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Moškrič A, Pavlin A, Mole K, Marinč A, Bubnič J, Opara A, Kovačić M, Puškadija Z, Uzunov A, Andonov S, Dahle B, Prešern J. Cutting corners: The impact of storage and DNA extraction on quality and quantity of DNA in honeybee ( Apis mellifera) spermatheca. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1139269. [PMID: 36935742 PMCID: PMC10020693 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1139269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The purpose of our study was to investigate methods of short-term storage that allow preservation, transport and retrieval of genetic information contained in honeybee queen's spermatheca. Genotyping of the honeybee colony requires well ahead planned sample collection, depending on the type of data to be acquired. Sampling and genotyping of spermatheca's content instead of individual offspring is timesaving, allowing answers to the questions related to patriline composition immediately after mating. Such procedure is also cheaper and less error prone. For preservation either Allprotect Tissue Reagent (Qiagen) or absolute ethanol were used. Conditions during transportation were simulated by keeping samples 6-8 days at room temperature. Six different storing conditions of spermathecas were tested, complemented with two DNA extraction methods. We have analysed the concentration of DNA, RNA, and proteins in DNA extracts. We also analysed how strongly the DNA is subjected to fragmentation (through amplification of genetic markers ANT2 and tRNAleu-COX2) and whether the quality of the extracted DNA is suitable for microsatellite (MS) analysis. Then, we tested the usage of spermatheca as a source of patriline composition in an experiment with three instrumentally inseminated virgin queens and performed MS analysis of the extracted DNA from each spermatheca, as well as queens' and drones' tissue. Our results show that median DNA concentration from spermathecas excised prior the storage, regardless of the storing condition and DNA extraction method, were generally lower than median DNA concentration obtained from spermathecas dissected from the whole queens after the storage. Despite the differences in DNA yield from the samples subjected to different storing conditions there was no significant effect of storage method or the DNA extraction method on the amplification success, although fewer samples stored in EtOH amplified successfully in comparison to ATR storing reagent. However, we recommend EtOH as a storing reagent due to its availability, low price, simplicity in usage in the field and in the laboratory, and capability of good preservation of the samples for DNA analysis during transport at room temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajda Moškrič
- Department of Animal Production, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- *Correspondence: Ajda Moškrič,
| | - Anja Pavlin
- Department of Animal Production, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katarina Mole
- Department of Animal Production, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andraž Marinč
- Department of Animal Production, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jernej Bubnič
- Department of Animal Production, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andreja Opara
- Department of Animal Production, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marin Kovačić
- Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, University of J.J. Strossmayer, Osijek, Croatia
- Centre for Applied Life Sciences Healthy Food Chain Ltd., Osijek, Croatia
| | - Zlatko Puškadija
- Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, University of J.J. Strossmayer, Osijek, Croatia
- Centre for Applied Life Sciences Healthy Food Chain Ltd., Osijek, Croatia
| | - Aleksandar Uzunov
- Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Skopje, Macedonia
- Company for Applied Research and Permanent Education in Agriculture, Skopje, Macedonia
| | - Sreten Andonov
- Department of Animal Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Bjørn Dahle
- Norwegian Beekeepers Association, Kløfta, Norway
| | - Janez Prešern
- Department of Animal Production, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Pavlin A, Lovše A, Bajc G, Otoničar J, Kujović A, Lengar Ž, Gutierrez-Aguirre I, Kostanjšek R, Konc J, Fornelos N, Butala M. A small bacteriophage protein determines the hierarchy over co-residential jumbo phage in Bacillus thuringiensis serovar israelensis. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1286. [PMID: 36434275 PMCID: PMC9700832 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04238-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus thuringiensis serovar israelensis is the most widely used biopesticide against insects, including vectors of animal and human diseases. Among several extrachromosomal elements, this endospore-forming entomopathogen harbors two bacteriophages: a linear DNA replicon named GIL01 that does not integrate into the chromosome during lysogeny and a circular-jumbo prophage known as pBtic235. Here, we show that GIL01 hinders the induction of cohabiting prophage pBtic235. The GIL01-encoded small protein, gp7, which interacts with the host LexA repressor, is a global transcription regulator and represses the induction of pBtic235 after DNA damage to presumably allow GIL01 to multiply first. In a complex with host LexA in stressed cells, gp7 down-regulates the expression of more than 250 host and pBtic235 genes, many of which are involved in the cellular functions of genome maintenance, cell-wall transport, and membrane and protein stability. We show that gp7 homologs that are found exclusively in bacteriophages act in a similar fashion to enhance LexA's binding to DNA, while likely also affecting host gene expression. Our results provide evidence that GIL01 influences both its host and its co-resident bacteriophage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Pavlin
- grid.8954.00000 0001 0721 6013Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Anže Lovše
- grid.8954.00000 0001 0721 6013Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia ,Genialis, Inc., Boston, MA USA
| | - Gregor Bajc
- grid.8954.00000 0001 0721 6013Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jan Otoničar
- grid.8954.00000 0001 0721 6013Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Amela Kujović
- grid.8954.00000 0001 0721 6013Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Živa Lengar
- grid.419523.80000 0004 0637 0790Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ion Gutierrez-Aguirre
- grid.419523.80000 0004 0637 0790Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Rok Kostanjšek
- grid.8954.00000 0001 0721 6013Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Janez Konc
- grid.454324.00000 0001 0661 0844Theory Department, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nadine Fornelos
- grid.66859.340000 0004 0546 1623Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Matej Butala
- grid.8954.00000 0001 0721 6013Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Fornelos N, Browning DF, Pavlin A, Podlesek Z, Hodnik V, Salas M, Butala M. Lytic gene expression in the temperate bacteriophage GIL01 is activated by a phage-encoded LexA homologue. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:9432-9443. [PMID: 30053203 PMCID: PMC6182141 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The GIL01 bacteriophage is a temperate phage that infects the insect pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis. During the lytic cycle, phage gene transcription is initiated from three promoters: P1 and P2, which control the expression of the early phage genes involved in genome replication and P3, which controls the expression of the late genes responsible for virion maturation and host lysis. Unlike most temperate phages, GIL01 lysogeny is not maintained by a dedicated phage repressor but rather by the host's regulator of the SOS response, LexA. Previously we showed that the lytic cycle was induced by DNA damage and that LexA, in conjunction with phage-encoded protein gp7, repressed P1. Here we examine the lytic/lysogenic switch in more detail and show that P3 is also repressed by a LexA-gp7 complex, binding to tandem LexA boxes within the promoter. We also demonstrate that expression from P3 is considerably delayed after DNA damage, requiring the phage-encoded DNA binding protein, gp6. Surprisingly, gp6 is homologous to LexA itself and, thus, is a rare example of a LexA homologue directly activating transcription. We propose that the interplay between these two LexA family members, with opposing functions, ensures the timely expression of GIL01 phage late genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Fornelos
- Instituto de Biología Molecular 'Eladio Viñuela' (CSIC), Centro de Biología Molecular 'Severo Ochoa' (CSIC-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Douglas F Browning
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Anja Pavlin
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Zdravko Podlesek
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vesna Hodnik
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Margarita Salas
- Instituto de Biología Molecular 'Eladio Viñuela' (CSIC), Centro de Biología Molecular 'Severo Ochoa' (CSIC-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Matej Butala
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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