-feeding insects. Some ants, beetles, and termites, among others, have evolved the ability to use microbes to gain indirect access to plant substrate through the farming of a fungus on which they feed. Recent genomic studies, including studies of insect hosts and fungal and bacterial symbionts, as well as metagenomics and proteomics, have provided important insights into plant biomass digestion across insect-fungal mutualisms. Not only do advances in understanding of the divergent and complementary functions of complex symbionts reveal the mechanism of how these herbivorous insects catabolize plant biomass, but these symbionts also represent a promising reservoir for novel carbohydrate-active enzyme discovery, which is of considerable biotechnological interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongjie Li
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Key Laboratory of Biotechnology in Plant Protection of Ministry of Agriculture and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Plant Virology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China;
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA; ,
- Department of Energy Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53726, USA
| | - Soleil E Young
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA; ,
| | - Michael Poulsen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark;
| | - Cameron R Currie
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA; ,
- Department of Energy Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53726, USA
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Disentangling the Relative Roles of Vertical Transmission, Subsequent Colonizations, and Diet on Cockroach Microbiome Assembly. mSphere 2021; 6:6/1/e01023-20. [PMID: 33408228 PMCID: PMC7845597 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.01023-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A multitude of factors affect the assemblies of complex microbial communities associated with animal hosts, with implications for community flexibility, resilience, and long-term stability; however, their relative effects have rarely been deduced. Here, we use a tractable lab model to quantify the relative and combined effects of parental transmission (egg case microbiome present/reduced), gut inocula (cockroach versus termite gut provisioned), and varying diets (matched or unmatched with gut inoculum source) on gut microbiota structure of hatchlings of the omnivorous cockroach Shelfordella lateralis using 16S rRNA gene (rDNA) amplicon sequencing. We show that the presence of a preexisting bacterial community via vertical transmission of microbes on egg cases reduces subsequent microbial invasion, suggesting priority effects that allow initial colonizers to take a strong hold and which stabilize the microbiome. However, subsequent inoculation sources more strongly affect ultimate community composition and their ecological networks, with distinct host-taxon-of-origin effects on which bacteria establish. While this is so, communities respond flexibly to specific diets in ways that consequently impact predicted community functions. In conclusion, our findings suggest that inoculations drive communities toward different stable states depending on colonization and extinction events, through ecological host-microbe relations and interactions with other gut bacteria, while diet in parallel shapes the functional capabilities of these microbiomes. These effects may lead to consistent microbial communities that maximize the extended phenotype that the microbiota provides the host, particularly if microbes spend most of their lives in host-associated environments.IMPORTANCE When host fitness is dependent on gut microbiota, microbial community flexibility and reproducibility enhance host fitness by allowing fine-tuned environmental tracking and sufficient stability for host traits to evolve. Our findings lend support to the importance of vertically transmitted early-life microbiota as stabilizers, through interactions with potential colonizers, which may contribute to ensuring that the microbiota aligns within host fitness-enhancing parameters. Subsequent colonizations are driven by microbial composition of the sources available, and we confirm that host-taxon-of-origin affects stable subsequent communities, while communities at the same time retain sufficient flexibility to shift in response to available diets. Microbiome structure is thus the result of the relative impact and combined effects of inocula and fluctuations driven by environment-specific microbial sources and digestive needs. These affect short-term community structure on an ecological time scale but could ultimately shape host species specificities in microbiomes across evolutionary time, if environmental conditions prevail.
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Termites Are Associated with External Species-Specific Bacterial Communities. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:AEM.02042-20. [PMID: 33097518 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02042-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
All termites have established a wide range of associations with symbiotic microbes in their guts. Some termite species are also associated with microbes that grow in their nests, but the prevalence of these associations remains largely unknown. Here, we studied the bacterial communities associated with the termites and galleries of three wood-feeding termite species by using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. We found that the compositions of bacterial communities among termite bodies, termite galleries, and control wood fragments devoid of termite activities differ in a species-specific manner. Termite galleries were enriched in bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to Rhizobiales and Actinobacteria, which were often shared by several termite species. The abundance of several bacterial OTUs, such as Bacillus, Clostridium, Corynebacterium, and Staphylococcus, was reduced in termite galleries. Our results demonstrate that both termite guts and termite galleries harbor unique bacterial communities.IMPORTANCE As is the case for all ecosystem engineers, termites impact their habitat by their activities, potentially affecting bacterial communities. Here, we studied three wood-feeding termite species and found that they influence the composition of the bacterial communities in their surrounding environment. Termite activities have positive effects on Rhizobiales and Actinobacteria abundance and negative effects on the abundance of several ubiquitous genera, such as Bacillus, Clostridium, Corynebacterium, and Staphylococcus Our results demonstrate that termite galleries harbor unique bacterial communities.
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Schwitalla JW, Benndorf R, Martin K, Vollmers J, Kaster AK, de Beer ZW, Poulsen M, Beemelmanns C. Streptomyces smaragdinus sp. nov., isolated from the gut of the fungus growing-termite Macrotermes natalensis. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2020; 70:5806-5811. [PMID: 32969785 PMCID: PMC7723250 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.004478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The taxonomic position of a novel aerobic, Gram-positive actinobacteria, designated strain RB5T, was determined using a polyphasic approach. The strain, isolated from the gut of the fungus-farming termite Macrotermes natalensis, showed morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic properties typical of the genus Streptomyces. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the closest phylogenetic neighbour of RB5T was Streptomyces polyrhachis DSM 42102T (98.87 %). DNA–DNA hybridization experiments between strain RB5T and S. polyrhachis DSM 42102T resulted in a value of 27.4 % (26.8 %). The cell wall of strain RB5T contained ll-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic amino acid. Mycolic acids and diagnostic sugars in whole-cell hydrolysates were not detected. The strain produced the following major phospholipids: diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol-mannoside and phosphatidylserine. The menaquinone profile showed hexa- and octahydrogenated menaquinones containing nine isoprene units [MK-9(H6) and MK-9(H8)]. The strain exhibited a fatty acid profile containing the following major fatty acids: 12-methyltridecanoic acid (iso-C14 : 0) 12-methyltetradecanoic acid (anteiso-C15 : 0), 13-methyltetradecanoic acid (iso-C15 : 0) and 14-methylpentadecanoic acid (iso-C16 : 0). Here, we propose a novel species of the genus Streptomyces – Streptomyces smaragdinus with the type strain RB5T (=VKM Ac-2839T=NRRL B65539T).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan W Schwitalla
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e. V., Hans-Knöll-Institute, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - René Benndorf
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e. V., Hans-Knöll-Institute, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Karin Martin
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e. V., Hans-Knöll-Institute, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - John Vollmers
- Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG 5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Anne-Kristin Kaster
- Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG 5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Z Wilhelm de Beer
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry and Agriculture Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, 0028 Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Michael Poulsen
- University of Copenhagen, Department of Biology, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
| | - Christine Beemelmanns
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e. V., Hans-Knöll-Institute, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
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Bridges CM, Gage DJ. Development and application of aerobic, chemically defined media for Dysgonomonas. Anaerobe 2020; 67:102302. [PMID: 33271360 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2020.102302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Members of Dysgonomonas are Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, facultatively anaerobic coccobacilli originally described in relation to their isolation from stool and wounds of human patients (CDC group DF-3). More recently, Dysgonomonas have been found to be widely distributed in terrestrial environments and are particularly enriched in insect systems. Their prevalence in xylophagous insects such as termites and wood-feeding cockroaches, as well as in soil-fed microbial fuel cells, elicit interest in lignocellulose degradation and biofuel production, respectively. Their occurrence in mosquito and fruit fly have implications relating to symbiosis, host immunology and developmental biology. Additionally, their presence in termite, mosquito and nematode present novel opportunities for pest and vector control. Currently, the absolute growth requirements of Dysgonomonas are unknown, and they are commonly cultured under anaerobic conditions on complex media containing blood, peptones, tryptones, and yeast, plant or meat extracts. Restrictive and undefined culturing conditions preclude physiological and genetic studies, and thus further understanding of their metabolic potential. Here we describe the requirements for growth of termite-derived Dysgonomonas isolates and create parallel complex, defined and minimal media that permit vigorous and reliable aerobic growth. Furthermore, we show that these media can be used to easily enrich for Dysgonomonas isolates from densely-colonized and microbially-diverse environmental samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles M Bridges
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Daniel J Gage
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
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Benndorf R, Schwitalla JW, Martin K, de Beer ZW, Vollmers J, Kaster AK, Poulsen M, Beemelmanns C. Nocardia macrotermitis sp. nov. and Nocardia aurantia sp. nov., isolated from the gut of the fungus-growing termite Macrotermes natalensis. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2020; 70:5226-5234. [PMID: 32815801 PMCID: PMC7660896 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.004398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The taxonomic positions of two novel aerobic, Gram-stain-positive Actinobacteria, designated RB20T and RB56T, were determined using a polyphasic approach. Both were isolated from the fungus-farming termite Macrotermes natalensis. Results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that both strains are members of the genus Nocardia with the closest phylogenetic neighbours Nocardia miyunensis JCM12860T (98.9 %) and Nocardia nova DSM44481T (98.5 %) for RB20T and Nocardia takedensis DSM 44801T (98.3 %), Nocardia pseudobrasiliensis DSM 44290T (98.3 %) and Nocardia rayongensis JCM 19832T (98.2 %) for RB56T. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) between RB20T and N. miyunensis JCM12860T and N. nova DSM 44481T resulted in similarity values of 33.9 and 22.0 %, respectively. DDH between RB56T and N. takedensis DSM44801T and N. pseudobrasiliensis DSM44290T showed similarity values of 20.7 and 22.3 %, respectively. In addition, wet-lab DDH between RB56T and N. rayongensis JCM19832T resulted in 10.2 % (14.5 %) similarity. Both strains showed morphological and chemotaxonomic features typical for the genus Nocardia, such as the presence of meso-diaminopimelic acid (A2pm) within the cell wall, arabinose and galactose as major sugar components within whole cell-wall hydrolysates, the presence of mycolic acids and major phospholipids (diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol), and the predominant menaquinone MK-8 (H4, ω-cyclo). The main fatty acids for both strains were hexadecanoic acid (C16 : 0), 10-methyloctadecanoic acid (10-methyl C18 : 0) and cis-9-octadecenoic acid (C18 : 1 ω9c). We propose two novel species within the genus Nocardia: Nocardia macrotermitis sp. nov. with the type strain RB20T (=VKM Ac-2841T=NRRL B65541T) and Nocardia aurantia sp. nov. with the type strain RB56T (=VKM Ac-2842T=NRRL B65542T).
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Affiliation(s)
- René Benndorf
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e. V., Hans-Knöll-Institute, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Jan W. Schwitalla
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e. V., Hans-Knöll-Institute, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Karin Martin
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e. V., Hans-Knöll-Institute, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Z. Wilhelm de Beer
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry and Agriculture Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, 0028 Hatfield, South Africa
| | - John Vollmers
- Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG 5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von- Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Anne-Kristin Kaster
- Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG 5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von- Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Michael Poulsen
- University of Copenhagen, Department of Biology, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
| | - Christine Beemelmanns
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e. V., Hans-Knöll-Institute, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
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Friel AD, Neiswenter SA, Seymour CO, Bali LR, McNamara G, Leija F, Jewell J, Hedlund BP. Microbiome Shifts Associated With the Introduction of Wild Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs ( Limulus polyphemus) Into a Touch-Tank Exhibit. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1398. [PMID: 32765431 PMCID: PMC7381184 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is a common marine aquarium species and model organism for research. There is potential monetary and conservation value in developing a stable captive population of horseshoe crabs, however, one major impediment to achieving captivity is a lack of knowledge regarding captive diseases. We utilized 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to track changes in the microbiomes of four body locations in three wild-caught (tracked over 14 months in captivity) and three tank-acclimated (>2 years in captivity) adult L. polyphemus in a touch tank at Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV. The wild population hosted diverse and distinct microbiomes on the carapace (260 ± 96 amplicon sequence variants or ASVs), cloaca (345 ± 77 ASVs), gills (309 ± 36 ASVs), and oral cavity (359 ± 37 ASVs), which were dominated by classes Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidia, and Alphaproteobacteria. A rapid decline in richness across all body locations was observed within 1 month of captivity, with tank-acclimated (>2 years) animals having <5% of the initial microbiome richness and a nearly completely restructured microbial community. Tank-acclimated horseshoe crabs possessed distinct microbiomes that were highly uneven and low in species richness on the carapace (31 ± 7 ASVs), cloaca (53 ± 19 ASVs), gills (17 ± 2 ASVs), and oral cavity (31 ± 13 ASVs). The carapace, oral cavity, and gills of the tank-acclimated animals hosted abundant populations of Aeromonas (>60%) and Pseudomonas (>20%), both of which are known opportunistic pathogens of aquatic animals and can express chitinases, providing a plausible mechanism for the development of the carapace lesion pathology observed in this and other studies. The cloaca of the tank-acclimated animals was slightly more diverse than the other body locations with Aeromonas, Enterococcus, Shewanella, and Vagococcus dominating the community. These results provide an important baseline on the microbiomes of both wild and tank-acclimated horseshoe crabs and underscore the need to continue to investigate how native microbial populations may protect animals from pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel D Friel
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Sean A Neiswenter
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Cale O Seymour
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Lauren Rose Bali
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Ginger McNamara
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Fabian Leija
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Jack Jewell
- Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Brian P Hedlund
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States.,Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
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The gut and feed residue microbiota changing during the rearing of Hermetia illucens larvae. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2020; 113:1323-1344. [PMID: 32638136 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-020-01443-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Larvae of Hermetia illucens, commonly known as black soldier fly, efficiently convert organic waste into nutrient-rich supplements for different applications. Here we performed a preliminary experiment to investigate the dynamics of the H. illucens gut microbiota and changes in the composition of the bacterial community in the residue of the larval feed during rearing. We furthermore quantified the presence of antibiotic resistance and disinfectant genes in the gut and feed microbiota during the rearing process to elucidate if rearing leads to a reduction, increase, and/or transfer of resistance genes from the feed to larvae and vice versa. We found that the gut and feed residue bacterial communities were distinct throughout the rearing process. The gut microbiome remained more stable compared to the feed residue microbiome varying in both bacterial abundance and community structure during rearing. Antibiotic-resistance genes were present in both, gut and feed residues, with a significant increase in pupae and residue samples taken at the end of the rearing process. Disinfectant-resistance genes were present in the feed residue and even increased during the rearing process but were not transferred to the gut microbiome. We conclude that H. illucens larvae have a stable gut microbiome that does not change significantly over the course of larval development, whereas bacterial communities in the feed residue are strongly affected by rearing. If the presence of antibiotics and disinfectants during rearing, can promote the spread of antibiotic/disinfectant-resistance genes among feed and larvae needs to be evaluated in further experiments.
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Liu Q, Jiang Y. Application of microbial network analysis to discriminate environmental heterogeneity in Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 156:111244. [PMID: 32510386 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In order to determine the practicability of developing a protocol for bioassessing polar marine environment based on network analysis, microplankton communities and co-occurrence patterns at Ardley Cove and Great Wall Cove (King George Island, Antarctica) were studied in January 2016 through high-through sequencing. The spatial patterns and significant differences between community structures in two coves clearly reflect those in environmental heterogeneity. Moreover, both coves had their discriminated network structure and keystones. Then multivariate analyses to quantify the relationship between environmental variation and planktonic microbes response, give further evidence that nitrate and temperature, alone or in combination with other several parameters, structuring the communities respectively indeed. This study presents the first detailed description on co-occurrence networks between microbes and local environmental parameters in Antarctic coastal water. These findings suggest that co-occurrence networks based on planktonic microbes have the robust potential to assess environmental heterogeneity in polar marine ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Yong Jiang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China; Key Lab of Polar Oceanography and Global Ocean Change, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China; Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
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44
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Exploring the effect of plant substrates on bacterial community structure in termite fungus-combs. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232329. [PMID: 32357167 PMCID: PMC7194444 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungus-cultivating termites are successful herbivores largely rely on the external symbiotic fungus-combs to decompose plant polysaccharides. The comb harbors both fungi and bacteria. However, the complementary roles and functions of the bacteria are out of the box. To this purpose, we look into different decomposition stages of fungus-combs using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to examine bacterial community structure. We also explored the bacterial response to physicochemical indexes (such as moisture, ash content and organic matter) and plant substrates (leaves or branches or mix food). Some specific families such as Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Peptostreptococcaceae may be involved in lignocellulose degradation, whereas Burkholderiaceae may be associated with aromatic compounds degradation. We observed that as the comb mature there is a shift of community composition which may be an adjustment of specific bacteria to deal with different lignocellulosic material. Our results indicated that threshold amount of physicochemical indexes are beneficial for bacterial diversity but too high moisture, low organic matter and high ash content may reduce their diversity. Furthermore, the average highest bacterial diversity was recorded from the comb built by branches followed by mix food and leaves. Besides, this study could help in the use of bacteria from the comb of fungus-cultivating termites in forestry and agricultural residues making them easier to digest as fodder.
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Dharampal PS, Diaz-Garcia L, Haase MAB, Zalapa J, Currie CR, Hittinger CT, Steffan SA. Microbial Diversity Associated with the Pollen Stores of Captive-Bred Bumble Bee Colonies. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11040250. [PMID: 32316296 PMCID: PMC7240610 DOI: 10.3390/insects11040250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The pollen stores of bumble bees host diverse microbiota that influence overall colony fitness. Yet, the taxonomic identity of these symbiotic microbes is relatively unknown. In this descriptive study, we characterized the microbial community of pollen provisions within captive-bred bumble bee hives obtained from two commercial suppliers located in North America. Findings from 16S rRNA and ITS gene-based analyses revealed that pollen provisions from the captive-bred hives shared several microbial taxa that have been previously detected among wild populations. While diverse microbes across phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Ascomycota were detected in all commercial hives, significant differences were detected at finer-scale taxonomic resolution based on the supplier source. The causative agent of chalkbrood disease in honey bees, Ascosphaera apis, was detected in all hives obtained from one supplier source, although none of the hives showed symptoms of infection. The shared core microbiota across both commercial supplier sources consisted of two ubiquitous bee-associated groups, Lactobacillus and Wickerhamiella/Starmerella clade yeasts that potentially contribute to the beneficial function of the microbiome of bumble bee pollen provisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prarthana S. Dharampal
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA;
- Correspondence:
| | - Luis Diaz-Garcia
- Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (L.D.-G.); (J.Z.)
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agricolas y Pecuarias, Aguascalientes 20676, Mexico
| | - Max A. B. Haase
- Laboratory of Genetics, Genome Center of Wisconsin, DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Wisconsin Energy Institute, J. F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (M.A.B.H.); (C.T.H.)
| | - Juan Zalapa
- Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (L.D.-G.); (J.Z.)
- USDA-ARS, Vegetable Crop Research Unit, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Cameron R. Currie
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA;
| | - Chris Todd Hittinger
- Laboratory of Genetics, Genome Center of Wisconsin, DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Wisconsin Energy Institute, J. F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (M.A.B.H.); (C.T.H.)
| | - Shawn A. Steffan
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA;
- USDA-ARS, Vegetable Crop Research Unit, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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46
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Domínguez-Santos R, Pérez-Cobas AE, Artacho A, Castro JA, Talón I, Moya A, García-Ferris C, Latorre A. Unraveling Assemblage, Functions and Stability of the Gut Microbiota of Blattella germanica by Antibiotic Treatment. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:487. [PMID: 32269557 PMCID: PMC7109288 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Symbiosis between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is a widespread phenomenon that has contributed to the evolution of eukaryotes. In cockroaches, two types of symbionts coexist: an endosymbiont in the fat body (Blattabacterium), and a rich gut microbiota. The transmission mode of Blattabacterium is vertical, while the gut microbiota of a new generation is mainly formed by bacterial species present in feces. We have carried out a metagenomic analysis of Blattella germanica populations, treated and non-treated with two antibiotics (vancomycin and ampicillin) over two generations to (1) determine the core of bacterial communities and potential functions of the gut microbiota and (2) to gain insights into the mechanisms of resistance and resilience of the gut microbiota. Our results indicate that the composition and functions of the bacteria were affected by treatment, more severely in the case of vancomycin. Further results demonstrated that in an untreated second-generation population that comes from antibiotic-treated first-generation, the microbiota is not yet stabilized at nymphal stages but can fully recover in adults when feces of a control population were added to the diet. This signifies the existence of a stable core in either composition and functions in lab-reared populations. The high microbiota diversity as well as the observed functional redundancy point toward the microbiota of cockroach hindguts as a robust ecosystem that can recover from perturbations, with recovery being faster when feces are added to the diet.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ana Elena Pérez-Cobas
- Institut Pasteur, Biologie des Bactéries Intracellulaires, Paris, France
- CNRS UMR 3525, Paris, France
| | - Alejandro Artacho
- Genomics and Health Area, Foundation for the Promotion of Sanitary and Biomedical Research, Valencia, Spain
| | - José A. Castro
- Unit of Genetics, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
| | - Irene Talón
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, University of Valencia and CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Andrés Moya
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, University of Valencia and CSIC, Valencia, Spain
- Genomics and Health Area, Foundation for the Promotion of Sanitary and Biomedical Research, Valencia, Spain
| | - Carlos García-Ferris
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, University of Valencia and CSIC, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Amparo Latorre
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, University of Valencia and CSIC, Valencia, Spain
- Genomics and Health Area, Foundation for the Promotion of Sanitary and Biomedical Research, Valencia, Spain
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Zeng W, Liu B, Zhong J, Li Q, Li Z. A Natural High-Sugar Diet Has Different Effects on the Prokaryotic Community Structures of Lower and Higher Termites (Blattaria). ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 49:21-32. [PMID: 31782953 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvz130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The lignocellulosic digestive symbiosis in termites is a dynamic survival adaptation system. While the contribution of hereditary and habitat factors to the development of the symbiotic bacterial community of termites had been confirmed, the manner in which these factors affect functional synergism among different bacterial lineages has still not been fully elucidated. Therefore, the 16S rRNA gene libraries of Odontotermes formosanus Shiraki (Blattodea: Termitidae) and Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) sampled from sugarcane fields (high sugar) or pine tree forests (no free sugar) were sequenced. The results verify that the prokaryotic community structures of termites could be significantly reshaped by native dietary isolation within a species. Although the most dominant phyla are convergent in all samples, their relative abundances in these two termite species exhibited a reverse variation pattern when the termite hosts were fed on the high-sugar diet. Furthermore, we showed that the taxonomic composition of the dominant phyla at the family or genus level differentiate depending on the diet and the host phylogeny. We hypothesize that the flexible bacterial assemblages at low taxonomic level might exert variable functional collaboration to accommodate to high-sugar diet. In addition, the functional predictions of Tax4Fun suggest a stable metabolic functional structure of the microbial communities of the termites in both different diet habitats and taxonomy. We propose that the symbiotic bacterial community in different host termites developed a different functional synergistic pattern, which may be essential to maintain the stability of the overall metabolic function for the survival of termites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhui Zeng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bingrong Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junhong Zhong
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiujian Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiqiang Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, Guangzhou, China
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Sinotte VM, Renelies-Hamilton J, Taylor BA, Ellegaard KM, Sapountzis P, Vasseur-Cognet M, Poulsen M. Synergies Between Division of Labor and Gut Microbiomes of Social Insects. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
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49
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Lampert N, Mikaelyan A, Brune A. Diet is not the primary driver of bacterial community structure in the gut of litter-feeding cockroaches. BMC Microbiol 2019; 19:238. [PMID: 31666028 PMCID: PMC6864750 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-019-1601-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diet is a major determinant of bacterial community structure in termite guts, but evidence of its importance in the closely related cockroaches is conflicting. Here, we investigated the ecological drivers of the bacterial gut microbiota in cockroaches that feed on lignocellulosic leaf litter. RESULTS The physicochemical conditions determined with microsensors in the guts of Ergaula capucina, Pycnoscelus surinamensis, and Byrsotria rothi were similar to those reported for both wood-feeding and omnivorous cockroaches. All gut compartments were anoxic at the center and showed a slightly acidic to neutral pH and variable but slightly reducing conditions. Hydrogen accumulated only in the crop of B. rothi. High-throughput amplicon sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes documented that community structure in individual gut compartments correlated strongly with the respective microenvironmental conditions. A comparison of the hindgut microbiota of cockroaches and termites from different feeding groups revealed that the vast majority of the core taxa in cockroaches with a lignocellulosic diet were present also in omnivorous cockroaches but absent in wood-feeding higher termites. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that diet is not the primary driver of bacterial community structure in the gut of wood- and litter-feeding cockroaches. The high similarity to the gut microbiota of omnivorous cockroaches suggests that the dietary components that are actually digested do not differ fundamentally between feeding groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niclas Lampert
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Aram Mikaelyan
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany.,Present Address: Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA
| | - Andreas Brune
- Research Group Insect Gut Microbiology and Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
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50
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Swierts T, Cleary DFR, de Voogd NJ. Prokaryotic communities of Indo-Pacific giant barrel sponges are more strongly influenced by geography than host phylogeny. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2019; 94:5115559. [PMID: 30289448 PMCID: PMC6196991 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiy194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Sponges harbor complex communities of microorganisms that carry out essential roles for the functioning and survival of their hosts. In some cases, genetically related sponges from different geographic regions share microbes, while in other cases microbial communities are more similar in unrelated sponges collected from the same location. To better understand how geography and host phylogeny cause variation in the prokaryotic community of sponges, we compared the prokaryotic community of 44 giant barrel sponges (Xestospongia spp.). These sponges belonged to six reproductively isolated genetic groups from eight areas throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Using Illumina sequencing, we obtained 440 000 sequences of the 16S rRNA gene V3V4 variable region that were assigned to 3795 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The prokaryotic community of giant barrel sponges was characterized by 71 core OTUs (i.e. OTUs present in each specimen) that represented 57.5% of the total number of sequences. The relative abundance of these core OTUs varied significantly among samples, and this variation was predominantly related to the geographic origin of the sample. These results show that in giant barrel sponges, the variation in the prokaryotic community is primarily associated with geography as opposed to phylogenetic relatedness.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Swierts
- Marine Biodiversity, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9517, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, PO Box 9518, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - D F R Cleary
- Departamento de Biologia CESAM, Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - N J de Voogd
- Marine Biodiversity, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9517, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, PO Box 9518, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands
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