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Wang Y, Shi YN, Xiang H, Shi YM. Exploring nature's battlefield: organismic interactions in the discovery of bioactive natural products. Nat Prod Rep 2024. [PMID: 39316448 DOI: 10.1039/d4np00018h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2024]
Abstract
Covering: up to March 2024.Microbial natural products have historically been a cornerstone for the discovery of therapeutic agents. Advanced (meta)genome sequencing technologies have revealed that microbes harbor far greater biosynthetic capabilities than previously anticipated. However, despite the application of CRISPR/Cas-based gene editing and high-throughput technologies to activate silent biosynthetic gene clusters, the rapid identification of new natural products has not led to a proportional increase in the discovery rate of lead compounds or drugs. A crucial issue in this gap may be insufficient knowledge about the inherent biological and physiological functions of microbial natural products. Addressing this gap necessitates recognizing that the generation of functional natural products is deeply rooted in the interactions between the producing microbes and other (micro)organisms within their ecological contexts, an understanding that is essential for harnessing their potential therapeutic benefits. In this review, we highlight the discovery of functional microbial natural products from diverse niches, including those associated with humans, nematodes, insects, fungi, protozoa, plants, and marine animals. Many of these findings result from an organismic-interaction-guided strategy using multi-omic approaches. The current importance of this topic lies in its potential to advance drug discovery in an era marked by increasing antimicrobial resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Yan-Ni Shi
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518132, China
| | - Hao Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yi-Ming Shi
- Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Rojas-Villalta D, Núñez-Montero K, Chavarría-Pizarro L. Social wasp-associated Tsukamurella sp. strains showed promising biosynthetic and bioactive potential for discovery of novel compounds. Sci Rep 2024; 14:21118. [PMID: 39256493 PMCID: PMC11387468 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-71969-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024] Open
Abstract
In the face of escalating antibiotic resistance, the quest for novel antimicrobial compounds is critical. Actinobacteria is known for producing a substantial fraction of bioactive molecules from microorganisms, nonetheless there is the challenge of metabolic redundancy in bioprospecting. New sources of natural products are needed to overcome these current challenges. Our present work proposes an unexplored potential of Neotropical social wasp-associated microbes as reservoirs of novel bioactive compounds. Using social wasp-associated Tsukamurella sp. strains 8F and 8J, we aimed to determine their biosynthetic potential for producing novel antibiotics and evaluated phylogenetic and genomic traits related to environmental and ecological factors that might be associated with promising bioactivity and evolutionary specialization. These strains were isolated from the cuticle of social wasps and subjected to comprehensive genome sequencing. Our genome mining efforts, employing antiSMASH and ARTS, highlight the presence of BGCs with minimal similarity to known compounds, suggesting the novelty of the molecules they may produce. Previous, bioactivity assays of these strains against bacterial species which harbor known human pathogens, revealed inhibitory potential. Further, our study focuses into the phylogenetic and functional landscape of the Tsukamurella genus, employing a throughout phylogenetic analysis that situates strains 8F and 8J within a distinct evolutionary pathway, matching with the environmental and ecological context of the strains reported for this genus. Our findings emphasize the importance of bioprospecting in uncharted biological territories, such as insect-associated microbes as reservoirs of novel bioactive compounds. As such, we posit that Tsukamurella sp. strains 8F and 8J represent promising candidates for the development of new antimicrobials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorian Rojas-Villalta
- Department of Biology, Biotechnology Research Center, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago, Costa Rica
| | - Kattia Núñez-Montero
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Temuco, Chile.
| | - Laura Chavarría-Pizarro
- Department of Biology, Biotechnology Research Center, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago, Costa Rica.
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Araujo G, Montoya JM, Thomas T, Webster NS, Lurgi M. A mechanistic framework for complex microbe-host symbioses. Trends Microbiol 2024:S0966-842X(24)00214-2. [PMID: 39242229 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Abstract
Virtually all multicellular organisms on Earth live in symbiotic associations with complex microbial communities: the microbiome. This ancient relationship is of fundamental importance for both the host and the microbiome. Recently, the analyses of numerous microbiomes have revealed an incredible diversity and complexity of symbionts, with different mechanisms identified as potential drivers of this diversity. However, the interplay of ecological and evolutionary forces generating these complex associations is still poorly understood. Here we explore and summarise the suite of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms identified as relevant to different aspects of microbiome complexity and diversity. We argue that microbiome assembly is a dynamic product of ecology and evolution at various spatio-temporal scales. We propose a theoretical framework to classify mechanisms and build mechanistic host-microbiome models to link them to empirical patterns. We develop a cohesive foundation for the theoretical understanding of the combined effects of ecology and evolution on the assembly of complex symbioses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gui Araujo
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - José M Montoya
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200 Moulis, France
| | - Torsten Thomas
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Nicole S Webster
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Australia; Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia; Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, 4810, Australia
| | - Miguel Lurgi
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK.
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Uppal S, Waterworth SC, Nick A, Vogel H, Flórez LV, Kaltenpoth M, Kwan JC. Repeated horizontal acquisition of lagriamide-producing symbionts in Lagriinae beetles. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.23.576914. [PMID: 39026795 PMCID: PMC11257431 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.23.576914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Microbial symbionts associate with multicellular organisms on a continuum from facultative associations to mutual codependency. In some of the oldest intracellular symbioses there is exclusive vertical symbiont transmission, and co-diversification of symbiotic partners over millions of years. Such symbionts often undergo genome reduction due to low effective population sizes, frequent population bottlenecks, and reduced purifying selection. Here, we describe multiple independent acquisition events of closely related defensive symbionts followed by genome erosion in a group of Lagriinae beetles. Previous work in Lagria villosa revealed the dominant genome-eroded symbiont of the genus Burkholderia produces the antifungal compound lagriamide and protects the beetle's eggs and larvae from antagonistic fungi. Here, we use metagenomics to assemble 11 additional genomes of lagriamide-producing symbionts from seven different host species within Lagriinae from five countries, to unravel the evolutionary history of this symbiotic relationship. In each host species, we detected one dominant genome-eroded Burkholderia symbiont encoding the lagriamide biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC). Surprisingly, however, we did not find evidence for host-symbiont co-diversification, or for a monophyly of the lagriamide-producing symbionts. Instead, our analyses support at least four independent acquisition events of lagriamide-encoding symbionts and subsequent genome erosion in each of these lineages. By contrast, a clade of plant-associated relatives retained large genomes but secondarily lost the lagriamide BGC. In conclusion, our results reveal a dynamic evolutionary history with multiple independent symbiont acquisitions characterized by high degree of specificity. They highlight the importance of the specialized metabolite lagriamide for the establishment and maintenance of this defensive symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddharth Uppal
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Samantha C. Waterworth
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
- Current address: National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Alina Nick
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Heiko Vogel
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Laura V. Flórez
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Jason C. Kwan
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
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Boanyah GY, Koekemoer LL, Herren JK, Bukhari T. Effect of Microsporidia MB infection on the development and fitness of Anopheles arabiensis under different diet regimes. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:294. [PMID: 38982472 PMCID: PMC11234536 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06365-8] [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: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microsporidia MB (MB) is a naturally occurring symbiont of Anopheles and has recently been identified as having a potential to inhibit the transmission of Plasmodium in mosquitoes. MB intensity is high in mosquito gonads, with no fitness consequences for the mosquito, and is linked to horizontal (sexual) and vertical (transovarial) transmission from one mosquito to another. Maximising MB intensity and transmission is important for maintaining heavily infected mosquito colonies for experiments and ultimately for mosquito releases. We have investigated how diet affects the MB-Anopheles arabiensis symbiosis phenotypes, such as larval development and mortality, adult size and survival, as well as MB intensity in both larvae and adults. METHODS F1 larvae of G0 females confirmed to be An. arabiensis and infected with MB were either combined (group lines [GLs]) or reared separately (isofemale lines [IMLs]) depending on the specific experiment. Four diet regimes (all mg/larva/day) were tested on F1 GLs: Tetramin 0.07, Tetramin 0.3, Gocat 0.3 and Cerelac 0.3. GLs reared on Tetramin 0.3 mg/larva/day were then fed either a 1% or 6% glucose diet to determine adult survival. Larvae of IMLs were fed Tetramin 0.07 mg and Tetramin 0.3 mg for larval experiments. The mosquitoes in the adult experiments with IMLs were reared on 1% or 6% glucose. RESULTS Amongst the four larval diet regimes tested on An. arabiensis development in the presence of MB, the fastest larval development highest adult emergence, largest body size of mosquitoes, highest prevalence and highest density of MB occurred in those fed Tetramin 0.3 mg/larva/day. Although adult MB-positive mosquitoes fed on 6% glucose survived longer than MB-negative mosquitoes, there was no such effect for those fed on the 1% glucose diet. Development time, wing length and adult survival were not significantly different between MB-infected and uninfected An. arabiensis fed on the Tetramin 0.07 mg/larva/day diet, demonstrating that the MB-conferred fitness advantage was diet-dependent. CONCLUSIONS Microsporidia MB does not adversely impact the development and fitness of An. arabiensis, even under limited dietary conditions. The diet regime of Tetramin 0.3 mg/larva/day + 6% glucose for adults is the superior diet for the mass rearing of MB-infected An. arabiensis mosquitoes. These results are important for rearing MB-infected An. arabiensis in the laboratory for experiments and the mass rearing required for field releases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Godfred Yaw Boanyah
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya
- Wits Research Institute for Malaria, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Lizette L Koekemoer
- Wits Research Institute for Malaria, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic & Parasitic Diseases, Division of the National Health Laboratory Service, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jeremy K Herren
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Wits Research Institute for Malaria, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Tullu Bukhari
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya.
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Tang XF, Sun YF, Liang YS, Yang KY, Chen PT, Li HS, Huang YH, Pang H. Metabolism, digestion, and horizontal transfer: potential roles and interaction of symbiotic bacteria in the ladybird beetle Novius pumilus and their prey Icerya aegyptiaca. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0295523. [PMID: 38497713 PMCID: PMC11064573 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02955-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
In this study, we first time sequenced and analyzed the 16S rRNA gene data of predator ladybird beetles Novius pumilus and globally distributed invasive pest Icerya aegyptiaca at different stages, and combined data with bacterial genome sequences in N. pumilus to explored the taxonomic distribution, alpha and beta diversity, differentially abundant bacteria, co-occurrence network, and putative functions of their microbial community. Our finding revealed that Candidatus Walczuchella, which exhibited a higher abundance in I. aegyptiaca, possessed several genes in essential amino acid biosynthesis and seemed to perform roles in providing nutrients to the host, similar to other obligate symbionts in scale insects. Lactococcus, Serratia, and Pseudomonas, more abundant in N. pumilus, were predicted to have genes related to hydrocarbon, fatty acids, and chitin degradation, which may assist their hosts in digesting the wax shell covering the scale insects. Notably, our result showed that Lactococcus had relatively higher abundances in adults and eggs compared to other stages in N. pumilus, indicating potential vertical transmission. Additionally, we found that Arsenophonus, known to influence sex ratios in whitefly and wasp, may also function in I. aegyptiaca, probably by influencing nutrient metabolism as it similarly had many genes corresponding to vitamin B and essential amino acid biosynthesis. Also, we observed a potential horizontal transfer of Arsenophonus between the scale insect and its predator, with a relatively high abundance in the ladybirds compared to other bacteria from the scale insects.IMPORTANCEThe composition and dynamic changes of microbiome in different developmental stages of ladybird beetles Novius pumilus with its prey Icerya aegyptiaca were detected. We found that Candidatus Walczuchella, abundant in I. aegyptiaca, probably provide nutrients to their host based on their amino acid biosynthesis-related genes. Abundant symbionts in N. pumilus, including Lactococcus, Serratia, and Pseudophonus, may help the host digest the scale insects with their hydrocarbon, fatty acid, and chitin degrading-related genes. A key endosymbiont Arsenophonus may play potential roles in the nutrient metabolisms and sex determination in I. aegyptiaca, and is possibly transferred from the scale insect to the predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Fei Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- College of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yi-Fei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuan-Sen Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Kun-Yu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Pei-Tao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hao-Sen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yu-Hao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hong Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
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Moore LD, Ballinger MJ. The toxins of vertically transmitted Spiroplasma. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1148263. [PMID: 37275155 PMCID: PMC10232968 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1148263] [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: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Vertically transmitted (VT) microbial symbionts play a vital role in the evolution of their insect hosts. A longstanding question in symbiont research is what genes help promote long-term stability of vertically transmitted lifestyles. Symbiont success in insect hosts is due in part to expression of beneficial or manipulative phenotypes that favor symbiont persistence in host populations. In Spiroplasma, these phenotypes have been linked to toxin and virulence domains among a few related strains. However, these domains also appear frequently in phylogenetically distant Spiroplasma, and little is known about their distribution across the Spiroplasma genus. In this study, we present the complete genome sequence of the Spiroplasma symbiont of Drosophila atripex, a non-manipulating member of the Ixodetis clade of Spiroplasma, for which genomic data are still limited. We perform a genus-wide comparative analysis of toxin domains implicated in defensive and reproductive phenotypes. From 12 VT and 31 non-VT Spiroplasma genomes, ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs), OTU-like cysteine proteases (OTUs), ankyrins, and ETX/MTX2 domains show high propensity for VT Spiroplasma compared to non-VT Spiroplasma. Specifically, OTU and ankyrin domains can be found only in VT-Spiroplasma, and RIP domains are found in all VT Spiroplasma and three non-VT Spiroplasma. These domains are frequently associated with Spiroplasma plasmids, suggesting a possible mechanism for dispersal and maintenance among heritable strains. Searching insect genome assemblies available on public databases uncovered uncharacterized Spiroplasma genomes from which we identified several spaid-like genes encoding RIP, OTU, and ankyrin domains, suggesting functional interactions among those domain types. Our results suggest a conserved core of symbiont domains play an important role in the evolution and persistence of VT Spiroplasma in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan D. Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
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Ganesan R, Janke RS, Kaltenpoth M, Flórez LV. Colonization dynamics of a defensive insect ectosymbiont. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230100. [PMID: 37161294 PMCID: PMC10170204 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0100] [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: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Beneficial symbionts are horizontally or vertically transmitted to offspring, relying on host- or microbe-mediated mechanisms for colonization. While multiple studies on symbionts transmitted internally or by feeding highlight host adaptations and dynamics of symbiont colonization, less is known for beneficial microbes colonizing host external surfaces, such as the insect cuticle. Here, we investigate the colonization dynamics of a bacterial symbiont that protects eggs and larvae of Lagria villosa beetles against pathogens. After maternal application to the egg surface, symbionts colonize specialized cuticular invaginations on the dorsal surface of larvae. We assessed the colonization time point and investigated the involvement of the host during this process. Symbionts remain on the egg surface before hatching, providing protection. Immediately after hatching, cells from the egg surface colonize the larvae and horizontal acquisition can occur, yet efficiency decreases with increasing larval age. Additionally, passive or host-aided translocation likely supports colonization of the larval symbiotic organs. This may be especially important for the dominant non-motile symbiont strain, while motility of additional strains in the symbiont community might also play a role. Our findings provide insights into the colonization dynamics of cuticle-associated defensive symbionts and suggest alternate or complementary strategies used by different strains for colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramya Ganesan
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Rebekka S. Janke
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Department of Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Laura V. Flórez
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Section for Organismal Biology, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
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Salamzade R, Cheong JA, Sandstrom S, Swaney MH, Stubbendieck RM, Starr NL, Currie CR, Singh AM, Kalan LR. Evolutionary investigations of the biosynthetic diversity in the skin microbiome using lsaBGC. Microb Genom 2023; 9:mgen000988. [PMID: 37115189 PMCID: PMC10210951 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial secondary metabolites, synthesized by enzymes encoded in biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), can underlie microbiome homeostasis and serve as commercialized products, which have historically been mined from a select group of taxa. While evolutionary approaches have proven beneficial for prioritizing BGCs for experimental characterization efforts to uncover new natural products, dedicated bioinformatics tools designed for comparative and evolutionary analysis of BGCs within focal taxa are limited. We thus developed l ineage s pecific a nalysis of BGCs (lsa BGC; https://github.com/Kalan-Lab/lsaBGC ) to aid exploration of microdiversity and evolutionary trends across homologous groupings of BGCs, gene cluster families (GCFs), in any bacterial taxa of interest. lsa BGC enables rapid and direct identification of GCFs in genomes, calculates evolutionary statistics and conservation for BGC genes, and builds a framework to allow for base resolution mining of novel variants through metagenomic exploration. Through application of the suite to four genera commonly found in skin microbiomes, we uncover new insights into the evolution and diversity of their BGCs. We show that the BGC of the virulence-associated carotenoid staphyloxanthin in Staphylococcus aureus is ubiquitous across the genus Staphylococcus . While one GCF encoding the biosynthesis of staphyloxanthin showcases evidence for plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between species, another GCF appears to be transmitted vertically amongst a sub-clade of skin-associated Staphylococcus . Further, the latter GCF, which is well conserved in S. aureus , has been lost in most Staphylococcus epidermidis , which is the most common Staphylococcus species on human skin and is also regarded as a commensal. We also identify thousands of novel single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) within BGCs from the Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum sp. complex, a narrow, multi-species clade that features the most prevalent Corynebacterium in healthy skin microbiomes. Although novel SNVs were approximately 10 times as likely to correspond to synonymous changes when located in the top five percentile of conserved sites, lsa BGC identified SNVs that defied this trend and are predicted to underlie amino acid changes within functionally key enzymatic domains. Ultimately, beyond supporting evolutionary investigations of BGCs, lsa BGC also provides important functionalities to aid efforts for the discovery or directed modification of natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rauf Salamzade
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - J.Z. Alex Cheong
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Shelby Sandstrom
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Mary Hannah Swaney
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Nicole Lane Starr
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Cameron R. Currie
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, David Braley Centre for Antibiotic Discovery, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anne Marie Singh
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Lindsay R. Kalan
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, David Braley Centre for Antibiotic Discovery, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
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Ganesan R, Wierz JC, Kaltenpoth M, Flórez LV. How It All Begins: Bacterial Factors Mediating the Colonization of Invertebrate Hosts by Beneficial Symbionts. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2022; 86:e0012621. [PMID: 36301103 PMCID: PMC9769632 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00126-21] [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] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Beneficial associations with bacteria are widespread across animals, spanning a range of symbiont localizations, transmission routes, and functions. While some of these associations have evolved into obligate relationships with permanent symbiont localization within the host, the majority require colonization of every host generation from the environment or via maternal provisions. Across the broad diversity of host species and tissue types that beneficial bacteria can colonize, there are some highly specialized strategies for establishment yet also some common patterns in the molecular basis of colonization. This review focuses on the mechanisms underlying the early stage of beneficial bacterium-invertebrate associations, from initial contact to the establishment of the symbionts in a specific location of the host's body. We first reflect on general selective pressures that can drive the transition from a free-living to a host-associated lifestyle in bacteria. We then cover bacterial molecular factors for colonization in symbioses from both model and nonmodel invertebrate systems where these have been studied, including terrestrial and aquatic host taxa. Finally, we discuss how interactions between multiple colonizing bacteria and priority effects can influence colonization. Taking the bacterial perspective, we emphasize the importance of developing new experimentally tractable systems to derive general insights into the ecological factors and molecular adaptations underlying the origin and establishment of beneficial symbioses in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramya Ganesan
- 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
| | - Jürgen C. Wierz
- 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
| | - 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
| | - Laura V. Flórez
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Section for Organismal Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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11
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Bacterial ectosymbionts in cuticular organs chemically protect a beetle during molting stages. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:2691-2701. [PMID: 36056153 PMCID: PMC9666510 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01311-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In invertebrates, the cuticle is the first and major protective barrier against predators and pathogen infections. While immune responses and behavioral defenses are also known to be important for insect protection, the potential of cuticle-associated microbial symbionts to aid in preventing pathogen entry during molting and throughout larval development remains unexplored. Here, we show that bacterial symbionts of the beetle Lagria villosa inhabit unusual dorsal invaginations of the insect cuticle, which remain open to the outer surface and persist throughout larval development. This specialized location enables the release of several symbiont cells and the associated protective compounds during molting. This facilitates ectosymbiont maintenance and extended defense during larval development against antagonistic fungi. One Burkholderia strain, which produces the antifungal compound lagriamide, dominates the community across all life stages, and removal of the community significantly impairs the survival probability of young larvae when exposed to different pathogenic fungi. We localize both the dominant bacterial strain and lagriamide on the surface of eggs, larvae, pupae, and on the inner surface of the molted cuticle (exuvia), supporting extended protection. These results highlight adaptations for effective defense of immature insects by cuticle-associated ectosymbionts, a potentially key advantage for a ground-dwelling insect when confronting pathogenic microbes.
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12
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Liu P, Li Y, Ye Y, Chen J, Li R, Zhang Q, Li Y, Wang W, Meng Q, Ou J, Yang Z, Sun W, Gu W. The genome and antigen proteome analysis of Spiroplasma mirum. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:996938. [PMID: 36406404 PMCID: PMC9666726 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.996938] [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: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Spiroplasma mirum, small motile wall-less bacteria, was originally isolated from a rabbit tick and had the ability to infect newborn mice and caused cataracts. In this study, the whole genome and antigen proteins of S. mirum were comparative analyzed and investigated. Glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, arginine metabolism, nucleotide biosynthesis, and citrate fermentation were found in S. mirum, while trichloroacetic acid, fatty acids metabolism, phospholipid biosynthesis, terpenoid biosynthesis, lactose-specific PTS, and cofactors synthesis were completely absent. The Sec systems of S. mirum consist of SecA, SecE, SecDF, SecG, SecY, and YidC. Signal peptidase II was identified in S. mirum, but no signal peptidase I. The relative gene order in S. mirum is largely conserved. Genome analysis of available species in Mollicutes revealed that they shared only 84 proteins. S. mirum genome has 381 pseudogenes, accounting for 31.6% of total protein-coding genes. This is the evidence that spiroplasma genome is under an ongoing genome reduction. Immunoproteomics, a new scientific technique combining proteomics and immunological analytical methods, provided the direction of our research on S. mirum. We identified 49 proteins and 11 proteins (9 proteins in common) in S. mirum by anti-S. mirum serum and negative serum, respectively. Forty proteins in S. mirum were identified in relation to the virulence. All these proteins may play key roles in the pathogeny and can be used in the future for diagnoses and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Liu
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Basic Medical School, Hengyang Medical School, Institute of Pathogenic Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Yuxin Li
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Basic Medical School, Hengyang Medical School, Institute of Pathogenic Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Youyuan Ye
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Basic Medical School, Hengyang Medical School, Institute of Pathogenic Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Jiaxin Chen
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Basic Medical School, Hengyang Medical School, Institute of Pathogenic Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Rong Li
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Basic Medical School, Hengyang Medical School, Institute of Pathogenic Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Qinyi Zhang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Basic Medical School, Hengyang Medical School, Institute of Pathogenic Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Yuan Li
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Basic Medical School, Hengyang Medical School, Institute of Pathogenic Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Wen Wang
- Key Laboratory for Aquatic Crustacean Diseases, College of Marine Science and Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qingguo Meng
- Key Laboratory for Aquatic Crustacean Diseases, College of Marine Science and Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jingyu Ou
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Basic Medical School, Hengyang Medical School, Institute of Pathogenic Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Zhujun Yang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, Basic Medical School, Hengyang Medical School, Institute of Pathogenic Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Wei Sun
- Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, China
| | - Wei Gu
- Key Laboratory for Aquatic Crustacean Diseases, College of Marine Science and Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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13
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Abstract
Invertebrates, particularly sponges, have been a dominant source of new marine natural products. For example, lasonolide A (LSA) is a potential anticancer molecule isolated from the marine sponge Forcepia sp., with nanomolar growth inhibitory activity and a unique cytotoxicity profile against the National Cancer Institute 60-cell-line screen. Here, we identified the putative biosynthetic pathway for LSA. Genomic binning of the Forcepia sponge metagenome revealed a Gram-negative bacterium belonging to the phylum Verrucomicrobia as the candidate producer of LSA. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this bacterium, here named "Candidatus Thermopylae lasonolidus," only has 88.78% 16S rRNA identity with the closest relative, Pedosphaera parvula Ellin514, indicating that it represents a new genus. The lasonolide A (las) biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) was identified as a trans-acyltransferase (AT) polyketide synthase (PKS) pathway. Compared with its host genome, the las BGC exhibits a significantly different GC content and pentanucleotide frequency, suggesting a potential horizontal acquisition of the gene cluster. Furthermore, three copies of the putative las pathway were identified in the candidate producer genome. Differences between the three las repeats were observed, including the presence of three insertions, two single-nucleotide polymorphisms, and the absence of a stand-alone acyl carrier protein in one of the repeats. Even though the verrucomicrobial producer shows signs of genome reduction, its genome size is still fairly large (about 5 Mbp), and, compared to its closest free-living relative, it contains most of the primary metabolic pathways, suggesting that it is in the early stages of reduction. IMPORTANCE While sponges are valuable sources of bioactive natural products, a majority of these compounds are produced in small quantities by uncultured symbionts, hampering the study and clinical development of these unique compounds. Lasonolide A (LSA), isolated from marine sponge Forcepia sp., is a cytotoxic molecule active at nanomolar concentrations, which causes premature chromosome condensation, blebbing, cell contraction, and loss of cell adhesion, indicating a novel mechanism of action and making it a potential anticancer drug lead. However, its limited supply hampers progression to clinical trials. We investigated the microbiome of Forcepia sp. using culture-independent DNA sequencing, identified genes likely responsible for LSA synthesis in an uncultured bacterium, and assembled the symbiont's genome. These insights provide future opportunities for heterologous expression and cultivation efforts that may minimize LSA's supply problem.
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14
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Noh S, Capodanno BJ, Xu S, Hamilton MC, Strassmann JE, Queller DC. Reduced and Nonreduced Genomes in Paraburkholderia Symbionts of Social Amoebas. mSystems 2022; 7:e0056222. [PMID: 36098425 PMCID: PMC9601139 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00562-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum is a predatory soil protist frequently used for studying host-pathogen interactions. A subset of D. discoideum strains isolated from soil persistently carry symbiotic Paraburkholderia, recently formally described as P. agricolaris, P. bonniea, and P. hayleyella. The three facultative symbiont species of D. discoideum present a unique opportunity to study a naturally occurring symbiosis in a laboratory model protist. There is a large difference in genome size between P. agricolaris (8.7 million base pairs [Mbp]) versus P. hayleyella and P. bonniea (4.1 Mbp). We took a comparative genomics approach and compared the three genomes of D. discoideum symbionts to 12 additional Paraburkholderia genomes to test for genome evolution patterns that frequently accompany host adaptation. Overall, P. agricolaris is difficult to distinguish from other Paraburkholderia based on its genome size and content, but the reduced genomes of P. bonniea and P. hayleyella display characteristics indicative of genome streamlining rather than deterioration during adaptation to their protist hosts. In addition, D. discoideum-symbiont genomes have increased secretion system and motility genes that may mediate interactions with their host. Specifically, adjacent BurBor-like type 3 and T6SS-5-like type 6 secretion system operons shared among all three D. discoideum-symbiont genomes may be important for host interaction. Horizontal transfer of these secretion system operons within the amoeba host environment may have contributed to the unique ability of these symbionts to establish and maintain a symbiotic relationship with D. discoideum. IMPORTANCE Protists are a diverse group of typically single cell eukaryotes. Bacteria and archaea that form long-term symbiotic relationships with protists may evolve in additional ways than those in relationships with multicellular eukaryotes such as plants, animals, or fungi. Social amoebas are a predatory soil protist sometimes found with symbiotic bacteria living inside their cells. They present a unique opportunity to explore a naturally occurring symbiosis in a protist frequently used for studying host-pathogen interactions. We show that one amoeba-symbiont species is similar to other related bacteria in genome size and content, while the two reduced-genome-symbiont species show characteristics of genome streamlining rather than deterioration during adaptation to their host. We also identify sets of genes present in all three amoeba-symbiont genomes that are potentially used for host-symbiont interactions. Because the amoeba symbionts are distantly related, the amoeba host environment may be where these genes were shared among symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suegene Noh
- Department of Biology, Colby College, Waterville, Maine, USA
| | - Benjamin J. Capodanno
- Department of Biology, Colby College, Waterville, Maine, USA
- Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Songtao Xu
- Department of Biology, Colby College, Waterville, Maine, USA
| | - Marisa C. Hamilton
- Department of Biology, Colby College, Waterville, Maine, USA
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Joan E. Strassmann
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - David C. Queller
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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15
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Ueoka R, Sondermann P, Leopold-Messer S, Liu Y, Suo R, Bhushan A, Vadakumchery L, Greczmiel U, Yashiroda Y, Kimura H, Nishimura S, Hoshikawa Y, Yoshida M, Oxenius A, Matsunaga S, Williamson RT, Carreira EM, Piel J. Genome-based discovery and total synthesis of janustatins, potent cytotoxins from a plant-associated bacterium. Nat Chem 2022; 14:1193-1201. [PMID: 36064972 PMCID: PMC7613652 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-022-01020-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Host-associated bacteria are increasingly being recognized as underexplored sources of bioactive natural products with unprecedented chemical scaffolds. A recently identified example is the plant-root-associated marine bacterium Gynuella sunshinyii of the chemically underexplored order Oceanospirillales. Its genome contains at least 22 biosynthetic gene clusters, suggesting a rich and mostly uncharacterized specialized metabolism. Here, in silico chemical prediction of a non-canonical polyketide synthase cluster has led to the discovery of janustatins, structurally unprecedented polyketide alkaloids with potent cytotoxicity that are produced in minute quantities. A combination of MS and two-dimensional NMR experiments, density functional theory calculations of 13C chemical shifts and semiquantitative interpretation of transverse rotating-frame Overhauser effect spectroscopy data were conducted to determine the relative configuration, which enabled the total synthesis of both enantiomers and assignment of the absolute configuration. Janustatins feature a previously unknown pyridodihydropyranone heterocycle and an unusual biological activity consisting of delayed, synchronized cell death at subnanomolar concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reiko Ueoka
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Marine Biosciences, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Philipp Sondermann
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Stefan Leopold-Messer
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yizhou Liu
- NMR Structure Elucidation, Process & Analytical Chemistry, Merck & Co. Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA
- Analytical Research & Development, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, CT, USA
| | - Rei Suo
- Laboratory of Aquatic Natural Products Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Marine Science and Resources, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Agneya Bhushan
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lida Vadakumchery
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ute Greczmiel
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yoko Yashiroda
- Molecular Ligand Target Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Hiromi Kimura
- Molecular Ligand Target Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Shinichi Nishimura
- Molecular Ligand Target Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yojiro Hoshikawa
- Department of Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Minoru Yoshida
- Molecular Ligand Target Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Annette Oxenius
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Shigeki Matsunaga
- Laboratory of Aquatic Natural Products Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - R Thomas Williamson
- NMR Structure Elucidation, Process & Analytical Chemistry, Merck & Co. Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
| | - Erick M Carreira
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Jörn Piel
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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16
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Janke RS, Moog S, Weiss B, Kaltenpoth M, Flórez LV. Morphological adaptation for ectosymbiont maintenance and transmission during metamorphosis in Lagria beetles. Front Physiol 2022; 13:979200. [PMID: 36111144 PMCID: PMC9468232 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.979200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The diversity and success of holometabolous insects is partly driven by metamorphosis, which allows for the exploitation of different niches and decouples growth and tissue differentiation from reproduction. Despite its benefits, metamorphosis comes with the cost of temporal vulnerability during pupation and challenges associated with tissue reorganizations. These rearrangements can also affect the presence, abundance, and localization of beneficial microbes in the host. However, how symbionts are maintained or translocated during metamorphosis and which adaptations are necessary from each partner during this process remains unknown for the vast majority of symbiotic systems. Here, we show that Lagria beetles circumvent the constraints of metamorphosis by maintaining defensive symbionts on the surface in specialized cuticular structures. The symbionts are present in both sexes throughout larval development and during the pupal phase, in line with a protective role during the beetle’s immature stages. By comparing symbiont titer and morphology of the cuticular structures between sexes using qPCR, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and micro-computed tomography, we found that the organs likely play an important role as a symbiont reservoir for transmission to female adults, since symbiont titers and structures are reduced in male pupae. Using symbiont-sized fluorescent beads, we demonstrate transfer from the region of the dorsal symbiont-housing organs to the opening of the reproductive tract of adult females, suggesting that symbiont relocation on the outer surface is possible, even without specialized symbiont adaptations or motility. Our results illustrate a strategy for holometabolous insects to cope with the challenge of symbiont maintenance during metamorphosis via an external route, circumventing problems associated with internal tissue reorganization. Thereby, Lagria beetles keep a tight relationship with their beneficial partners during growth and metamorphosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekka S. Janke
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Safira Moog
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Benjamin Weiss
- 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
| | - 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
| | - Laura V. Flórez
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Section for Organismal Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Laura V. Flórez,
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17
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Du X, Yang H, Gong S, Zhang P, Chen P, Liang Y, Huang Y, Tang X, Chen Q, De Clercq P, Li H, Pang H. Aphidophagous ladybird beetles adapt to an aphid symbiont. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xue‐Yong Du
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Huan‐Ying Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Sen‐Rui Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Pei‐Fang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Pei‐Tao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Yuan‐Sen Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Yu‐Hao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Xue‐Fei Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Qiao‐Kui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Patrick De Clercq
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering Ghent University Ghent Belgium
| | - Hao‐Sen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Hong Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
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18
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Romero Picazo D, Werner A, Dagan T, Kupczok A. Pangenome Evolution in Environmentally Transmitted Symbionts of Deep-Sea Mussels Is Governed by Vertical Inheritance. Genome Biol Evol 2022; 14:evac098. [PMID: 35731940 PMCID: PMC9260185 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial pangenomes vary across species; their size and structure are determined by genetic diversity within the population and by gene loss and horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Many bacteria are associated with eukaryotic hosts where the host colonization dynamics may impact bacterial genome evolution. Host-associated lifestyle has been recognized as a barrier to HGT in parentally transmitted bacteria. However, pangenome evolution of environmentally acquired symbionts remains understudied, often due to limitations in symbiont cultivation. Using high-resolution metagenomics, here we study pangenome evolution of two co-occurring endosymbionts inhabiting Bathymodiolus brooksi mussels from a single cold seep. The symbionts, sulfur-oxidizing (SOX) and methane-oxidizing (MOX) gamma-proteobacteria, are environmentally acquired at an early developmental stage and individual mussels may harbor multiple strains of each symbiont species. We found differences in the accessory gene content of both symbionts across individual mussels, which are reflected by differences in symbiont strain composition. Compared with core genes, accessory genes are enriched in genome plasticity functions. We found no evidence for recent HGT between both symbionts. A comparison between the symbiont pangenomes revealed that the MOX population is less diverged and contains fewer accessory genes, supporting that the MOX association with B. brooksi is more recent in comparison to that of SOX. Our results show that the pangenomes of both symbionts evolved mainly by vertical inheritance. We conclude that genome evolution of environmentally transmitted symbionts that associate with individual hosts over their lifetime is affected by a narrow symbiosis where the frequency of HGT is constrained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devani Romero Picazo
- Genomic Microbiology Group, Institute of General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Almut Werner
- Genomic Microbiology Group, Institute of General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Tal Dagan
- Genomic Microbiology Group, Institute of General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Anne Kupczok
- Genomic Microbiology Group, Institute of General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University & Research, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
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19
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Li T, Yang Y, Li H, Li C. Mixed-Mode Bacterial Transmission via Eggshells in an Oviparous Reptile Without Parental Care. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:911416. [PMID: 35836422 PMCID: PMC9273969 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.911416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiotic microorganisms play important roles in maintaining health and facilitating the adaptation of the host. We know little about the origin and transgenerational transmission of symbiotic bacteria, especially in egg-laying species without parental care. Here, we investigated the transmission of bacterial symbionts in the Chinese three-keeled pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii), a species with no post-oviposition parental care, by evaluating contributions from potential maternal and environmental sources to eggshell bacterial communities. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we established that the bacterial communities of eggshells were similar to those of the maternal cloaca, maternal skin, and nest soil, but distinct from those of surface soil around nest and pond water. Phylogenetic structure analysis and source-tracking models revealed the deterministic assembly process of eggshell microbiota and high contributions of the maternal cloaca, maternal skin, and nest soil microbiota to eggshell bacterial communities. Moreover, maternal cloaca showed divergent contribution to eggshell microbiota compared with two other main sources in phylogenesis and taxonomic composition. The results demonstrate a mixture of horizontal and vertical transmission of symbiotic bacteria across generations in an oviparous turtle without parental care and provide insight into the significance of the eggshell microbiome in embryo development.
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20
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Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is arguably the most conspicuous feature of bacterial evolution. Evidence for HGT is found in most bacterial genomes. Although HGT can considerably alter bacterial genomes, not all transfer events may be biologically significant and may instead represent the outcome of an incessant evolutionary process that only occasionally has a beneficial purpose. When adaptive transfers occur, HGT and positive selection may result in specific, detectable signatures in genomes, such as gene-specific sweeps or increased transfer rates for genes that are ecologically relevant. In this Review, we first discuss the various mechanisms whereby HGT occurs, how the genetic signatures shape patterns of genomic variation and the distinct bioinformatic algorithms developed to detect these patterns. We then discuss the evolutionary theory behind HGT and positive selection in bacteria, and discuss the approaches developed over the past decade to detect transferred DNA that may be involved in adaptation to new environments.
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21
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Santos-Aberturas J, Vior NM. Beyond Soil-Dwelling Actinobacteria: Fantastic Antibiotics and Where to Find Them. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:195. [PMID: 35203798 PMCID: PMC8868522 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11020195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial secondary metabolites represent an invaluable source of bioactive molecules for the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Although screening campaigns for the discovery of new compounds have traditionally been strongly biased towards the study of soil-dwelling Actinobacteria, the current antibiotic resistance and discovery crisis has brought a considerable amount of attention to the study of previously neglected bacterial sources of secondary metabolites. The development and application of new screening, sequencing, genetic manipulation, cultivation and bioinformatic techniques have revealed several other groups of bacteria as producers of striking chemical novelty. Biosynthetic machineries evolved from independent taxonomic origins and under completely different ecological requirements and selective pressures are responsible for these structural innovations. In this review, we summarize the most important discoveries related to secondary metabolites from alternative bacterial sources, trying to provide the reader with a broad perspective on how technical novelties have facilitated the access to the bacterial metabolic dark matter.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Natalia M. Vior
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes Centre, Norwich NR7 4UH, UK
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22
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Zawierucha K, Trzebny A, Buda J, Bagshaw E, Franzetti A, Dabert M, Ambrosini R. Trophic and symbiotic links between obligate-glacier water bears (Tardigrada) and cryoconite microorganisms. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262039. [PMID: 35020747 PMCID: PMC8754347 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Insights into biodiversity and trophic webs are important for understanding ecosystem functions. Although the surfaces of glaciers are one of the most productive and biologically diverse parts of the cryosphere, the links between top consumers, their diet and microbial communities are poorly understood. In this study, for the first time we investigated the relationships between bacteria, fungi and other microeukaryotes as they relate to tardigrades, microscopic metazoans that are top consumers in cryoconite, a biologically rich and productive biogenic sediment found on glacier surfaces. Using metabarcoding (16S rDNA for bacteria, ITS1 for fungi, and 18S rDNA for other microeukaryotes), we analyzed the microbial community structures of cryoconite and compared them with the community found in both fully fed and starved tardigrades. The community structure of each microbial group (bacteria, fungi, microeukaryotes) were similar within each host group (cryoconite, fully fed tardigrades and starved tardigrades), and differed significantly between groups, as indicated by redundancy analyses. The relative number of operational taxonomic units (ZOTUs, OTUs) and the Shannon index differed significantly between cryoconite and tardigrades. Species indicator analysis highlighted a group of microbial taxa typical of both fully fed and starved tardigrades (potential commensals), like the bacteria of the genera Staphylococcus and Stenotrophomonas, as well as a group of taxa typical of both cryoconite and fully fed tardigrades (likely part of the tardigrade diet; bacteria Flavobacterium sp., fungi Preussia sp., algae Trebouxiophyceae sp.). Tardigrades are consumers of bacteria, fungi and other microeukaryotes in cryoconite and, being hosts for diverse microbes, their presence can enrich the microbiome of glaciers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Zawierucha
- Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Artur Trzebny
- Molecular Biology Techniques Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Jakub Buda
- Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Elizabeth Bagshaw
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Franzetti
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Miroslawa Dabert
- Molecular Biology Techniques Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Roberto Ambrosini
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Abstract
Beetles are hosts to a remarkable diversity of bacterial symbionts. In this article, we review the role of these partnerships in promoting beetle fitness following a surge of recent studies characterizing symbiont localization and function across the Coleoptera. Symbiont contributions range from the supplementation of essential nutrients and digestive or detoxifying enzymes to the production of bioactive compounds providing defense against natural enemies. Insights on this functional diversity highlight how symbiosis can expand the host's ecological niche, but also constrain its evolutionary potential by promoting specialization. As bacterial localization can differ within and between beetle clades, we discuss how it corresponds to the microbe's beneficial role and outline the molecular and behavioral mechanisms underlying symbiont translocation and transmission by its holometabolous host. In reviewing this literature, we emphasize how the study of symbiosis can inform our understanding of the phenotypic innovations behind the evolutionary success of beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Salem
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany;
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany;
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz 55128, Germany
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High Genomic Identity between Clinical and Environmental Strains of Herbaspirillum frisingense Suggests Pre-Adaptation to Different Hosts and Intrinsic Resistance to Multiple Drugs. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10111409. [PMID: 34827347 PMCID: PMC8614823 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10111409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Herbaspirillum is widely studied for its ability to associate with grasses and to perform biological nitrogen fixation. However, the bacteria of the Herbaspirillum genus have frequently been isolated from clinical samples. Understanding the genomic characteristics that allow these bacteria to switch environments and become able to colonize human hosts is essential for monitoring emerging pathogens and predicting outbreaks. In this work, we describe the sequencing, assembly, and annotation of the genome of H. frisingense AU14559 isolated from the sputum of patients with cystic fibrosis, and its comparison with the genomes of the uropathogenic strain VT-16-41 and the environmental strains GSF30, BH-1, IAC152, and SG826. The genes responsible for biological nitrogen fixation were absent from all strains except for GSF30. On the other hand, genes encoding virulence and host interaction factors were mostly shared with environmental strains. We also identified a large set of intrinsic antibiotic resistance genes that were shared across all strains. Unlike other strains, in addition to unique genomic islands, AU14559 has a mutation that renders the biosynthesis of rhamnose and its incorporation into the exopolysaccharide unfeasible. These data suggest that H. frisingense has characteristics that provide it with the metabolic diversity needed to infect and colonize human hosts.
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25
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Waterworth SC, Parker-Nance S, Kwan JC, Dorrington RA. Comparative Genomics Provides Insight into the Function of Broad-Host Range Sponge Symbionts. mBio 2021; 12:e0157721. [PMID: 34519538 PMCID: PMC8546597 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01577-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The fossil record indicates that the earliest evidence of extant marine sponges (phylum Porifera) existed during the Cambrian explosion and that their symbiosis with microbes may have begun in their extinct ancestors during the Precambrian period. Many symbionts have adapted to their sponge host, where they perform specific, specialized functions. There are also widely distributed bacterial taxa such as Poribacteria, SAUL, and Tethybacterales that are found in a broad range of invertebrate hosts. Here, we added 11 new genomes to the Tethybacterales order, identified a novel family, and show that functional potential differs between the three Tethybacterales families. We compare the Tethybacterales with the well-characterized Entoporibacteria and show that these symbionts appear to preferentially associate with low-microbial abundance (LMA) and high-microbial abundance (HMA) sponges, respectively. Within these sponges, we show that these symbionts likely perform distinct functions and may have undergone multiple association events, rather than a single association event followed by coevolution. IMPORTANCE Marine sponges often form symbiotic relationships with bacteria that fulfil a specific need within the sponge holobiont, and these symbionts are often conserved within a narrow range of related taxa. To date, there exist only three known bacterial taxa (Entoporibacteria, SAUL, and Tethybacterales) that are globally distributed and found in a broad range of sponge hosts, and little is known about the latter two. We show that the functional potential of broad-host range symbionts is conserved at a family level and that these symbionts have been acquired several times over evolutionary history. Finally, it appears that the Entoporibacteria are associated primarily with high-microbial abundance sponges, while the Tethybacterales associate with low-microbial abundance sponges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha C. Waterworth
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa
| | - Shirley Parker-Nance
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa
- South African Environmental Observation Network, Elwandle Coastal Node, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa
| | - Jason C. Kwan
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Rosemary A. Dorrington
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa
- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda, South Africa
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26
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Wierz JC, Gaube P, Klebsch D, Kaltenpoth M, Flórez LV. Transmission of Bacterial Symbionts With and Without Genome Erosion Between a Beetle Host and the Plant Environment. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:715601. [PMID: 34630349 PMCID: PMC8493222 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.715601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Many phytophagous insects harbor symbiotic bacteria that can be transmitted vertically from parents to offspring, or acquired horizontally from unrelated hosts or the environment. In the latter case, plants are a potential route for symbiont transfer and can thus foster a tripartite interaction between microbe, insect, and plant. Here, we focus on two bacterial symbionts of the darkling beetle Lagria villosa that belong to the genus Burkholderia; the culturable strain B. gladioli Lv-StA and the reduced-genome strain Burkholderia Lv-StB. The strains can be transmitted vertically and confer protection to the beetle’s eggs, but Lv-StA can also proliferate in plants, and both symbiont strains have presumably evolved from plant pathogens. Notably, little is known about the role of the environment for the transmission dynamics and the maintenance of the symbionts. Through manipulative assays, we demonstrate the transfer of the symbionts from the beetle to wheat, rice and soybean plants, as well as leaf litter. In addition, we confirm that aposymbiotic larvae can pick up Lv-StA from dry leaves and the symbiont can successfully establish in the beetle’s symbiotic organs. Also, we show that the presence of plants and soil in the environment improves symbiont maintenance. These results indicate that the symbionts of L. villosa beetles are still capable of interacting with plants despite signatures of genome erosion and suggest that a mixed-mode of bacterial transmission is likely key for the persistence of the symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen C Wierz
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Paul Gaube
- Molecular Biodiversity Research Group, Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Dagmar Klebsch
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - 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
| | - Laura V Flórez
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.,Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Section for Organismal Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Drew GC, Stevens EJ, King KC. Microbial evolution and transitions along the parasite-mutualist continuum. Nat Rev Microbiol 2021; 19:623-638. [PMID: 33875863 PMCID: PMC8054256 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-021-00550-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Virtually all plants and animals, including humans, are home to symbiotic microorganisms. Symbiotic interactions can be neutral, harmful or have beneficial effects on the host organism. However, growing evidence suggests that microbial symbionts can evolve rapidly, resulting in drastic transitions along the parasite-mutualist continuum. In this Review, we integrate theoretical and empirical findings to discuss the mechanisms underpinning these evolutionary shifts, as well as the ecological drivers and why some host-microorganism interactions may be stuck at the end of the continuum. In addition to having biomedical consequences, understanding the dynamic life of microorganisms reveals how symbioses can shape an organism's biology and the entire community, particularly in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kayla C King
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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28
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Dose B, Thongkongkaew T, Zopf D, Kim HJ, Bratovanov EV, García‐Altares M, Scherlach K, Kumpfmüller J, Ross C, Hermenau R, Niehs S, Silge A, Hniopek J, Schmitt M, Popp J, Hertweck C. Multimodal Molecular Imaging and Identification of Bacterial Toxins Causing Mushroom Soft Rot and Cavity Disease. Chembiochem 2021; 22:2901-2907. [PMID: 34232540 PMCID: PMC8518961 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Soft rot disease of edible mushrooms leads to rapid degeneration of fungal tissue and thus severely affects farming productivity worldwide. The bacterial mushroom pathogen Burkholderia gladioli pv. agaricicola has been identified as the cause. Yet, little is known about the molecular basis of the infection, the spatial distribution and the biological role of antifungal agents and toxins involved in this infectious disease. We combine genome mining, metabolic profiling, MALDI-Imaging and UV Raman spectroscopy, to detect, identify and visualize a complex of chemical mediators and toxins produced by the pathogen during the infection process, including toxoflavin, caryoynencin, and sinapigladioside. Furthermore, targeted gene knockouts and in vitro assays link antifungal agents to prevalent symptoms of soft rot, mushroom browning, and impaired mycelium growth. Comparisons of related pathogenic, mutualistic and environmental Burkholderia spp. indicate that the arsenal of antifungal agents may have paved the way for ancestral bacteria to colonize niches where frequent, antagonistic interactions with fungi occur. Our findings not only demonstrate the power of label-free, in vivo detection of polyyne virulence factors by Raman imaging, but may also inspire new approaches to disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Dose
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection BiologyHKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Tawatchai Thongkongkaew
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection BiologyHKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - David Zopf
- Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC) and Abbe Center of PhotonicsHelmholtzweg 407743JenaGermany
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT) JenaMember of the Leibniz Research Alliance – Leibniz Health TechnologiesAlbert-Einstein-Straße 907745JenaGermany
| | - Hak Joong Kim
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection BiologyHKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Evgeni V. Bratovanov
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection BiologyHKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - María García‐Altares
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection BiologyHKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Kirstin Scherlach
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection BiologyHKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Jana Kumpfmüller
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection BiologyHKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Claudia Ross
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection BiologyHKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Ron Hermenau
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection BiologyHKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Sarah Niehs
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection BiologyHKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Anja Silge
- Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC) and Abbe Center of PhotonicsHelmholtzweg 407743JenaGermany
| | - Julian Hniopek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC) and Abbe Center of PhotonicsHelmholtzweg 407743JenaGermany
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT) JenaMember of the Leibniz Research Alliance – Leibniz Health TechnologiesAlbert-Einstein-Straße 907745JenaGermany
| | - Michael Schmitt
- Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC) and Abbe Center of PhotonicsHelmholtzweg 407743JenaGermany
| | - Jürgen Popp
- Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC) and Abbe Center of PhotonicsHelmholtzweg 407743JenaGermany
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT) JenaMember of the Leibniz Research Alliance – Leibniz Health TechnologiesAlbert-Einstein-Straße 907745JenaGermany
| | - Christian Hertweck
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection BiologyHKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
- Faculty of Biological SciencesFriedrich Schiller University Jena07743JenaGermany
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29
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Horizontal gene transfer-mediated bacterial strain variation affects host fitness in Drosophila. BMC Biol 2021; 19:187. [PMID: 34565363 PMCID: PMC8474910 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01124-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background How microbes affect host fitness and environmental adaptation has become a fundamental research question in evolutionary biology. To better understand the role of microbial genomic variation for host fitness, we tested for associations of bacterial genomic variation and Drosophila melanogaster offspring number in a microbial Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS). Results We performed a microbial GWAS, leveraging strain variation in the genus Gluconobacter, a genus of bacteria that are commonly associated with Drosophila under natural conditions. We pinpoint the thiamine biosynthesis pathway (TBP) as contributing to differences in fitness conferred to the fly host. While an effect of thiamine on fly development has been described, we show that strain variation in TBP between bacterial isolates from wild-caught D. melanogaster contributes to variation in offspring production by the host. By tracing the evolutionary history of TBP genes in Gluconobacter, we find that TBP genes were most likely lost and reacquired by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Conclusion Our study emphasizes the importance of strain variation and highlights that HGT can add to microbiome flexibility and potentially to host adaptation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-01124-y.
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30
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Nakabachi A, Piel J, Malenovský I, Hirose Y. Comparative Genomics Underlines Multiple Roles of Profftella, an Obligate Symbiont of Psyllids: Providing Toxins, Vitamins, and Carotenoids. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 12:1975-1987. [PMID: 32797185 PMCID: PMC7643613 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri (Insecta: Hemiptera: Psylloidea), a serious pest of citrus species worldwide, harbors vertically transmitted intracellular mutualists, Candidatus Profftella armatura (Profftella_DC, Gammaproteobacteria: Burkholderiales) and Candidatus Carsonella ruddii (Carsonella_DC, Gammaproteobacteria: Oceanospirillales). Whereas Carsonella_DC is a typical nutritional symbiont, Profftella_DC is a unique defensive symbiont with organelle-like features, including intracellular localization within the host, perfect infection in host populations, vertical transmission over evolutionary time, and drastic genome reduction down to much less than 1 Mb. Large parts of the 460-kb genome of Profftella_DC are devoted to genes for synthesizing a polyketide toxin; diaphorin. To better understand the evolution of this unusual symbiont, the present study analyzed the genome of Profftella_Dco, a sister lineage to Profftella_DC, using Diaphorina cf. continua, a host psyllid congeneric with D. citri. The genome of coresiding Carsonella (Carsonella_Dco) was also analyzed. The analysis revealed nearly perfect synteny conservation in these genomes with their counterparts from D. citri. The substitution rate analysis further demonstrated genomic stability of Profftella which is comparable to that of Carsonella. Profftella_Dco and Profftella_DC shared all genes for the biosynthesis of diaphorin, hemolysin, riboflavin, biotin, and carotenoids, underlining multiple roles of Profftella, which may contribute to stabilizing symbiotic relationships with the host. However, acyl carrier proteins were extensively amplified in polyketide synthases DipP and DipT for diaphorin synthesis in Profftella_Dco. This level of acyl carrier protein augmentation, unprecedented in modular polyketide synthases of any known organism, is not thought to influence the polyketide structure but may improve the synthesis efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Nakabachi
- Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute (EIIRIS), Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan.,Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan
| | - Jörn Piel
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Igor Malenovský
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Yuu Hirose
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan
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31
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Hu W, Wang Y, Yang B, Lin C, Yu H, Liu G, Deng Z, Ou HY, He X. Bacterial YedK represses plasmid DNA replication and transformation through its DNA single-strand binding activity. Microbiol Res 2021; 252:126852. [PMID: 34454309 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2021.126852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The SOS response-associated peptidase (SRAP) is an ancient protein superfamily in all domains of life. The mammalian SRAP was recently reported to covalently bind to the abasic sites (AP) in single stranded (ss) DNA to shield the chromosome integrity. YedK, the Escherichia coli SRAP, is not functionally characterized. Here we report the fortuitous pull-down of YedK from bacterial cell lysates by short (<20 bp) double stranded (ds) DNAs, further enrichment of YedK was observed when single stranded (ss) DNA was added. YedK can bind multiple DNA substrates, particularly with a high affinity to DNA duplex with single strand segment. As a SRAP protein, the involvement of YedK in SOS response was extensively examined, however yedK mutant of Escherichia coli showed no difference from the wild type strain upon the treatments with UV and various DNA damaging reagents, indicating its non-essentiality or redundancy in E. coli. Surprisingly, yedK mutants derived from Escherichia coli and Samonella enterica both showed an increased plasmid DNA transformation efficiency compared to the wild types. In accordance with this, induction of YedK effectively decreased the copy number of plasmid DNA. Site-directed mutagenesis of YedK demonstrated that residues involved in single strand DNA binding and cysteine residue at position 2 from N-terminus can discharge the repression of the plasmid transformation efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyue Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuli Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Bingxu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Guang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Zixin Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Yu Ou
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyi He
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China.
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32
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Perreau J, Moran NA. Genetic innovations in animal-microbe symbioses. Nat Rev Genet 2021; 23:23-39. [PMID: 34389828 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-021-00395-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Animal hosts have initiated myriad symbiotic associations with microorganisms and often have maintained these symbioses for millions of years, spanning drastic changes in ecological conditions and lifestyles. The establishment and persistence of these relationships require genetic innovations on the parts of both symbionts and hosts. The nature of symbiont innovations depends on their genetic population structure, categorized here as open, closed or mixed. These categories reflect modes of inter-host transmission that result in distinct genomic features, or genomic syndromes, in symbionts. Although less studied, hosts also innovate in order to preserve and control symbiotic partnerships. New capabilities to sequence host-associated microbial communities and to experimentally manipulate both hosts and symbionts are providing unprecedented insights into how genetic innovations arise under different symbiont population structures and how these innovations function to support symbiotic relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Perreau
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Nancy A Moran
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
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33
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Kern L, Abdeen SK, Kolodziejczyk AA, Elinav E. Commensal inter-bacterial interactions shaping the microbiota. Curr Opin Microbiol 2021; 63:158-171. [PMID: 34365152 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2021.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The gut microbiota, a complex ecosystem of microorganisms of different kingdoms, impacts host physiology and disease. Within this ecosystem, inter-bacterial interactions and their impacts on microbiota community structure and the eukaryotic host remain insufficiently explored. Microbiota-related inter-bacterial interactions range from symbiotic interactions, involving exchange of nutrients, enzymes, and genetic material; competition for nutrients and space, mediated by biophysical alterations and secretion of toxins and anti-microbials; to predation of overpopulating bacteria. Collectively, these understudied interactions hold important clues as to forces shaping microbiota diversity, niche formation, and responses to signals perceived from the host, incoming pathogens and the environment. In this review, we highlight the roles and mechanisms of selected inter-bacterial interactions in the microbiota, and their potential impacts on the host and pathogenic infection. We discuss challenges in mechanistically decoding these complex interactions, and prospects of harnessing them as future targets for rational microbiota modification in a variety of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Kern
- Immunology Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Suhaib K Abdeen
- Immunology Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | | | - Eran Elinav
- Immunology Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel; Cancer-Microbiota Division Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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Bach E, Passaglia LMP, Jiao J, Gross H. Burkholderia in the genomic era: from taxonomy to the discovery of new antimicrobial secondary metabolites. Crit Rev Microbiol 2021; 48:121-160. [PMID: 34346791 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2021.1946009] [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: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Species of Burkholderia are highly versatile being found not only abundantly in soil, but also as plants and animals' commensals or pathogens. Their complex multireplicon genomes harbour an impressive number of polyketide synthase (PKS) and nonribosomal peptide-synthetase (NRPS) genes coding for the production of antimicrobial secondary metabolites (SMs), which have been successfully deciphered by genome-guided tools. Moreover, genome metrics supported the split of this genus into Burkholderia sensu stricto (s.s.) and five new other genera. Here, we show that the successful antimicrobial SMs producers belong to Burkholderia s.s. Additionally, we reviewed the occurrence, bioactivities, modes of action, structural, and biosynthetic information of thirty-eight Burkholderia antimicrobial SMs shedding light on their diversity, complexity, and uniqueness as well as the importance of genome-guided strategies to facilitate their discovery. Several Burkholderia NRPS and PKS display unusual features, which are reflected in their structural diversity, important bioactivities, and varied modes of action. Up to now, it is possible to observe a general tendency of Burkholderia SMs being more active against fungi. Although the modes of action and biosynthetic gene clusters of many SMs remain unknown, we highlight the potential of Burkholderia SMs as alternatives to fight against new diseases and antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelise Bach
- Departamento de Genética and Programa de Pós-graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Luciane Maria Pereira Passaglia
- Departamento de Genética and Programa de Pós-graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Junjing Jiao
- Department for Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Harald Gross
- Department for Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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A new protein protects a symbiotic relationship. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2109637118. [PMID: 34301876 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109637118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Chanson A, Moreau CS, Duplais C. Assessing Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Diversity of Specialized Metabolites in the Conserved Gut Symbionts of Herbivorous Turtle Ants. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:678100. [PMID: 34267736 PMCID: PMC8277422 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.678100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cephalotes are herbivorous ants (>115 species) feeding on low-nitrogen food sources, and they rely on gut symbionts to supplement their diet by recycling nitrogen food waste into amino acids. These conserved gut symbionts, which encompass five bacterial orders, have been studied previously for their primary nitrogen metabolism; however, little is known about their ability to biosynthesize specialized metabolites which can play a role in bacterial interactions between communities living in close proximity in the gut. To evaluate the biosynthetic potential of their gut symbionts, we mine 14 cultured isolate genomes and gut metagenomes across 17 Cephalotes species to explore the biodiversity of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) producing specialized metabolites. The diversity of BGCs across Cephalotes phylogeny was analyzed using sequence similarity networking and BGC phylogenetic reconstruction. Our results reveal that the conserved gut symbionts involved in the nutritional symbiosis possess 80% of all the 233 BGCs retrieved in this work. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis of BGCs reveals different patterns of distribution, suggesting different mechanisms of conservation. A siderophore BGC shows high similarity in a single symbiont across different ant host species, whereas a BGC encoding the production of non-ribosomal peptides (NRPs) found different symbionts within a single host species. Additionally, BGCs were abundant in four of the five bacterial orders of conserved symbionts co-occurring in the hindgut. However, one major symbiont localized alone in the midgut lack BGCs. Because the spatial isolation prevents direct interaction with other symbionts, this result supports the idea that BGCs are maintained in bacteria living in close proximity but are dispensable for an alone-living symbiont. These findings together pave the way for studying the mechanisms of BGC conservation and evolution in gut bacterial genomes associated with Cephalotes. This work also provides a genetic background for further study, aiming to characterize bacterial specialized metabolites and to understand their functional role in multipartite mutualisms between conserved gut symbionts and Cephalotes turtle ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Chanson
- Université de Guyane, UMR 8172 EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Cirad, INRAE, Université des Antilles, Kourou, France
| | - Corrie S. Moreau
- Department of Entomology and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Christophe Duplais
- CNRS, UMR 8172 EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, Cirad, INRAE, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Kourou, France
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Dose B, Niehs SP, Scherlach K, Shahda S, Flórez LV, Kaltenpoth M, Hertweck C. Biosynthesis of Sinapigladioside, an Antifungal Isothiocyanate from Burkholderia Symbionts. Chembiochem 2021; 22:1920-1924. [PMID: 33739557 PMCID: PMC8252389 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Sinapigladioside is a rare isothiocyanate-bearing natural product from beetle-associated bacteria (Burkholderia gladioli) that might protect beetle offspring against entomopathogenic fungi. The biosynthetic origin of sinapigladioside has been elusive, and little is known about bacterial isothiocyanate biosynthesis in general. On the basis of stable-isotope labeling, bioinformatics, and mutagenesis, we identified the sinapigladioside biosynthesis gene cluster in the symbiont and found that an isonitrile synthase plays a key role in the biosynthetic pathway. Genome mining and network analyses indicate that related gene clusters are distributed across various bacterial phyla including producers of both nitriles and isothiocyanates. Our findings support a model for bacterial isothiocyanate biosynthesis by sulfur transfer into isonitrile precursors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Dose
- Department of Biomolecular ChemistryLeibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Sarah P. Niehs
- Department of Biomolecular ChemistryLeibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Kirstin Scherlach
- Department of Biomolecular ChemistryLeibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Sophie Shahda
- Department of Biomolecular ChemistryLeibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Laura V. Flórez
- Department for Evolutionary EcologyInstitute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg UniversityJohann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 1355128MainzGermany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department for Evolutionary EcologyInstitute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg UniversityJohann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 1355128MainzGermany
| | - Christian Hertweck
- Department of Biomolecular ChemistryLeibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
- Faculty of Biological SciencesFriedrich Schiller University Jena07743JenaGermany
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39
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Říhová J, Batani G, Rodríguez-Ruano SM, Martinů J, Vácha F, Nováková E, Hypša V. A new symbiotic lineage related to Neisseria and Snodgrassella arises from the dynamic and diverse microbiomes in sucking lice. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:2178-2196. [PMID: 33639022 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The phylogenetic diversity of symbiotic bacteria in sucking lice suggests that lice have a complex history of symbiont acquisition, loss, and replacement throughout their evolution. These processes have resulted in the establishment of different, phylogenetically distant bacteria as obligate mutualists in different louse groups. By combining metagenomics and amplicon screening across several populations of three louse species (members of the genera Polyplax and Hoplopleura) we describe a novel louse symbiont lineage related to Neisseria and Snodgrassella, and show its independent origin in the two louse genera. While the genomes of these symbionts are highly similar, their respective distributions and status within lice microbiomes indicate that they have different functions and history. In Hoplopleura acanthopus, the Neisseriaceae-related bacterium is a dominant obligate symbiont present across several host populations. In contrast, the Polyplax microbiomes are dominated by the obligate symbiont Legionella polyplacis, with the Neisseriaceae-related bacterium co-occurring only in some samples and with much lower abundance. The results thus support the view that compared to other exclusively blood feeding insects, Anoplura possess a unique capacity to acquire symbionts from diverse groups of bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Říhová
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Giampiero Batani
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Sonia Maria Rodríguez-Ruano
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Martinů
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, ASCR, v.v.i, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - František Vácha
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Nováková
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, ASCR, v.v.i, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Hypša
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, ASCR, v.v.i, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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40
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Yang Z, Gong C, Hu Y, Zhong J, Xia J, Xie W, Yang X, Guo Z, Wang S, Wu Q, Zhang Y. Two Deoxythymidine Triphosphate Synthesis-Related Genes Regulate Obligate Symbiont Density and Reproduction in the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci MED. Front Physiol 2021; 11:574749. [PMID: 33716755 PMCID: PMC7943623 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.574749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Deoxythymidine triphosphate (dTTP) is essential for DNA synthesis and cellular growth in all organisms. Here, genetic capacity analysis of the pyrimidine pathway in insects and their symbionts revealed that dTTP is a kind of metabolic input in several host insect/obligate symbiont symbiosis systems, including Bemisia tabaci MED/Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum (hereafter Portiera). As such, the roles of dTTP on both sides of the symbiosis system were investigated in B. tabaci MED/Portiera. Dietary RNA interference (RNAi) showed that suppressing dTTP production significantly reduced the density of Portiera, significantly repressed the expression levels of horizontally transferred essential amino acid (EAA) synthesis-related genes, and significantly decreased the reproduction of B. tabaci MED adults as well as the hatchability of their offspring. Our results revealed the regulatory role of dTTP in B. tabaci MED/Portiera and showed that dTTP synthesis-related genes could be potential targets for controlling B. tabaci as well as other sucking pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zezhong Yang
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng Gong
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Hu
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Zhong
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jixing Xia
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wen Xie
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Yang
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhaojiang Guo
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shaoli Wang
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qingjun Wu
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Youjun Zhang
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
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41
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Niehs SP, Kumpfmüller J, Dose B, Little RF, Ishida K, Flórez LV, Kaltenpoth M, Hertweck C. Insect-Associated Bacteria Assemble the Antifungal Butenolide Gladiofungin by Non-Canonical Polyketide Chain Termination. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:23122-23126. [PMID: 32588959 PMCID: PMC7756420 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202005711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Genome mining of one of the protective symbionts (Burkholderia gladioli) of the invasive beetle Lagria villosa revealed a cryptic gene cluster that codes for the biosynthesis of a novel antifungal polyketide with a glutarimide pharmacophore. Targeted gene inactivation, metabolic profiling, and bioassays led to the discovery of the gladiofungins as previously-overlooked components of the antimicrobial armory of the beetle symbiont, which are highly active against the entomopathogenic fungus Purpureocillium lilacinum. By mutational analyses, isotope labeling, and computational analyses of the modular polyketide synthase, we found that the rare butenolide moiety of gladiofungins derives from an unprecedented polyketide chain termination reaction involving a glycerol-derived C3 building block. The key role of an A-factor synthase (AfsA)-like offloading domain was corroborated by CRISPR-Cas-mediated gene editing, which facilitated precise excision within a PKS domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah P. Niehs
- Department of Biomolecular ChemistryLeibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Jana Kumpfmüller
- Department of Biomolecular ChemistryLeibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Benjamin Dose
- Department of Biomolecular ChemistryLeibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Rory F. Little
- Department of Biomolecular ChemistryLeibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Keishi Ishida
- Department of Biomolecular ChemistryLeibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
| | - Laura V. Flórez
- Department for Evolutionary EcologyInstitute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg University MainzHanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 1555128MainzGermany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department for Evolutionary EcologyInstitute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg University MainzHanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 1555128MainzGermany
| | - Christian Hertweck
- Department of Biomolecular ChemistryLeibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKIBeutenbergstr. 11a07745JenaGermany
- Faculty of Biological SciencesFriedrich Schiller University Jena07743JenaGermany
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42
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Insects' potential: Understanding the functional role of their gut microbiome. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2020; 194:113787. [PMID: 33272789 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2020.113787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The study of insect-associated microbial communities is a field of great importance in agriculture, principally because of the role insects play as pests. In addition, there is a recent focus on the potential of the insect gut microbiome in areas such as biotechnology, given some microorganisms produce molecules with biotechnological and industrial applications, and also in biomedicine, since some bacteria and fungi are a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). To date, most studies aiming to characterize the role of the gut microbiome of insects have been based on high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and/or metagenomics. However, recently functional approaches such as metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics and metabolomics have also been employed. Besides providing knowledge about the taxonomic distribution of microbial populations, these techniques also reveal their functional and metabolic capabilities. This information is essential to gain a better understanding of the role played by microbes comprising the microbial communities in their hosts, as well as to indicate their possible exploitation. This review provides an overview of how far we have come in characterizing insect gut functionality through omics, as well as the challenges and future perspectives in this field.
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43
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Niehs SP, Kumpfmüller J, Dose B, Little RF, Ishida K, Flórez LV, Kaltenpoth M, Hertweck C. Insect‐Associated Bacteria Assemble the Antifungal Butenolide Gladiofungin by Non‐Canonical Polyketide Chain Termination. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202005711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah P. Niehs
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI Beutenbergstr. 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Jana Kumpfmüller
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI Beutenbergstr. 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Benjamin Dose
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI Beutenbergstr. 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Rory F. Little
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI Beutenbergstr. 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Keishi Ishida
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI Beutenbergstr. 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Laura V. Flórez
- Department for Evolutionary Ecology Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15 55128 Mainz Germany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department for Evolutionary Ecology Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15 55128 Mainz Germany
| | - Christian Hertweck
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI Beutenbergstr. 11a 07745 Jena Germany
- Faculty of Biological Sciences Friedrich Schiller University Jena 07743 Jena Germany
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44
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Gupta A, Nair S. Dynamics of Insect-Microbiome Interaction Influence Host and Microbial Symbiont. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1357. [PMID: 32676060 PMCID: PMC7333248 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects share an intimate relationship with their gut microflora and this symbiotic association has developed into an essential evolutionary outcome intended for their survival through extreme environmental conditions. While it has been clearly established that insects, with very few exceptions, associate with several microbes during their life cycle, information regarding several aspects of these associations is yet to be fully unraveled. Acquisition of bacteria by insects marks the onset of microbial symbiosis, which is followed by the adaptation of these bacterial species to the gut environment for prolonged sustenance and successful transmission across generations. Although several insect-microbiome associations have been reported and each with their distinctive features, diversifications and specializations, it is still unclear as to what led to these diversifications. Recent studies have indicated the involvement of various evolutionary processes operating within an insect body that govern the transition of a free-living microbe to an obligate or facultative symbiont and eventually leading to the establishment and diversification of these symbiotic relationships. Data from various studies, summarized in this review, indicate that the symbiotic partners, i.e., the bacteria and the insect undergo several genetic, biochemical and physiological changes that have profound influence on their life cycle and biology. An interesting outcome of the insect-microbe interaction is the compliance of the microbial partner to its eventual genome reduction. Endosymbionts possess a smaller genome as compared to their free-living forms, and thus raising the question what is leading to reductive evolution in the microbial partner. This review attempts to highlight the fate of microbes within an insect body and its implications for both the bacteria and its insect host. While discussion on each specific association would be too voluminous and outside the scope of this review, we present an overview of some recent studies that contribute to a better understanding of the evolutionary trajectory and dynamics of the insect-microbe association and speculate that, in the future, a better understanding of the nature of this interaction could pave the path to a sustainable and environmentally safe way for controlling economically important pests of crop plants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Suresh Nair
- Plant-Insect Interaction Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
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Waterworth SC, Flórez LV, Rees ER, Hertweck C, Kaltenpoth M, Kwan JC. Horizontal Gene Transfer to a Defensive Symbiont with a Reduced Genome in a Multipartite Beetle Microbiome. mBio 2020; 11:e02430-19. [PMID: 32098813 PMCID: PMC7042692 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02430-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiotic mutualisms of bacteria and animals are ubiquitous in nature, running a continuum from facultative to obligate from the perspectives of both partners. The loss of functions required for living independently but not within a host gives rise to reduced genomes in many symbionts. Although the phenomenon of genome reduction can be explained by existing evolutionary models, the initiation of the process is not well understood. Here, we describe the microbiome associated with the eggs of the beetle Lagria villosa, consisting of multiple bacterial symbionts related to Burkholderia gladioli, including a reduced-genome symbiont thought to be the exclusive producer of the defensive compound lagriamide. We show that the putative lagriamide-producing symbiont is the only member of the microbiome undergoing genome reduction and that it has already lost the majority of its primary metabolism and DNA repair pathways. The key step preceding genome reduction in the symbiont was likely the horizontal acquisition of the putative lagriamide lga biosynthetic gene cluster. Unexpectedly, we uncovered evidence of additional horizontal transfers to the symbiont's genome while genome reduction was occurring and despite a current lack of genes needed for homologous recombination. These gene gains may have given the genome-reduced symbiont a selective advantage in the microbiome, especially given the maintenance of the large lga gene cluster despite ongoing genome reduction.IMPORTANCE Associations between microorganisms and an animal, plant, or fungal host can result in increased dependence over time. This process is due partly to the bacterium not needing to produce nutrients that the host provides, leading to loss of genes that it would need to live independently and to a consequent reduction in genome size. It is often thought that genome reduction is aided by genetic isolation-bacteria that live in monocultures in special host organs, or inside host cells, have less access to other bacterial species from which they can obtain genes. Here, we describe exposure of a genome-reduced beetle symbiont to a community of related bacteria with nonreduced genomes. We show that the symbiont has acquired genes from other bacteria despite going through genome reduction, suggesting that isolation has not yet played a major role in this case of genome reduction, with horizontal gene gains still offering a potential route for adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha C Waterworth
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Laura V Flórez
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenburg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Evan R Rees
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Christian Hertweck
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Products Research and Infection Biology, Jena, Germany
- Department of Natural Product Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenburg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jason C Kwan
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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