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Ju JF, Yang L, Shen C, Li JC, Hoffmann AA, Huang YX, Zhu F, Ji R, Luo GH, Fang JC. Defence and nutrition synergistically contribute to the distinct tolerance of rice subspecies to the stem borer, Chilo suppressalis. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024; 47:2426-2442. [PMID: 38497544 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Damage caused by the rice striped stem borer (SSB), Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is much more severe on indica/xian rice than on japonica/geng rice (Oryza sativa) which matches pest outbreak data in cropping regions of China. The mechanistic basis of this difference among rice subspecies remains unclear. Using transcriptomic, metabolomic and genetic analyses in combination with insect bioassay experiments, we showed that japonica and indica rice utilise different defence responses to repel SSB, and that SSB exploited plant nutrition deficiencies in different ways in the subspecies. The more resistant japonica rice induced patterns of accumulation of methyl jasmonate (MeJA-part of a defensive pathway) and vitamin B1 (VB1-a nutrition pathway) distinct from indica cultivars. Using gene-edited rice plants and SSB bioassays, we found that MeJA and VB1 jointly affected the performance of SSB by disrupting juvenile hormone levels. In addition, genetic variants of key biosynthesis genes in the MeJA and VB1 pathways (OsJMT and OsTH1, respectively) differed between japonica and indica rice and contributed to performance differences; in indica rice, SSB avoided the MeJA defence pathway and hijacked the VB1 nutrition-related pathway to promote development. The findings highlight important genetic and mechanistic differences between rice subspecies affecting SSB damage which could be exploited in plant breeding for resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Fei Ju
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety (State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology), Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Lei Yang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety (State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology), Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Chen Shen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety (State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology), Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Jian-Cai Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Yu-Xuan Huang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety (State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology), Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Feng Zhu
- Jiangsu Plant Protection and Quarantine Station, Nanjing, China
| | - Rui Ji
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety (State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology), Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Guang-Hua Luo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety (State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology), Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Ji-Chao Fang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety (State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology), Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
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Spencer N, Santee M, Wetherhold A, Rio RVM. Draft genome sequence of Wigglesworthia glossinidia "palpalis gambiensis" isolate. Microbiol Resour Announc 2024; 13:e0091223. [PMID: 38206026 PMCID: PMC10868223 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00912-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The 0.719 Mb genome of the tsetse endosymbiont, Wigglesworthia glossinidia, from Glossina palpalis gambiensis is presented. This Wigglesworthia genome retains 611 protein-coding sequences and a 25.3% GC content. A cryptic plasmid is conserved, between Wigglesworthia isolates, suggesting functional significance. This genome adds a further dimension to characterize Wigglesworthia lineage-based differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah Spencer
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Mathilda Santee
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Adam Wetherhold
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Rita V. M. Rio
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
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3
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Dera KSM, Dieng MM, Moyaba P, Ouedraogo GMS, Pagabeleguem S, Njokou F, Ngambia Freitas FS, de Beer CJ, Mach RL, Vreysen MJB, Abd-Alla AMM. Prevalence of Spiroplasma and interaction with wild Glossina tachinoides microbiota. Parasite 2023; 30:62. [PMID: 38117272 PMCID: PMC10732139 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2023064] [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: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) are vectors of the tropical neglected diseases sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in animals. The elimination of these diseases is linked to control of the vector. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environment-friendly method that has been shown to be effective when applied in an area-wide integrated pest management approach. However, as irradiated males conserve their vectorial competence, there is the potential risk of trypanosome transmission with their release in the field. Analyzing the interaction between the tsetse fly and its microbiota, and between different microbiota and the trypanosome, might provide important information to enhance the fly's resistance to trypanosome infection. This study on the prevalence of Spiroplasma in wild populations of seven tsetse species from East, West, Central and Southern Africa showed that Spiroplasma is present only in Glossina fuscipes fuscipes and Glossina tachinoides. In G. tachinoides, a significant deviation from independence in co-infection with Spiroplasma and Trypanosoma spp. was observed. Moreover, Spiroplasma infections seem to significantly reduce the density of the trypanosomes, suggesting that Spiroplasma might enhance tsetse fly's refractoriness to the trypanosome infections. This finding might be useful to reduce risks associated with the release of sterile males during SIT implementation in trypanosome endemic areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiswend-Sida M Dera
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
- Insectarium de Bobo Dioulasso – Campagne d’Eradication de la mouche tsetse et de la Trypanosomose (IBD-CETT) 01 BP 1087 Bobo Dioulasso 01 Burkina Faso
| | - Mouhamadou M Dieng
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
- Université Gaston Berger Saint Louis Senegal
| | - Percy Moyaba
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR) Pretoria South Africa
| | - Gisele MS Ouedraogo
- Insectarium de Bobo Dioulasso – Campagne d’Eradication de la mouche tsetse et de la Trypanosomose (IBD-CETT) 01 BP 1087 Bobo Dioulasso 01 Burkina Faso
| | - Soumaïla Pagabeleguem
- Insectarium de Bobo Dioulasso – Campagne d’Eradication de la mouche tsetse et de la Trypanosomose (IBD-CETT) 01 BP 1087 Bobo Dioulasso 01 Burkina Faso
- University of Dedougou B.P. 176 Dédougou 01 Burkina Faso
| | - Flobert Njokou
- Laboratory of Parasitology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaounde I Po. Box 812 Yaoundé Cameroon
| | | | - Chantel J de Beer
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
| | - Robert L Mach
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental, and Bioscience Engineering, Research Area Biochemical Technology, Vienna University of Technology, Gumpendorfer Straße 1a 1060 Vienna Austria
| | - Marc JB Vreysen
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
| | - Adly MM Abd-Alla
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
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Attardo GM, Benoit JB, Michalkova V, Kondragunta A, Baumann AA, Weiss BL, Malacrida A, Scolari F, Aksoy S. Lipid metabolism dysfunction following symbiont elimination is linked to altered Kennedy pathway homeostasis. iScience 2023; 26:107108. [PMID: 37534171 PMCID: PMC10391724 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipid metabolism is critical for insect reproduction, especially for species that invest heavily in the early developmental stages of their offspring. The role of symbiotic bacteria during this process is understudied but likely essential. We examined the role of lipid metabolism during the interaction between the viviparous tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans morsitans) and its obligate endosymbiotic bacteria (Wigglesworthia glossinidia) during tsetse pregnancy. We observed increased CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (cct1) expression during pregnancy, which is critical for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis in the Kennedy pathway. Experimental removal of Wigglesworthia impaired lipid metabolism via disruption of the Kennedy pathway, yielding obese mothers whose developing progeny starve. Functional validation via experimental cct1 suppression revealed a phenotype similar to females lacking obligate Wigglesworthia symbionts. These results indicate that, in Glossina, symbiont-derived factors, likely B vitamins, are critical for the proper function of both lipid biosynthesis and lipolysis to maintain tsetse fly fecundity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey M. Attardo
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Joshua B. Benoit
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Veronika Michalkova
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
- Section of Molecular and Applied Zoology, Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Alekhya Kondragunta
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Aaron A. Baumann
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
- Center for Agricultural Synthetic Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Brian L. Weiss
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Anna Malacrida
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Scolari
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Institute of Molecular Genetics (IGM), Italian National Research Council (CNR), Via Abbiategrasso 207, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Serap Aksoy
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
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Cornwallis CK, van 't Padje A, Ellers J, Klein M, Jackson R, Kiers ET, West SA, Henry LM. Symbioses shape feeding niches and diversification across insects. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1022-1044. [PMID: 37202501 PMCID: PMC10333129 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02058-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
For over 300 million years, insects have relied on symbiotic microbes for nutrition and defence. However, it is unclear whether specific ecological conditions have repeatedly favoured the evolution of symbioses, and how this has influenced insect diversification. Here, using data on 1,850 microbe-insect symbioses across 402 insect families, we found that symbionts have allowed insects to specialize on a range of nutrient-imbalanced diets, including phloem, blood and wood. Across diets, the only limiting nutrient consistently associated with the evolution of obligate symbiosis was B vitamins. The shift to new diets, facilitated by symbionts, had mixed consequences for insect diversification. In some cases, such as herbivory, it resulted in spectacular species proliferation. In other niches, such as strict blood feeding, diversification has been severely constrained. Symbioses therefore appear to solve widespread nutrient deficiencies for insects, but the consequences for insect diversification depend on the feeding niche that is invaded.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anouk van 't Padje
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, section Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jacintha Ellers
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, section Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Malin Klein
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, section Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Raphaella Jackson
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - E Toby Kiers
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, section Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Stuart A West
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lee M Henry
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
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6
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Kiefer JST, Bauer E, Okude G, Fukatsu T, Kaltenpoth M, Engl T. Cuticle supplementation and nitrogen recycling by a dual bacterial symbiosis in a family of xylophagous beetles. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023:10.1038/s41396-023-01415-y. [PMID: 37085551 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01415-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
Many insects engage in stable nutritional symbioses with bacteria that supplement limiting essential nutrients to their host. While several plant sap-feeding Hemipteran lineages are known to be simultaneously associated with two or more endosymbionts with complementary biosynthetic pathways to synthesize amino acids or vitamins, such co-obligate symbioses have not been functionally characterized in other insect orders. Here, we report on the characterization of a dual co-obligate, bacteriome-localized symbiosis in a family of xylophagous beetles using comparative genomics, fluorescence microscopy, and phylogenetic analyses. Across the beetle family Bostrichidae, most investigated species harbored the Bacteroidota symbiont Shikimatogenerans bostrichidophilus that encodes the shikimate pathway to produce tyrosine precursors in its severely reduced genome, likely supplementing the beetles' cuticle biosynthesis, sclerotisation, and melanisation. One clade of Bostrichid beetles additionally housed the co-obligate symbiont Bostrichicola ureolyticus that is inferred to complement the function of Shikimatogenerans by recycling urea and provisioning the essential amino acid lysine, thereby providing additional benefits on nitrogen-poor diets. Both symbionts represent ancient associations within the Bostrichidae that have subsequently experienced genome erosion and co-speciation with their hosts. While Bostrichicola was repeatedly lost, Shikimatogenerans has been retained throughout the family and exhibits a perfect pattern of co-speciation. Our results reveal that co-obligate symbioses with complementary metabolic capabilities occur beyond the well-known sap-feeding Hemiptera and highlight the importance of symbiont-mediated cuticle supplementation and nitrogen recycling for herbivorous beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Simon Thilo Kiefer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Eugen Bauer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Genta Okude
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8571, Japan
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias Engl
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
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Lv N, Li R, Cheng S, Zhang L, Liang P, Gao X. The gut symbiont Sphingomonas mediates imidacloprid resistance in the important agricultural insect pest Aphis gossypii Glover. BMC Biol 2023; 21:86. [PMID: 37069589 PMCID: PMC10111731 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01586-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neonicotinoid insecticides are applied worldwide for the control of agricultural insect pests. The evolution of neonicotinoid resistance has led to the failure of pest control in the field. The enhanced detoxifying enzyme activity and target mutations play important roles in the resistance of insects to neonicotinoid resistance. Emerging evidence indicates a central role of the gut symbiont in insect pest resistance to pesticides. Existing reports suggest that symbiotic microorganisms could mediate pesticide resistance by degrading pesticides in insect pests. RESULTS The 16S rDNA sequencing results showed that the richness and diversity of the gut community between the imidacloprid-resistant (IMI-R) and imidacloprid-susceptible (IMI-S) strains of the cotton aphid Aphis gossypii showed no significant difference, while the abundance of the gut symbiont Sphingomonas was significantly higher in the IMI-R strain. Antibiotic treatment deprived Sphingomonas of the gut, followed by an increase in susceptibility to imidacloprid in the IMI-R strain. The susceptibility of the IMI-S strain to imidacloprid was significantly decreased as expected after supplementation with Sphingomonas. In addition, the imidacloprid susceptibility in nine field populations, which were all infected with Sphingomonas, increased to different degrees after treatment with antibiotics. Then, we demonstrated that Sphingomonas isolated from the gut of the IMI-R strain could subsist only with imidacloprid as a carbon source. The metabolic efficiency of imidacloprid by Sphingomonas reached 56% by HPLC detection. This further proved that Sphingomonas could mediate A. gossypii resistance to imidacloprid by hydroxylation and nitroreduction. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the gut symbiont Sphingomonas, with detoxification properties, could offer an opportunity for insect pests to metabolize imidacloprid. These findings enriched our knowledge of mechanisms of insecticide resistance and provided new symbiont-based strategies for control of insecticide-resistant insect pests with high Sphingomonas abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nannan Lv
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Ren Li
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Shenhang Cheng
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Pei Liang
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
| | - Xiwu Gao
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
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Lee MH, Hu G, Rio RVM. Symbiosis preservation: Putative regulation of fatty acyl-CoA reductase by miR-31a within the symbiont harboring bacteriome through tsetse evolution. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1151319. [PMID: 37113220 PMCID: PMC10126493 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1151319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Tsetse flies are the sole vectors of African trypanosomes. In addition to trypanosomes, tsetse harbor obligate Wigglesworthia glossinidia bacteria that are essential to tsetse biology. The absence of Wigglesworthia results in fly sterility, thus offering promise for population control strategies. Here, microRNA (miRNAs) and mRNA expression are characterized and compared between the exclusive Wigglesworthia-containing bacteriome and adjacent aposymbiotic tissue in females of two evolutionarily distant tsetse species (Glossina brevipalpis and G. morsitans). A total of 193 miRNAs were expressed in either species, with 188 of these expressed in both species, 166 of these were novel to Glossinidae, and 41 miRNAs exhibited comparable expression levels between species. Within bacteriomes, 83 homologous mRNAs demonstrated differential expression between G. morsitans aposymbiotic and bacteriome tissues, with 21 of these having conserved interspecific expression. A large proportion of these differentially expressed genes are involved in amino acid metabolism and transport, symbolizing the essential nutritional role of the symbiosis. Further bioinformatic analyses identified a sole conserved miRNA::mRNA interaction (miR-31a::fatty acyl-CoA reductase) within bacteriomes likely catalyzing the reduction of fatty acids to alcohols which comprise components of esters and lipids involved in structural maintenance. The Glossina fatty acyl-CoA reductase gene family is characterized here through phylogenetic analyses to further understand its evolutionary diversification and the functional roles of members. Further research to characterize the nature of the miR-31a::fatty acyl-CoA reductase interaction may find novel contributions to the symbiosis to be exploited for vector control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mason H. Lee
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Gangqing Hu
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Rita V. M. Rio
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
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Yao YL, Ma XY, Wang TY, Yan JY, Chen NF, Hong JS, Liu BQ, Xu ZQ, Zhang N, Lv C, Sun X, Luan JB. A bacteriocyte symbiont determines whitefly sex ratio by regulating mitochondrial function. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112102. [PMID: 36774548 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Nutritional symbionts influence host reproduction, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unclear. We previously found that the bacteriocyte symbiont Hamiltonella impacts the sex ratio of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. Hamiltonella synthesizes folate by cooperation with the whitefly. Folate deficiency by Hamiltonella elimination or whitefly gene silencing distorted whitefly sex ratio, and folate supplementation restored the sex ratio. Hamiltonella deficiency or gene silencing altered histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) level, which was restored by folate supplementation. Genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation-seq analysis of H3K9me3 indicated mitochondrial dysfunction in symbiont-deficient whiteflies. Hamiltonella deficiency compromised mitochondrial quality of whitefly ovaries. Repressing ovary mitochondrial function led to distorted whitefly sex ratio. These findings indicate that the symbiont-derived folate regulates host histone methylation modifications, which thereby impacts ovary mitochondrial function, and finally determines host sex ratio. Our study suggests that a nutritional symbiont can regulate animal reproduction in a way that differs from reproductive manipulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Lin Yao
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Xin-Yu Ma
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Tian-Yu Wang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Jin-Yang Yan
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Nai-Fei Chen
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Ji-Sheng Hong
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Bing-Qi Liu
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Zi-Qi Xu
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Nuo Zhang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Chao Lv
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Xiang Sun
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Jun-Bo Luan
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.
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Abstract
Integration between animal reproduction and symbiont inheritance is fundamental in symbiosis biology, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Vitellogenin (Vg) is critical for oogenesis, and it is also a pathogen pattern recognition molecule in some animals. Previous studies have shown that Vg is involved in the regulation of symbiont abundance and transmission. However, the mechanisms by which an insect and its symbiont contribute to the function of Vg and how Vg impacts the persistence of insect-microbe symbiosis remain largely unclear. Symbionts are transovarially transmitted via maternal inheritance of the bacteriocytes in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. Surprisingly, Vg is localized in bacteriocytes of whiteflies. Vg could be synthesized in whitefly bacteriocytes by the gene Vg expressed in these cells or exported into bacteriocytes from hemolymph via the Vg receptor. We further found that the juvenile hormone and "Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum" (here termed Portiera) control the level and localization of Vg in whiteflies. Immunocapture PCR revealed interactions between Vg and Portiera. Suppressing Vg expression reduced Portiera abundance as well as whitefly oogenesis and fecundity. Thus, we reveal that Vg facilitated the persistence of whitefly-bacteriocyte symbiont associations. This study will provide insight into the key role of Vg in the coevolution of insect reproduction and symbiont inheritance. IMPORTANCE Intracellular heritable symbionts have been incorporated into insect reproductive and developmental biology by various mechanisms. All Bemisia tabaci species harbor the obligate symbiont Portiera in specialized insect cells called bacteriocytes. We report that the whitefly juvenile hormone and Portiera determined vitellogenin (Vg) localization in bacteriocytes of whiteflies. In turn, Vg affected whitefly fecundity as well as fitness and transmission of the symbiont. Our findings show that Vg, a multifunctional protein, is indispensable for symbiont integration into the reproduction and development of insects. This reflects the outcome of long-term coevolution of the insect-microbe symbiosis.
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Abstract
Insects are highly successful in colonizing a wide spectrum of ecological niches and in feeding on a wide diversity of diets. This is notably linked to their capacity to get from their microbiota any essential component lacking in the diet such as vitamins and amino acids. Over a century of research based on dietary analysis, antimicrobial treatment, gnotobiotic rearing, and culture-independent microbe detection progressively generated a wealth of information about the role of the microbiota in specific aspects of insect fitness. Thanks to the recent increase in sequencing capacities, whole-genome sequencing of a number of symbionts has facilitated tracing of biosynthesis pathways, validation of experimental data and evolutionary analyses. This field of research has generated a considerable set of data in a diversity of hosts harboring specific symbionts or nonspecific microbiota members. Here, we review the current knowledge on the involvement of the microbiota in insect and tick nutrition, with a particular focus on B vitamin provision. We specifically question if there is any specificity of B vitamin provision by symbionts compared to the redundant yet essential contribution of nonspecific microbes. We successively highlight the known aspects of microbial vitamin provision during three main life stages of invertebrates: postembryonic development, adulthood, and reproduction.
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12
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Thomas GH. Microbial Musings - Autumn 2022. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2022; 168. [PMID: 36748692 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gavin H Thomas
- Department of Biology, University of York, Heslington, UK
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13
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Lee MH, Medina Munoz M, Rio RVM. The Tsetse Metabolic Gambit: Living on Blood by Relying on Symbionts Demands Synchronization. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:905826. [PMID: 35756042 PMCID: PMC9218860 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.905826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tsetse flies have socioeconomic significance as the obligate vector of multiple Trypanosoma parasites, the causative agents of Human and Animal African Trypanosomiases. Like many animals subsisting on a limited diet, microbial symbiosis is key to supplementing nutrient deficiencies necessary for metabolic, reproductive, and immune functions. Extensive studies on the microbiota in parallel to tsetse biology have unraveled the many dependencies partners have for one another. But far less is known mechanistically on how products are swapped between partners and how these metabolic exchanges are regulated, especially to address changing physiological needs. More specifically, how do metabolites contributed by one partner get to the right place at the right time and in the right amounts to the other partner? Epigenetics is the study of molecules and mechanisms that regulate the inheritance, gene activity and expression of traits that are not due to DNA sequence alone. The roles that epigenetics provide as a mechanistic link between host phenotype, metabolism and microbiota (both in composition and activity) is relatively unknown and represents a frontier of exploration. Here, we take a closer look at blood feeding insects with emphasis on the tsetse fly, to specifically propose roles for microRNAs (miRNA) and DNA methylation, in maintaining insect-microbiota functional homeostasis. We provide empirical details to addressing these hypotheses and advancing these studies. Deciphering how microbiota and host activity are harmonized may foster multiple applications toward manipulating host health, including identifying novel targets for innovative vector control strategies to counter insidious pests such as tsetse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mason H Lee
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Miguel Medina Munoz
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States.,Department of Bacteriology, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Rita V M Rio
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
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14
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Whittle M, Barreaux AMG, Bonsall MB, Ponton F, English S. Insect-host control of obligate, intracellular symbiont density. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211993. [PMID: 34814751 PMCID: PMC8611330 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many insects rely on intracellular bacterial symbionts to supplement their specialized diets with micronutrients. Using data from diverse and well-studied insect systems, we propose three lines of evidence suggesting that hosts have tight control over the density of their obligate, intracellular bacterial partners. First, empirical studies have demonstrated that the within-host symbiont density varies depending on the nutritional and developmental requirements of the host. Second, symbiont genomes are highly reduced and have limited capacity for self-replication or transcriptional regulation. Third, several mechanisms exist for hosts to tolerate, regulate and remove symbionts including physical compartmentalization and autophagy. We then consider whether such regulation is adaptive, by discussing the relationship between symbiont density and host fitness. We discuss current limitations of empirical studies for exploring fitness effects in host-symbiont relationships, and emphasize the potential for using mathematical models to formalize evolutionary hypotheses and to generate testable predictions for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilda Whittle
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | | | - Michael B Bonsall
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.,St Peter's College, Oxford, OX1 2DL
| | - Fleur Ponton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sinead English
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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15
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Shan HW, Liu SS. The Costs and Benefits of Two Secondary Symbionts in a Whitefly Host Shape Their Differential Prevalence in the Field. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:739521. [PMID: 34659172 PMCID: PMC8515054 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.739521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects commonly harbor maternally inherited intracellular symbionts in nature, and the microbial partners often exert influence on host reproduction and fitness to promote their prevalence. Here, we investigated composition of symbionts and their biological effects in the invasive Bemisia tabaci MED species of a whitefly complex. Our field surveys revealed that populations of the MED whitefly, in addition to the primary symbiont Portiera, mainly contain two secondary symbionts Hamiltonella, which is nearly fixed in the host populations, and Cardinium with infection frequencies ranging from 0 to 86%. We isolated and established Cardinium-positive and Cardinium-free whitefly lines with a similar nuclear genetic background from a field population, and compared performance of the two whitefly lines. The infection of Cardinium incurred significant fitness costs on the MED whitefly, including reduction of fecundity and egg viability as well as delay in development. We then selectively removed Hamiltonella from the Cardinium-free whitefly line and compared performance of two whitefly lines, one harboring both Portiera and Hamiltonella and the other harboring only Portiera. While depletion of Hamiltonella had little or only marginal effects on the fecundity, developmental rate, and offspring survival, the Hamiltonella-free whitefly line produced very few female offspring, often reducing the progeny female ratio from about 50% to less than 1%. Our findings indicate that the varying costs and benefits of the association between these two symbionts and the MED whitefly may play an important role in shaping their differential prevalence in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Wei Shan
- 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, China.,Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shu-Sheng Liu
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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16
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Son JH, Weiss BL, Schneider DI, Dera KSM, Gstöttenmayer F, Opiro R, Echodu R, Saarman NP, Attardo GM, Onyango M, Abd-Alla AMM, Aksoy S. Infection with endosymbiotic Spiroplasma disrupts tsetse (Glossina fuscipes fuscipes) metabolic and reproductive homeostasis. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009539. [PMID: 34529715 PMCID: PMC8478229 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) house a population-dependent assortment of microorganisms that can include pathogenic African trypanosomes and maternally transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria, the latter of which mediate numerous aspects of their host's metabolic, reproductive, and immune physiologies. One of these endosymbionts, Spiroplasma, was recently discovered to reside within multiple tissues of field captured and laboratory colonized tsetse flies grouped in the Palpalis subgenera. In various arthropods, Spiroplasma induces reproductive abnormalities and pathogen protective phenotypes. In tsetse, Spiroplasma infections also induce a protective phenotype by enhancing the fly's resistance to infection with trypanosomes. However, the potential impact of Spiroplasma on tsetse's viviparous reproductive physiology remains unknown. Herein we employed high-throughput RNA sequencing and laboratory-based functional assays to better characterize the association between Spiroplasma and the metabolic and reproductive physiologies of G. fuscipes fuscipes (Gff), a prominent vector of human disease. Using field-captured Gff, we discovered that Spiroplasma infection induces changes of sex-biased gene expression in reproductive tissues that may be critical for tsetse's reproductive fitness. Using a Gff lab line composed of individuals heterogeneously infected with Spiroplasma, we observed that the bacterium and tsetse host compete for finite nutrients, which negatively impact female fecundity by increasing the length of intrauterine larval development. Additionally, we found that when males are infected with Spiroplasma, the motility of their sperm is compromised following transfer to the female spermatheca. As such, Spiroplasma infections appear to adversely impact male reproductive fitness by decreasing the competitiveness of their sperm. Finally, we determined that the bacterium is maternally transmitted to intrauterine larva at a high frequency, while paternal transmission was also noted in a small number of matings. Taken together, our findings indicate that Spiroplasma exerts a negative impact on tsetse fecundity, an outcome that could be exploited for reducing tsetse population size and thus disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Hak Son
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Brian L. Weiss
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Daniela I. Schneider
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Kiswend-sida M. Dera
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna, Austria
- Insectarium de Bobo-Dioulasso—Campagne d’Eradication de la mouche Tse´-tse´ et de la Trypanosomiase (IBD-CETT), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Fabian Gstöttenmayer
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna, Austria
| | - Robert Opiro
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda
| | - Richard Echodu
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda
| | - Norah P. Saarman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Geoffrey M. Attardo
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Maria Onyango
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Adly M. M. Abd-Alla
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna, Austria
| | - Serap Aksoy
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
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17
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Medina Munoz M, Brenner C, Richmond D, Spencer N, Rio RVM. The holobiont transcriptome of teneral tsetse fly species of varying vector competence. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:400. [PMID: 34058984 PMCID: PMC8166097 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07729-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tsetse flies are the obligate vectors of African trypanosomes, which cause Human and Animal African Trypanosomiasis. Teneral flies (newly eclosed adults) are especially susceptible to parasite establishment and development, yet our understanding of why remains fragmentary. The tsetse gut microbiome is dominated by two Gammaproteobacteria, an essential and ancient mutualist Wigglesworthia glossinidia and a commensal Sodalis glossinidius. Here, we characterize and compare the metatranscriptome of teneral Glossina morsitans to that of G. brevipalpis and describe unique immunological, physiological, and metabolic landscapes that may impact vector competence differences between these two species. Results An active expression profile was observed for Wigglesworthia immediately following host adult metamorphosis. Specifically, ‘translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis’ followed by ‘coenzyme transport and metabolism’ were the most enriched clusters of orthologous genes (COGs), highlighting the importance of nutrient transport and metabolism even following host species diversification. Despite the significantly smaller Wigglesworthia genome more differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between interspecific isolates (n = 326, ~ 55% of protein coding genes) than between the corresponding Sodalis isolates (n = 235, ~ 5% of protein coding genes) likely reflecting distinctions in host co-evolution and adaptation. DEGs between Sodalis isolates included genes involved in chitin degradation that may contribute towards trypanosome susceptibility by compromising the immunological protection provided by the peritrophic matrix. Lastly, G. brevipalpis tenerals demonstrate a more immunologically robust background with significant upregulation of IMD and melanization pathways. Conclusions These transcriptomic differences may collectively contribute to vector competence differences between tsetse species and offers translational relevance towards the design of novel vector control strategies. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-07729-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Medina Munoz
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA
| | - Caitlyn Brenner
- Department of Biology, Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, PA, 15301, USA
| | - Dylan Richmond
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA
| | - Noah Spencer
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA
| | - Rita V M Rio
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA.
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18
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Kiefer JST, Batsukh S, Bauer E, Hirota B, Weiss B, Wierz JC, Fukatsu T, Kaltenpoth M, Engl T. Inhibition of a nutritional endosymbiont by glyphosate abolishes mutualistic benefit on cuticle synthesis in Oryzaephilus surinamensis. Commun Biol 2021; 4:554. [PMID: 33976379 PMCID: PMC8113238 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02057-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Glyphosate is widely used as a herbicide, but recent studies begin to reveal its detrimental side effects on animals by targeting the shikimate pathway of associated gut microorganisms. However, its impact on nutritional endosymbionts in insects remains poorly understood. Here, we sequenced the tiny, shikimate pathway encoding symbiont genome of the sawtoothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis. Decreased titers of the aromatic amino acid tyrosine in symbiont-depleted beetles underscore the symbionts' ability to synthesize prephenate as the precursor for host tyrosine synthesis and its importance for cuticle sclerotization and melanization. Glyphosate exposure inhibited symbiont establishment during host development and abolished the mutualistic benefit on cuticle synthesis in adults, which could be partially rescued by dietary tyrosine supplementation. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses indicate that the shikimate pathways of many nutritional endosymbionts likewise contain a glyphosate sensitive 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase. These findings highlight the importance of symbiont-mediated tyrosine supplementation for cuticle biosynthesis in insects, but also paint an alarming scenario regarding the use of glyphosate in light of recent declines in insect populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Simon Thilo Kiefer
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Suvdanselengee Batsukh
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Eugen Bauer
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Bin Hirota
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Benjamin Weiss
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Jürgen C Wierz
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias Engl
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
- Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
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19
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Riboflavin instability is a key factor underlying the requirement of a gut microbiota for mosquito development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2101080118. [PMID: 33827929 PMCID: PMC8053949 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101080118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously determined that several diets used to rear Aedes aegypti and other mosquito species support the development of larvae with a gut microbiota but do not support the development of axenic larvae. In contrast, axenic larvae have been shown to develop when fed other diets. To understand the mechanisms underlying this dichotomy, we developed a defined diet that could be manipulated in concert with microbiota composition and environmental conditions. Initial studies showed that axenic larvae could not grow under standard rearing conditions (27 °C, 16-h light: 8-h dark photoperiod) when fed a defined diet but could develop when maintained in darkness. Downstream assays identified riboflavin decay to lumichrome as the key factor that prevented axenic larvae from growing under standard conditions, while gut community members like Escherichia coli rescued development by being able to synthesize riboflavin. Earlier results showed that conventional and gnotobiotic but not axenic larvae exhibit midgut hypoxia under standard rearing conditions, which correlated with activation of several pathways with essential growth functions. In this study, axenic larvae in darkness also exhibited midgut hypoxia and activation of growth signaling but rapidly shifted to midgut normoxia and arrested growth in light, which indicated that gut hypoxia was not due to aerobic respiration by the gut microbiota but did depend on riboflavin that only resident microbes could provide under standard conditions. Overall, our results identify riboflavin provisioning as an essential function for the gut microbiota under most conditions A. aegypti larvae experience in the laboratory and field.
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20
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Ren FR, Bai B, Hong JS, Huang YZ, Luan JB. A microbiological assay for biotin determination in insects. INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 28:415-418. [PMID: 32548943 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Fei-Rong Ren
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Bing Bai
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ji-Sheng Hong
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yan-Zhen Huang
- College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Jun-Bo Luan
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
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21
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Goodrich-Blair H. Interactions of host-associated multispecies bacterial communities. Periodontol 2000 2021; 86:14-31. [PMID: 33690897 DOI: 10.1111/prd.12360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The oral microbiome comprises microbial communities colonizing biotic (epithelia, mucosa) and abiotic (enamel) surfaces. Different communities are associated with health (eg, immune development, pathogen resistance) and disease (eg, tooth loss and periodontal disease). Like any other host-associated microbiome, colonization and persistence of both beneficial and dysbiotic oral microbiomes are dictated by successful utilization of available nutrients and defense against host and competitor assaults. This chapter will explore these general features of microbe-host interactions through the lens of symbiotic (mutualistic and antagonistic/pathogenic) associations with nonmammalian animals. Investigations in such systems across a broad taxonomic range have revealed conserved mechanisms and processes that underlie the complex associations among microbes and between microbes and hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Goodrich-Blair
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
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22
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Ngambia Freitas FS, Njiokou F, Tsagmo Ngoune JM, Sempere G, Berthier D, Geiger A. Modulation of trypanosome establishment in Glossina palpalis palpalis by its microbiome in the Campo sleeping sickness focus, Cameroon. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2021; 90:104763. [PMID: 33571685 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.104763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate factors involved in vector competence by analyzing whether the diversity and relative abundance of the different bacterial genera inhabiting the fly's gut could be associated with its trypanosome infection status. This was investigated on 160 randomly selected G. p. palpalis flies - 80 trypanosome-infected, 80 uninfected - collected in 5 villages of the Campo trypanosomiasis focus in South Cameroon. Trypanosome species were identified using specific primers, and the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria was targeted for metabarcoding analysis in order to identify the bacteria and determine microbiome composition. A total of 261 bacterial genera were identified of which only 114 crossed two barriers: a threshold of 0.01% relative abundance and the presence at least in 5 flies. The secondary symbiont Sodalis glossinidius was identified in 50% of the flies but it was not considered since its relative abundance was much lower than the 0.01% relative abundance threshold. The primary symbiont Wigglesworthia displayed 87% relative abundance, the remaining 13% were prominently constituted by the genera Spiroplasma, Tediphilus, Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas. Despite a large diversity in bacterial genera and in their abundance observed in micobiome composition, the statistical analyzes of the 160 tsetse flies showed an association with flies' infection status and the sampling sites. Furthermore, tsetse flies harboring Trypanosoma congolense Savanah type displayed a different composition of bacterial flora compared to uninfected flies. In addition, our study revealed that 36 bacterial genera were present only in uninfected flies, which could therefore suggest a possible involvement in flies' refractoriness; with the exception of Cupriavidus, they were however of low relative abundance. Some genera, including Acinetobacter, Cutibacterium, Pseudomonas and Tepidiphilus, although present both in infected and uninfected flies, were found to be associated with uninfected status of tsetse flies. Hence their effective role deserves to be further evaluated in order to determine whether some of them could become targets for tsetse control of fly vector competence and consequently for the control of the disease. Finally, when comparing the bacterial genera identified in tsetse flies collected during 4 epidemiological surveys, 39 genera were found to be common to flies from at least 2 sampling campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Sougal Ngambia Freitas
- INTERTRYP, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Flobert Njiokou
- Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | - Guilhem Sempere
- CIRAD, UMR INTERTRYP, F-34398 Montpellier, France; South Green Bioinformatics Platform, Biodiversity, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France; INTERTRYP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - David Berthier
- CIRAD, UMR INTERTRYP, F-34398 Montpellier, France; INTERTRYP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Anne Geiger
- INTERTRYP, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon; Center for Research on Filariasis and other Tropical Diseases (CRFilMT), P.O. Box 5797, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
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23
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Bacterial Symbionts of Tsetse Flies: Relationships and Functional Interactions Between Tsetse Flies and Their Symbionts. Results Probl Cell Differ 2021; 69:497-536. [PMID: 33263885 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-51849-3_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
Abstract
Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) act as the sole vectors of the African trypanosome species that cause Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT or African Sleeping Sickness) and Nagana in animals. These flies have undergone a variety of specializations during their evolution including an exclusive diet consisting solely of vertebrate blood for both sexes as well as an obligate viviparous reproductive biology. Alongside these adaptations, Glossina species have developed intricate relationships with specific microbes ranging from mutualistic to parasitic. These relationships provide fundamental support required to sustain the specializations associated with tsetse's biology. This chapter provides an overview on the knowledge to date regarding the biology behind these relationships and focuses primarily on four bacterial species that are consistently associated with Glossina species. Here their interactions with the host are reviewed at the morphological, biochemical and genetic levels. This includes: the obligate symbiont Wigglesworthia, which is found in all tsetse species and is essential for nutritional supplementation to the blood-specific diet, immune system maturation and facilitation of viviparous reproduction; the commensal symbiont Sodalis, which is a frequently associated symbiont optimized for survival within the fly via nutritional adaptation, vertical transmission through mating and may alter vectorial capacity of Glossina for trypanosomes; the parasitic symbiont Wolbachia, which can manipulate Glossina via cytoplasmic incompatibility and shows unique interactions at the genetic level via horizontal transmission of its genetic material into the genome in two Glossina species; finally, knowledge on recently observed relations between Spiroplasma and Glossina is explored and potential interactions are discussed based on knowledge of interactions between this bacterial Genera and other insect species. These flies have a simple microbiome relative to that of other insects. However, these relationships are deep, well-studied and provide a window into the complexity and function of host/symbiont interactions in an important disease vector.
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Cai Z, Guo Q, Yao Z, Zheng W, Xie J, Bai S, Zhang H. Comparative genomics of Klebsiella michiganensis BD177 and related members of Klebsiella sp. reveal the symbiotic relationship with Bactrocera dorsalis. BMC Genet 2020; 21:138. [PMID: 33339499 PMCID: PMC7747454 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-020-00945-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bactrocera dorsalis is a destructive polyphagous and highly invasive insect pest of tropical and subtropical species of fruit and vegetable crops. The sterile insect technique (SIT) has been used for decades to control insect pests of agricultural, veterinary, and human health importance. Irradiation of pupae in SIT can reduce the ecological fitness of the sterile insects. Our previous study has shown that a gut bacterial strain BD177 that could restore ecological fitness by promoting host food intake and metabolic activities. Results Using long-read sequence technologies, we assembled the complete genome of K. michiganensis BD177 strain. The complete genome of K. michiganensis BD177 comprises one circular chromosome and four plasmids with a GC content of 55.03%. The pan-genome analysis was performed on 119 genomes (strain BD177 genome and 118 out of 128 published Klebsiella sp. genomes since ten were discarded). The pan-genome includes a total of 49305 gene clusters, a small number of 858 core genes, and a high number of accessory (10566) genes. Pan-genome and average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis showed that BD177 is more similar to the type strain K. michiganensis DSM2544, while away from the type strain K. oxytoca ATCC13182. Comparative genome analysis with 21 K. oxytoca and 12 K. michiganensis strains, identified 213 unique genes, several of them related to amino acid metabolism, metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, and xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism in BD177 genome. Conclusions Phylogenomics analysis reclassified strain BD177 as a member of the species K. michiganensis. Comparative genome analysis suggested that K. michiganensis BD177 has the strain-specific ability to provide three essential amino acids (phenylalanine, tryptophan and methionine) and two vitamins B (folate and riboflavin) to B. dorsalis. The clear classification status of BD177 strain and identification of unique genetic characteristics may contribute to expanding our understanding of the symbiotic relationship of gut microbiota and B. dorsalis. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12863-020-00945-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaohui Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiongyu Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhichao Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenping Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Junfei Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuai Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
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Wang YB, Ren FR, Yao YL, Sun X, Walling LL, Li NN, Bai B, Bao XY, Xu XR, Luan JB. Intracellular symbionts drive sex ratio in the whitefly by facilitating fertilization and provisioning of B vitamins. THE ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:2923-2935. [PMID: 32690936 PMCID: PMC7784916 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0717-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Symbionts can regulate animal reproduction in multiple ways, but the underlying physiological and biochemical mechanisms remain largely unknown. The presence of multiple lineages of maternally inherited, intracellular symbionts (the primary and secondary symbionts) in terrestrial arthropods is widespread in nature. However, the biological, metabolic, and evolutionary role of co-resident secondary symbionts for hosts is poorly understood. The bacterial symbionts Hamiltonella and Arsenophonus have very high prevalence in two globally important pests, the whiteflies Bemisia tabaci and Trialeurodes vaporariorum, respectively. Both symbionts coexist with the primary symbiont Portiera in the same host cell (bacteriocyte) and are maternally transmitted. We found that elimination of both Hamiltonella and Arsenophonous by antibiotic treatment reduced the percentage of female offspring in whiteflies. Microsatellite genotyping and cytogenetic analysis revealed that symbiont deficiency inhibited fertilization in whiteflies, leading to more haploid males with one maternal allele, which is consistent with distorted sex ratio in whiteflies. Quantification of essential amino acids and B vitamins in whiteflies indicated that symbiont deficiency reduced B vitamin levels, and dietary B vitamin supplementation rescued fitness of whiteflies. This study, for the first time, conclusively demonstrates that these two intracellular symbionts affect sex ratios in their whitefly hosts by regulating fertilization and supplying B vitamins. Our results reveal that both symbionts have the convergent function of regulating reproduction in phylogenetically-distant whitefly species. The 100% frequency, the inability of whiteflies to develop normally without their symbiont, and rescue with B vitamins suggests that both symbionts may be better considered co-primary symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Bin Wang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Fei-Rong Ren
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Ya-Lin Yao
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Xiang Sun
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Linda L Walling
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, Center for Plant Cell Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521-0124, USA
| | - Na-Na Li
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Bing Bai
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Xi-Yu Bao
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Xiao-Rui Xu
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Jun-Bo Luan
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China.
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26
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Ren FR, Sun X, Wang TY, Yao YL, Huang YZ, Zhang X, Luan JB. Biotin provisioning by horizontally transferred genes from bacteria confers animal fitness benefits. THE ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:2542-2553. [PMID: 32572143 PMCID: PMC7490365 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0704-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Insect symbionts are widespread in nature and lateral gene transfer is prevalent in insect symbiosis. However, the function of horizontally transferred genes (HTGs) in insect symbiosis remains speculative, including the mechanism that enables insects to feed on plant phloem deficient in B vitamins. Previously, we found there is redundancy in biotin synthesis pathways from both whitefly Bemisia tabaci and symbiotic Hamiltonella due to the presence of whitefly HTGs. Here, we demonstrate that elimination of Hamiltonella decreased biotin levels but elevated the expression of horizontally transferred biotin genes in whiteflies. HTGs proteins exhibit specific expression patterns in specialized insect cells called bacteriocytes housing symbionts. Complementation with whitefly HTGs rescued E. coli biotin gene knockout mutants. Furthermore, silencing whitefly HTGs in Hamiltonella-infected whiteflies reduced biotin levels and hindered adult survival and fecundity, which was partially rescued by biotin supplementation. Each of horizontally transferred biotin genes are conserved in various laboratory cultures and species of whiteflies with geographically diverse distributions, which shares an evolutionary origin. We provide the first experimental evidence that biotin synthesized through acquired HTGs is important in whiteflies and may be as well in other animals. Our findings suggest that B vitamin provisioning in animal-microbe symbiosis frequently evolved from bacterial symbionts to animal hosts through horizontal gene transfer events. This study will also shed light on how the animal genomes evolve through functional transfer of genes with bacterial origin in the wider contexts of microbial ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei-Rong Ren
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Xiang Sun
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Tian-Yu Wang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Ya-Lin Yao
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Yan-Zhen Huang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Xue Zhang
- China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jun-Bo Luan
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China.
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27
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Blow F, Bueno E, Clark N, Zhu DT, Chung SH, Güllert S, Schmitz RA, Douglas AE. B-vitamin nutrition in the pea aphid-Buchnera symbiosis. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 126:104092. [PMID: 32763248 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2020.104092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Various insects that utilize vitamin-deficient diets derive a supplementary supply of these micronutrients from their symbiotic microorganisms. Here, we tested the inference from genome annotation that the symbiotic bacterium Buchnera aphidicola in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum provides the insect with vitamins B2 and B5 but no other B-vitamins. Contrary to expectation, aphid survival over five days of larval development on artificial diets individually lacking each B-vitamin not synthesized by Buchnera was not significantly reduced, despite significantly lower carcass B1, B3, B6 and B7 concentrations in the aphids on diets lacking each of these B-vitamins than on the vitamin-complete diet. Aphid survival was, however, significantly reduced on diet containing low concentrations (≤0.2 mM) or no pantothenate (B5). Complementary transcriptome analysis revealed low abundance of the sense-transcript, but high abundance of the antisense transcript, of the Buchnera gene panC encoding the enzyme mediating the terminal reaction in pantothenate synthesis. We hypothesize that metabolic constraints or antisense transcripts may reduce Buchnera-mediated production of pantothenate, resulting in poor aphid performance on pantothenate-free diets. The discrepancy between predictions from genome data and empirical data illustrates the need for physiological study to test functional inferences made from genome annotations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances Blow
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Eduardo Bueno
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Noah Clark
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Dan Tong Zhu
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Seung Ho Chung
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Simon Güllert
- Institute of General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel, Germany
| | - Ruth A Schmitz
- Institute of General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel, Germany
| | - Angela E Douglas
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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28
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Hall RJ, Thorpe S, Thomas GH, Wood AJ. Simulating the evolutionary trajectories of metabolic pathways for insect symbionts in the genus Sodalis. Microb Genom 2020; 6:mgen000378. [PMID: 32543366 PMCID: PMC7478623 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Insect-bacterial symbioses are ubiquitous, but there is still much to uncover about how these relationships establish, persist and evolve. The tsetse endosymbiont Sodalis glossinidius displays intriguing metabolic adaptations to its microenvironment, but the process by which this relationship evolved remains to be elucidated. The recent chance discovery of the free-living species of the genus Sodalis, Sodalis praecaptivus, provides a serendipitous starting point from which to investigate the evolution of this symbiosis. Here, we present a flux balance model for S. praecaptivus and empirically verify its predictions. Metabolic modelling is used in combination with a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to explore the trajectories that S. glossinidius may have undertaken from this starting point after becoming internalized. The order in which key genes are lost is shown to influence the evolved populations, providing possible targets for future in vitro genetic manipulation. This method provides a detailed perspective on possible evolutionary trajectories for S. glossinidius in this fundamental process of evolutionary and ecological change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J. Hall
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5NG, UK
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2TQ, UK
| | - Stephen Thorpe
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5NG, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Gavin H. Thomas
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5NG, UK
| | - A. Jamie Wood
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5NG, UK
- Department of Mathematics, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
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29
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Mondal SI, Akter A, Koga R, Hosokawa T, Dayi M, Murase K, Tanaka R, Shigenobu S, Fukatsu T, Kikuchi T. Reduced Genome of the Gut Symbiotic Bacterium " Candidatus Benitsuchiphilus tojoi" Provides Insight Into Its Possible Roles in Ecology and Adaptation of the Host Insect. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:840. [PMID: 32435239 PMCID: PMC7218078 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Diverse animals, including insects, harbor microbial symbionts within their gut, body cavity, or cells. The subsocial parastrachiid stinkbug Parastrachia japonensis is well-known for its peculiar ecological and behavioral traits, including its prolonged non-feeding diapause period and maternal care of eggs/nymphs in an underground nest. P. japonensis harbors a specific bacterial symbiont within the gut cavity extracellularly, which is vertically inherited through maternal excretion of symbiont-containing white mucus. Thus far, biological roles of the symbiont in the host lifecycle has been little understood. Here we sequenced the genome of the uncultivable gut symbiont “Candidatus Benitsuchiphilus tojoi.” The symbiont has an 804 kb circular chromosome encoding 606 proteins and a 14.5 kb plasmid encoding 13 proteins. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the bacterium is closely related to other obligate insect symbionts belonging to the Gammaproteobacteria, including Buchnera of aphids and Blochmannia of ants, and the most closely related to Ishikawaella, an extracellular gut symbiont of plataspid stinkbugs. These data suggested that the symbiont genome has evolved like highly reduced gamma-proteobacterial symbiont genomes reported from a variety of insects. The presence of genes involved in biosynthesis pathways for amino acids, vitamins, and cofactors in the genome implicated the symbiont as a nutritional mutualist, supplementing essential nutrients to the host. Interestingly, the symbiont’s plasmid encoded genes for thiamine and carotenoid synthesis pathways, suggesting the possibility of additional functions of the symbiont for protecting the host against oxidative stress and DNA damage. Finally, possible involvement of the symbiont in uric acid metabolism during diapause is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakhinur Islam Mondal
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.,Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Arzuba Akter
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.,Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Ryuichi Koga
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takahiro Hosokawa
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan.,Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Mehmet Dayi
- Forestry Vocational School, Düzce University, Düzce, Turkey
| | - Kazunori Murase
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
| | - Ryusei Tanaka
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
| | - Shuji Shigenobu
- NIBB Core Research Facilities, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Taisei Kikuchi
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
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30
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Bodnar J, Fitch S, Sanchez J, Lesser M, Baston DS, Zhong J. GTP cyclohydrolase I activity from Rickettsia monacensis strain Humboldt, a rickettsial endosymbiont of Ixodes pacificus. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2020; 11:101434. [PMID: 32417295 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The complete folate biosynthesis pathway exists in the genome of a rickettsial endosymbiont of Ixodes pacificus, Rickettsia monacensis strain Humboldt (formerly known as Rickettsia species phylotype G021). Recently, our lab demonstrated that the folA gene of strain Humboldt, the final gene in the folate biosynthesis pathway, encodes a functional dihydrofolate reductase enzyme. In this study, we report R. monacensis strain Humboldt has a functional GTP cyclohydrolase I (GCH1), an enzyme required for the hydrolysis of GTP to form 7,8-dihydroneopterin triphosphate in the folate biosynthesis pathway. The GCH1 gene of R. monacensis, folE, share homology with the folE gene of R. monacensis strain IrR/Munich, with a nucleotide sequence identity of 99%. Amino acid alignment and comparative protein structure modeling have shown that the FolE protein of R. monacensis has a conserved core subunit of GCH1 from the T-fold structural superfamily. All amino acid residues, including conserved GTP binding sites and zinc binding sites, are preserved in the FolE protein of R. monacensis. A recombinant GST-FolE protein from R. monacensis was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified by affinity chromatography, and assayed for enzyme activity in vitro. The in vitro enzymatic assay described in this study accorded the recombinant GCH1 enzyme of R. monacensis with a specific activity of 0.81 U/mg. Our data suggest folate genes of R. monacensis strain Humboldt have the potential to produce biochemically active enzymes for de novo folate synthesis, addressing the physioecological underpinnings behind tick-Rickettsia symbioses.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Bodnar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA.
| | - Sergio Fitch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA.
| | - Jessica Sanchez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA.
| | - Molly Lesser
- Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA.
| | - David S Baston
- Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA.
| | - Jianmin Zhong
- Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA.
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31
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Bockoven AA, Bondy EC, Flores MJ, Kelly SE, Ravenscraft AM, Hunter MS. What Goes Up Might Come Down: the Spectacular Spread of an Endosymbiont Is Followed by Its Decline a Decade Later. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2020; 79:482-494. [PMID: 31407021 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-019-01417-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Facultative, intracellular bacterial symbionts of arthropods may dramatically affect host biology and reproduction. The length of these symbiont-host associations may be thousands to millions of years, and while symbiont loss is predicted, there have been very few observations of a decline of symbiont infection rates. In a population of the sweet potato whitefly species (Bemisia tabaci MEAM1) in Arizona, USA, we documented the frequency decline of a strain of Rickettsia in the Rickettsia bellii clade from near-fixation in 2011 to 36% of whiteflies infected in 2017. In previous studies, Rickettsia had been shown to increase from 1 to 97% from 2000 to 2006 and remained at high frequency for at least five years. At that time, Rickettsia infection was associated with both fitness benefits and female bias. In the current study, we established matrilines of whiteflies from the field (2016, Rickettsia infection frequency = 58%) and studied (a) Rickettsia vertical transmission, (b) fitness and sex ratios associated with Rickettsia infection, (c) symbiont titer, and (d) bacterial communities within whiteflies. The vertical transmission rate was high, approximately 98%. Rickettsia infection in the matrilines was not associated with fitness benefits or sex ratio bias and appeared to be slightly costly, as more Rickettsia-infected individuals produced non-hatching eggs. Overall, the titer of Rickettsia in the matrilines was lower in 2016 than in the whiteflies collected in 2011, but the titer distribution appeared bimodal, with high- and low-titer lines, and constancy of the average titer within lines over three generations. We found neither association between Rickettsia titer and fitness benefits or sex ratio bias nor evidence that Rickettsia was replaced by another secondary symbiont. The change in the interaction between symbiont and host in 2016 whiteflies may explain the drop in symbiont frequency we observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison A Bockoven
- Center for Insect Science, The University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210106, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Bondy
- Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Entomology and Insect Science, The University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210036, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Matthew J Flores
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech University, Derring Hall Room 2125, 926 West Campus Drive, Mail Code 0406, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Suzanne E Kelly
- Department of Entomology, The University of Arizona, 410 Forbes Building, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Alison M Ravenscraft
- Center for Insect Science, The University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210106, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, 501 S Nedderman Dr, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA
| | - Martha S Hunter
- Department of Entomology, The University of Arizona, 410 Forbes Building, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.
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32
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Wolbachia supplement biotin and riboflavin to enhance reproduction in planthoppers. ISME JOURNAL 2019; 14:676-687. [PMID: 31767943 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-019-0559-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Symbiont-mediated nutritional mutualisms can contribute to the host fitness of insects, especially for those that feed exclusively on nutritionally unbalanced diets. Here, we elucidate the importance of B group vitamins in the association of endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia with two plant-sap feeding insects, the small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén), and the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål). Infected planthoppers of both species laid more eggs than uninfected planthoppers, while the experimental transfer of Wolbachia into uninfected lines of one planthopper species rescued this fecundity deficit. The genomic analysis showed that Wolbachia strains from the two planthopper species encoded complete biosynthesis operons for biotin and riboflavin, while a metabolic analysis revealed that Wolbachia-infected planthoppers of both species had higher titers of biotin and riboflavin. Furthermore, experimental supplementation of food with a mixture of biotin and riboflavin recovered the fecundity deficit of Wolbachia-uninfected planthoppers. In addition, comparative genomic analysis suggested that the riboflavin synthesis genes are conserved among Wolbachia supergroups. Biotin operons are rare in Wolbachia, and those described share a recent ancestor that may have been horizontally transferred from Cardinium bacteria. Our research demonstrates a type of mutualism that involves a facultative interaction between Wolbachia and plant-sap feeding insects involving vitamin Bs.
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33
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Jennings EC, Korthauer MW, Hamilton TL, Benoit JB. Matrotrophic viviparity constrains microbiome acquisition during gestation in a live-bearing cockroach, Diploptera punctata. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:10601-10614. [PMID: 31624569 PMCID: PMC6787804 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertical transmission of microbes from mother to offspring is critical to the survival, development, and health of animals. Invertebrate systems offer unique opportunities to conduct studies on microbiome-development-reproduction dynamics since reproductive modes ranging from oviparity to multiple types of viviparity are found in these animals. One such invertebrate is the live-bearing cockroach, Diploptera punctata. Females carry embryos in their brood sac, which acts as the functional equivalent of the uterus and placenta. In our study, 16S rRNA sequencing was used to characterize maternal and embryonic microbiomes as well as the development of the whole-body microbiome across nymphal development. We identified 50 phyla and 121 classes overall and found that mothers and their developing embryos had significantly different microbial communities. Of particular interest is the notable lack of diversity in the embryonic microbiome, which is comprised exclusively of Blattabacteria, indicating microbial transmission of only this symbiont during gestation. Our analysis of postnatal development reveals that significant amounts of non-Blattabacteria species are not able to colonize newborn D. punctata until melanization, after which the microbial community rapidly and dynamically diversifies. While the role of these microbes during development has not been characterized, Blattabacteria must serve a critical role providing specific micronutrients lacking in milk secretions to the embryos during gestation. This research provides insight into the microbiome development, specifically with relation to viviparity, provisioning of milk-like secretions, and mother-offspring interactions during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C. Jennings
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of CincinnatiCincinnatiOhio
| | | | - Trinity L. Hamilton
- Plant and Microbial Biology and the BioTechnology InstituteCollege of Biological SciencesUniversity of MinnesotaSt. PaulMinnesota
| | - Joshua B. Benoit
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of CincinnatiCincinnatiOhio
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Abstract
Parasites elicit several physiological changes in their host to enhance transmission. Little is known about the functional association between parasitism and microbiota-provisioned resources typically dedicated to animal hosts and how these goods may be rerouted to optimize parasite development. This study is the first to identify a specific symbiont-generated metabolite that impacts insect vector competence by facilitating parasite establishment and, thus, eventual transmission. Specifically, we demonstrate that the tsetse fly obligate mutualist Wigglesworthia provisions folate (vitamin B9) that pathogenic African trypanosomes exploit in an effort to successfully establish an infection in the vector’s MG. This process is essential for the parasite to complete its life cycle and be transmitted to a new vertebrate host. Disrupting metabolic contributions provided by the microbiota of arthropod disease vectors may fuel future innovative control strategies while also offering minimal nontarget effects. Many symbionts supplement their host’s diet with essential nutrients. However, whether these nutrients also enhance parasitism is unknown. In this study, we investigated whether folate (vitamin B9) production by the tsetse fly (Glossina spp.) essential mutualist, Wigglesworthia, aids auxotrophic African trypanosomes in completing their life cycle within this obligate vector. We show that the expression of Wigglesworthia folate biosynthesis genes changes with the progression of trypanosome infection within tsetse. The disruption of Wigglesworthia folate production caused a reduction in the percentage of flies that housed midgut (MG) trypanosome infections. However, decreased folate did not prevent MG trypanosomes from migrating to and establishing an infection in the fly’s salivary glands, thus suggesting that nutrient requirements vary throughout the trypanosome life cycle. We further substantiated that trypanosomes rely on symbiont-generated folate by feeding this vitamin to Glossina brevipalpis, which exhibits low trypanosome vector competency and houses Wigglesworthia incapable of producing folate. Folate-supplemented G. brevipalpis flies were significantly more susceptible to trypanosome infection, further demonstrating that this vitamin facilitates parasite infection establishment. Our cumulative results provide evidence that Wigglesworthia provides a key metabolite (folate) that is “hijacked” by trypanosomes to enhance their infectivity, thus indirectly impacting tsetse species vector competency. Parasite dependence on symbiont-derived micronutrients, which likely also occurs in other arthropod vectors, represents a relationship that may be exploited to reduce disease transmission.
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Tsagmo Ngoune JM, Reveillaud J, Sempere G, Njiokou F, Melachio TT, Abate L, Tchioffo MT, Geiger A. The composition and abundance of bacterial communities residing in the gut of Glossina palpalis palpalis captured in two sites of southern Cameroon. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:151. [PMID: 30940213 PMCID: PMC6444424 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3402-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background A number of reports have demonstrated the role of insect bacterial flora on their host’s physiology and metabolism. The tsetse host and vector of trypanosomes responsible for human sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis, HAT) and nagana in animals (African animal trypanosomiasis, AAT) carry bacteria that influence its diet and immune processes. However, the mechanisms involved in these processes remain poorly documented. This underscores the need for increased research into the bacterial flora composition and structure of tsetse flies. The aim of this study was to identify the diversity and relative abundance of bacterial genera in Glossina palpalis palpalis flies collected in two trypanosomiasis foci in Cameroon. Methods Samples of G. p. palpalis which were either negative or naturally trypanosome-positive were collected in two foci located in southern Cameroon (Campo and Bipindi). Using the V3V4 and V4 variable regions of the small subunit of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene, we analyzed the respective bacteriome of the flies’ midguts. Results We identified ten bacterial genera. In addition, we observed that the relative abundance of the obligate endosymbiont Wigglesworthia was highly prominent (around 99%), regardless of the analyzed region. The remaining genera represented approximately 1% of the bacterial flora, and were composed of Salmonella, Spiroplasma, Sphingomonas, Methylobacterium, Acidibacter, Tsukamurella, Serratia, Kluyvera and an unidentified bacterium. The genus Sodalis was present but with a very low abundance. Globally, no statistically significant difference was found between the bacterial compositions of flies from the two foci, and between positive and trypanosome-negative flies. However, Salmonella and Serratia were only described in trypanosome-negative flies, suggesting a potential role for these two bacteria in fly refractoriness to trypanosome infection. In addition, our study showed the V4 region of the small subunit of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene was more efficient than the V3V4 region at describing the totality of the bacterial diversity. Conclusions A very large diversity of bacteria was identified with the discovering of species reported to secrete anti-parasitic compounds or to modulate vector competence in other insects. For future studies, the analyses should be enlarged with larger sampling including foci from several countries. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-019-3402-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Marc Tsagmo Ngoune
- INTERTRYP, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Julie Reveillaud
- ASTRE, INRA, CIRAD, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Guilhem Sempere
- INTERTRYP, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Flobert Njiokou
- Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Trésor T Melachio
- Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Luc Abate
- UMR Maladies Infectieuses Et Vecteurs Écologie, Génétique, Évolution Et Contrôle, IRD 224-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 5290-UM1-UM2, Montpellier, France
| | - Majoline T Tchioffo
- UMR Maladies Infectieuses Et Vecteurs Écologie, Génétique, Évolution Et Contrôle, IRD 224-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 5290-UM1-UM2, Montpellier, France
| | - Anne Geiger
- INTERTRYP, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France. .,Center for Research on Filariasis and other Tropical Diseases (CRFilMT), P.O. Box 5797, Yaoundé, Cameroon. .,Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
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Hall RJ, Flanagan LA, Bottery MJ, Springthorpe V, Thorpe S, Darby AC, Wood AJ, Thomas GH. A Tale of Three Species: Adaptation of Sodalis glossinidius to Tsetse Biology, Wigglesworthia Metabolism, and Host Diet. mBio 2019; 10:e02106-18. [PMID: 30602581 PMCID: PMC6315101 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02106-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The tsetse fly is the insect vector for the Trypanosoma brucei parasite, the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis. The colonization and spread of the trypanosome correlate positively with the presence of a secondary symbiotic bacterium, Sodalis glossinidius The metabolic requirements and interactions of the bacterium with its host are poorly understood, and herein we describe a metabolic model of S. glossinidius metabolism. The model enabled the design and experimental verification of a defined medium that supports S. glossinidius growth ex vivo This has been used subsequently to analyze in vitro aspects of S. glossinidius metabolism, revealing multiple unique adaptations of the symbiont to its environment. Continued dependence on a sugar, and the importance of the chitin monomer N-acetyl-d-glucosamine as a carbon and energy source, suggests adaptation to host-derived molecules. Adaptation to the amino acid-rich blood diet is revealed by a strong dependence on l-glutamate as a source of carbon and nitrogen and by the ability to rescue a predicted l-arginine auxotrophy. Finally, the selective loss of thiamine biosynthesis, a vitamin provided to the host by the primary symbiont Wigglesworthia glossinidia, reveals an intersymbiont dependence. The reductive evolution of S. glossinidius to exploit environmentally derived metabolites has resulted in multiple weaknesses in the metabolic network. These weaknesses may become targets for reagents that inhibit S. glossinidius growth and aid the reduction of trypanosomal transmission.IMPORTANCE Human African trypanosomiasis is caused by the Trypanosoma brucei parasite. The tsetse fly vector is of interest for its potential to prevent disease spread, as it is essential for T. brucei life cycle progression and transmission. The tsetse's mutualistic endosymbiont Sodalis glossinidius has a link to trypanosome establishment, providing a disease control target. Here, we describe a new, experimentally verified model of S. glossinidius metabolism. This model has enabled the development of a defined growth medium that was used successfully to test aspects of S. glossinidius metabolism. We present S. glossinidius as uniquely adapted to life in the tsetse, through its reliance on the blood diet and host-derived sugars. Additionally, S. glossinidius has adapted to the tsetse's obligate symbiont Wigglesworthia glossinidia by scavenging a vitamin it produces for the insect. This work highlights the use of metabolic modeling to design defined growth media for symbiotic bacteria and may provide novel inhibitory targets to block trypanosome transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Hall
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Stephen Thorpe
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Alistair C Darby
- University of Liverpool, Institute of Integrative Biology, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - A Jamie Wood
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
- Department of Mathematics, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin H Thomas
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
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37
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Šochová E, Husník F, Nováková E, Halajian A, Hypša V. Arsenophonus and Sodalis replacements shape evolution of symbiosis in louse flies. PeerJ 2017; 5:e4099. [PMID: 29250466 PMCID: PMC5729840 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiotic interactions between insects and bacteria are ubiquitous and form a continuum from loose facultative symbiosis to greatly intimate and stable obligate symbiosis. In blood-sucking insects living exclusively on vertebrate blood, obligate endosymbionts are essential for hosts and hypothesized to supplement B-vitamins and cofactors missing from their blood diet. The role and distribution of facultative endosymbionts and their evolutionary significance as seeds of obligate symbioses are much less understood. Here, using phylogenetic approaches, we focus on the Hippoboscidae phylogeny as well as the stability and dynamics of obligate symbioses within this bloodsucking group. In particular, we demonstrate a new potentially obligate lineage of Sodalis co-evolving with the Olfersini subclade of Hippoboscidae. We also show several likely facultative Sodalis lineages closely related to Sodalis praecaptivus (HS strain) and suggest repeated acquisition of novel symbionts from the environment. Similar to Sodalis, Arsenophonus endosymbionts also form both obligate endosymbiotic lineages co-evolving with their hosts (Ornithomyini and Ornithoica groups) as well as possibly facultative infections incongruent with the Hippoboscidae phylogeny. Finally, we reveal substantial diversity of Wolbachia strains detected in Hippoboscidae samples falling into three supergroups: A, B, and the most common F. Altogether, our results prove the associations between Hippoboscoidea and their symbiotic bacteria to undergo surprisingly dynamic, yet selective, evolutionary processes strongly shaped by repeated endosymbiont replacements. Interestingly, obligate symbionts only originate from two endosymbiont genera, Arsenophonus and Sodalis, suggesting that the host is either highly selective about its future obligate symbionts or that these two lineages are the most competitive when establishing symbioses in louse flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Šochová
- Department of Parasitology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Filip Husník
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Nováková
- Department of Parasitology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Ali Halajian
- Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
| | - Václav Hypša
- Department of Parasitology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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38
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Douglas AE. The B vitamin nutrition of insects: the contributions of diet, microbiome and horizontally acquired genes. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 23:65-69. [PMID: 29129284 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Insects generally cannot synthesize eight B vitamins that function as co-enzymes in various required enzymatic reactions. Most insects derive their B vitamin requirements from the diet, microbial symbionts, or a combination of these complementary sources. Exceptionally, the genomes of a few insects bear genes in vitamin B5 (pantothenate) and B7 (biotin) synthesis, horizontally acquired from bacteria. Biomarkers of B vitamin deficiency (e.g. vitamin titers, activity of vitamin-dependent enzymes) offer routes to investigate the incidence and the physiological and fitness consequences of B vitamin deficiency in laboratory and field populations of insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela E Douglas
- Department of Entomology and Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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39
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Medina Munoz M, Pollio AR, White HL, Rio RV. Into the Wild: Parallel Transcriptomics of the Tsetse-Wigglesworthia Mutualism within Kenyan Populations. Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:2276-2291. [PMID: 28934375 PMCID: PMC5601960 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) have medical significance as the obligate vectors of African trypanosomes. In addition, tsetse harbor a simple gut microbiota. A predominant gut microbiota member, the Gammaproteobacterium Wigglesworthia spp., has coevolved with tsetse for a significant portion of Glossina radiation proving critical to tsetse fitness. Although multiple roles have been described for Wigglesworthia within colony flies, little research has been dedicated towards functional characterization within wild tsetse. Here, dual RNA-Seq was performed to characterize the tsetse-Wigglesworthia symbiosis within flies captured in Nguruman, Kenya. A significant correlation in Gene Ontology (GO) distribution between tsetse and Wigglesworthia was observed, with homogeneous enrichment in metabolic and transport categories, likely supporting a hallmark of the symbiosis-bidirectional metabolic exchange. Within field flies, highly transcribed Wigglesworthia loci included those involved in B vitamin synthesis and in substrate translocation, including amino acid transporters and multidrug efflux pumps, providing a molecular means for interaction. The universal expression of several Wigglesworthia and G. pallidipes orthologs, putatively involved in nutrient provisioning and resource allocation, was confirmed in sister tsetse species. These transcriptional profiles varied through host age and mating status likely addressing varying symbiont demands and also confirming their global importance within Glossina. This study, not only supports symbiont nutrient provisioning roles, but also serves as a foundation for insight into novel roles and molecular mechanisms associated with vector-microbiota interactions. The role of symbiont B vitamin provisioning towards impacting host epigenetics is discussed. Knowledge of vector-microbiota interactions may lead to the discovery of novel targets in pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Medina Munoz
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
| | - Adam R. Pollio
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
| | - Hunter L. White
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
| | - Rita V.M. Rio
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
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40
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Abstract
Many aspects of an individual's biology derive from its interaction with symbiotic microbes, which further define many aspects of the ecology and evolution of the host species. The centrality of microbes in the function of individual organisms has given rise to the concept of the holobiont—that an individual's biology is best understood as a composite of the ‘host organism’ and symbionts within. This concept has been further elaborated to posit the holobiont as a unit of selection. In this review, I critically examine whether it is useful to consider holobionts as a unit of selection. I argue that microbial heredity—the direct passage of microbes from parent to offspring—is a key factor determining the degree to which the holobiont can usefully be considered a level of selection. Where direct vertical transmission (VT) is common, microbes form part of extended genomes whose dynamics can be modelled with simple population genetics, but that nevertheless have subtle quantitative distinctions from the classic mutation/selection model for nuclear genes. Without direct VT, the correlation between microbial fitness and host individual fitness erodes, and microbe fitness becomes associated with host survival only (rather than reproduction). Furthermore, turnover of microbes within a host may lessen associations between microbial fitness with host survival, and in polymicrobial communities, microbial fitness may derive largely from the ability to outcompete other microbes, to avoid host immune clearance and to minimize mortality through phage infection. These competing selection pressures make holobiont fitness a very minor consideration in determining symbiont evolution. Nevertheless, the importance of non-heritable microbes in organismal function is undoubted—and as such the evolutionary and ecological processes giving rise to variation and evolution of the microbes within and between host individuals represent a key research area in biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory D D Hurst
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
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41
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Tsagmo Ngoune JM, Njiokou F, Loriod B, Kame-Ngasse G, Fernandez-Nunez N, Rioualen C, van Helden J, Geiger A. Transcriptional Profiling of Midguts Prepared from Trypanosoma/T. congolense-Positive Glossina palpalis palpalis Collected from Two Distinct Cameroonian Foci: Coordinated Signatures of the Midguts' Remodeling As T. congolense-Supportive Niches. Front Immunol 2017; 8:876. [PMID: 28804485 PMCID: PMC5532377 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Our previous transcriptomic analysis of Glossina palpalis gambiensis experimentally infected or not with Trypanosoma brucei gambiense aimed to detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with infection. Specifically, we selected candidate genes governing tsetse fly vector competence that could be used in the context of an anti-vector strategy, to control human and/or animal trypanosomiasis. The present study aimed to verify whether gene expression in field tsetse flies (G. p. palpalis) is modified in response to natural infection by trypanosomes (T. congolense), as reported when insectary-raised flies (G. p. gambiensis) are experimentally infected with T. b. gambiense. This was achieved using the RNA-seq approach, which identified 524 DEGs in infected vs. non-infected tsetse flies, including 285 downregulated genes and 239 upregulated genes (identified using DESeq2). Several of these genes were highly differentially expressed, with log2 fold change values in the vicinity of either +40 or −40. Downregulated genes were primarily involved in transcription/translation processes, whereas encoded upregulated genes governed amino acid and nucleotide biosynthesis pathways. The BioCyc metabolic pathways associated with infection also revealed that downregulated genes were mainly involved in fly immunity processes. Importantly, our study demonstrates that data on the molecular cross-talk between the host and the parasite (as well as the always present fly microbiome) recorded from an experimental biological model has a counterpart in field flies, which in turn validates the use of experimental host/parasite couples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean M Tsagmo Ngoune
- Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.,UMR 177, IRD-CIRAD, CIRAD TA A-17/G, Campus International de Baillarguet, Montpellier, France
| | - Flobert Njiokou
- Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Béatrice Loriod
- Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, TAGC, Technological Advances for Genomics and Clinics, UMR S 1090, Marseille, France
| | | | - Nicolas Fernandez-Nunez
- Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, TAGC, Technological Advances for Genomics and Clinics, UMR S 1090, Marseille, France
| | - Claire Rioualen
- Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, TAGC, Technological Advances for Genomics and Clinics, UMR S 1090, Marseille, France
| | - Jacques van Helden
- Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, TAGC, Technological Advances for Genomics and Clinics, UMR S 1090, Marseille, France
| | - Anne Geiger
- UMR 177, IRD-CIRAD, CIRAD TA A-17/G, Campus International de Baillarguet, Montpellier, France
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Predictive Genomic Analyses Inform the Basis for Vitamin Metabolism and Provisioning in Bacteria-Arthropod Endosymbioses. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2017; 7:1887-1898. [PMID: 28455417 PMCID: PMC5473766 DOI: 10.1534/g3.117.042184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The requirement of vitamins for core metabolic processes creates a unique set of pressures for arthropods subsisting on nutrient-limited diets. While endosymbiotic bacteria carried by arthropods have been widely implicated in vitamin provisioning, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. To address this issue, standardized predictive assessment of vitamin metabolism was performed in 50 endosymbionts of insects and arachnids. The results predicted that arthropod endosymbionts overall have little capacity for complete de novo biosynthesis of conventional or active vitamin forms. Partial biosynthesis pathways were commonly predicted, suggesting a substantial role in vitamin provisioning. Neither taxonomic relationships between host and symbiont, nor the mode of host-symbiont interaction were clear predictors of endosymbiont vitamin pathway capacity. Endosymbiont genome size and the synthetic capacity of nonsymbiont taxonomic relatives were more reliable predictors. We developed a new software application that also predicted that last-step conversion of intermediates into active vitamin forms may contribute further to vitamin biosynthesis by endosymbionts. Most instances of predicted vitamin conversion were paralleled by predictions of vitamin use. This is consistent with achievement of provisioning in some cases through upregulation of pathways that were retained for endosymbiont benefit. The predicted absence of other enzyme classes further suggests a baseline of vitamin requirement by the majority of endosymbionts, as well as some instances of putative mutualism. Adaptation of this workflow to analysis of other organisms and metabolic pathways will provide new routes for considering the molecular basis for symbiosis on a comprehensive scale.
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The superfamily keeps growing: Identification in trypanosomatids of RibJ, the first riboflavin transporter family in protists. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005513. [PMID: 28406895 PMCID: PMC5404878 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Revised: 04/25/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Trypanosomatid parasites represent a major health issue affecting hundreds of million people worldwide, with clinical treatments that are partially effective and/or very toxic. They are responsible for serious human and plant diseases including Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease), Trypanosoma brucei (Sleeping sickness), Leishmania spp. (Leishmaniasis), and Phytomonas spp. (phytoparasites). Both, animals and trypanosomatids lack the biosynthetic riboflavin (vitamin B2) pathway, the vital precursor of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactors. While metazoans obtain riboflavin from the diet through RFVT/SLC52 transporters, the riboflavin transport mechanisms in trypanosomatids still remain unknown. Methodology/Principal findings Here, we show that riboflavin is imported with high affinity in Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei, Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana, Crithidia fasciculata and Phytomonas Jma using radiolabeled riboflavin transport assays. The vitamin is incorporated through a saturable carrier-mediated process. Effective competitive uptake occurs with riboflavin analogs roseoflavin, lumiflavin and lumichrome, and co-factor derivatives FMN and FAD. Moreover, important biological processes evaluated in T. cruzi (i.e. proliferation, metacyclogenesis and amastigote replication) are dependent on riboflavin availability. In addition, the riboflavin competitive analogs were found to interfere with parasite physiology on riboflavin-dependent processes. By means of bioinformatics analyses we identified a novel family of riboflavin transporters (RibJ) in trypanosomatids. Two RibJ members, TcRibJ and TbRibJ from T. cruzi and T. brucei respectively, were functionally characterized using homologous and/or heterologous expression systems. Conclusions/Significance The RibJ family represents the first riboflavin transporters found in protists and the third eukaryotic family known to date. The essentiality of riboflavin for trypanosomatids, and the structural/biochemical differences that RFVT/SLC52 and RibJ present, make the riboflavin transporter -and its downstream metabolism- a potential trypanocidal drug target. In this work, we show that riboflavin plays a key role in the trypanosomatid life cycles and describe a novel family of riboflavin transporters (RibJ) with uptake function. Despite the vital importance of riboflavin for all living cells, RibJ are the first transporters described in protists. We functionally characterized the T. cruzi and T. brucei RibJ members and the effect of riboflavin analogs on parasite physiology. The structural and biochemical differences presented between human transporters and RibJ members make riboflavin transport and downstream metabolism, attractive and potential trypanosomatid targets.
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Grandeur Alliances: Symbiont Metabolic Integration and Obligate Arthropod Hematophagy. Trends Parasitol 2016; 32:739-749. [PMID: 27236581 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2016.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Several arthropod taxa live exclusively on vertebrate blood. This food source lacks essential metabolites required for the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis, and as such, these arthropods have formed symbioses with nutrient-supplementing microbes that facilitate their host's 'hematophagous' feeding ecology. Herein we highlight metabolic contributions of bacterial symbionts that reside within tsetse flies, bed bugs, lice, reduviid bugs, and ticks, with specific emphasis on B vitamin and cofactor biosynthesis. Importantly, these arthropods can transmit pathogens of medical and veterinary relevance and/or cause infestations that induce psychological and dermatological distress. Microbial metabolites, and the biochemical pathways that generate them, can serve as specific targets of novel control mechanisms aimed at disrupting the metabolism of hematophagous arthropods, thus combatting pest invasion and vector-borne pathogen transmission.
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