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Oguchi K, Harumoto T, Katsuno T, Matsuura Y, Chiyoda S, Fukatsu T. Intracellularity, extracellularity, and squeezing in the symbiotic organ underpin nurturing and functioning of bacterial symbiont in leaf beetles. iScience 2024; 27:109731. [PMID: 38689638 PMCID: PMC11059521 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109731] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Cassidine leaf beetles are associated with genome-reduced symbiotic bacteria Stammera involved in pectin digestion. Stammera cells appear to be harbored in paired symbiotic organs located at the foregut-midgut junction either intracellularly or extracellularly, whereas the symbiont is extracellular in the ovary-accessory glands of adult females and during caplet transmission in eggs. However, using fluorescence and electron microscopy, an intracellular symbiotic configuration of Stammera was observed in Notosacantha species. Detailed inspection of other cassidine species revealed fragmented cell membrane and cytoplasm of the symbiotic organs, wherein Stammera cells are in an intermediate status between intracellularity and extracellularity. We also identified a mitochondria-rich region adjacent to the symbiont-filled region and well-developed muscle fibers surrounding the whole symbiotic organ. Based on these observations, we discuss why the Stammera genome has been reduced so drastically and how symbiont-derived pectinases are produced and supplied to the host's alimentary tract for plant cell wall digestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Oguchi
- Bioproducion Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Misaki Marine Biological Station (MMBS), School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Miura, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Harumoto
- Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Katsuno
- Center for Anatomical Studies, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- KOKORO-Biology Group, Laboratories for Integrated Biology, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Yu Matsuura
- Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Soma Chiyoda
- Misaki Marine Biological Station (MMBS), School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Miura, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproducion Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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García-Lozano M, Henzler C, Porras MÁG, Pons I, Berasategui A, Lanz C, Budde H, Oguchi K, Matsuura Y, Pauchet Y, Goffredi S, Fukatsu T, Windsor D, Salem H. Paleocene origin of a streamlined digestive symbiosis in leaf beetles. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1621-1634.e9. [PMID: 38377997 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.070] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Timing the acquisition of a beneficial microbe relative to the evolutionary history of its host can shed light on the adaptive impact of a partnership. Here, we investigated the onset and molecular evolution of an obligate symbiosis between Cassidinae leaf beetles and Candidatus Stammera capleta, a γ-proteobacterium. Residing extracellularly within foregut symbiotic organs, Stammera upgrades the digestive physiology of its host by supplementing plant cell wall-degrading enzymes. We observe that Stammera is a shared symbiont across tortoise and hispine beetles that collectively comprise the Cassidinae subfamily, despite differences in their folivorous habits. In contrast to its transcriptional profile during vertical transmission, Stammera elevates the expression of genes encoding digestive enzymes while in the foregut symbiotic organs, matching the nutritional requirements of its host. Despite the widespread distribution of Stammera across Cassidinae beetles, symbiont acquisition during the Paleocene (∼62 mya) did not coincide with the origin of the subfamily. Early diverging lineages lack the symbiont and the specialized organs that house it. Reconstructing the ancestral state of host-beneficial factors revealed that Stammera encoded three digestive enzymes at the onset of symbiosis, including polygalacturonase-a pectinase that is universally shared. Although non-symbiotic cassidines encode polygalacturonase endogenously, their repertoire of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes is more limited compared with symbiotic beetles supplemented with digestive enzymes from Stammera. Highlighting the potential impact of a symbiotic condition and an upgraded metabolic potential, Stammera-harboring beetles exploit a greater variety of plants and are more speciose compared with non-symbiotic members of the Cassidinae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marleny García-Lozano
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Christine Henzler
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | | | - Inès Pons
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Aileen Berasategui
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam 1081 HV, the Netherlands
| | - Christa Lanz
- Genome Center, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Heike Budde
- Department of Microbiome Science, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Kohei Oguchi
- National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan; Misaki Marine Biological Station, The University of Tokyo, Miura 238-0225, Japan
| | - Yu Matsuura
- Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Yannick Pauchet
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Shana Goffredi
- Department of Biology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA 90041, USA
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Donald Windsor
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Hassan Salem
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City 0843-03092, Panama.
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Nishino T, Mukai H, Moriyama M, Hosokawa T, Tanahashi M, Tachikawa S, Nikoh N, Koga R, Fukatsu T. Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs. bioRxiv 2024:2024.03.25.586038. [PMID: 38585921 PMCID: PMC10996522 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.25.586038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Tympanal organs as "insect ears" have evolved repeatedly. Dinidorid stinkbugs were reported to possess a conspicuous tympanal organ on female's hindlegs. Here we report an unexpected discovery that the stinkbug's "tympanal organ" is actually a novel symbiotic organ. The stinkbug's "tympanum" is not membranous but a porous cuticle, where each pore connects to glandular secretory cells. In reproductive females, the hindleg organ is covered with fungal hyphae growing out of the pores. Upon oviposition, the females skillfully transfer the fungi from the organ to the eggs. The eggs are quickly covered with hyphae and physically protected against wasp parasitism. The fungi are mostly benign Cordycipitaceae entomopathogens and show considerable diversity among insect individuals and populations, indicating environmental acquisition of specific fungal associates. These results uncover a novel external fungal symbiosis in which host's elaborate morphological, physiological and behavioral specializations underpin the selective recruitment of benign entomopathogens for a defensive purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takanori Nishino
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Hiromi Mukai
- Department of Forest Entomology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takahiro Hosokawa
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
- Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Masahiko Tanahashi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shuji Tachikawa
- Association for Nature Restoration and Conservation, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naruo Nikoh
- Department of Liberal Arts, The Open University of Japan, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Koga
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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Koga R, Moriyama M, Nozaki T, Fukatsu T. Genome analysis of " Candidatus Aschnera chinzeii," the bacterial endosymbiont of the blood-sucking bat fly Penicillidia jenynsii (Insecta: Diptera: Nycteribiidae). Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1336919. [PMID: 38318130 PMCID: PMC10841577 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1336919] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Insect-microbe endosymbiotic associations are omnipresent in nature, wherein the symbiotic microbes often play pivotal biological roles for their host insects. In particular, insects utilizing nutritionally imbalanced food sources are dependent on specific microbial symbionts to compensate for the nutritional deficiency via provisioning of B vitamins in blood-feeding insects, such as tsetse flies, lice, and bedbugs. Bat flies of the family Nycteribiidae (Diptera) are blood-sucking ectoparasites of bats and shown to be associated with co-speciating bacterial endosymbiont "Candidatus Aschnera chinzeii," although functional aspects of the microbial symbiosis have been totally unknown. In this study, we report the first complete genome sequence of Aschnera from the bristled bat fly Penicillidia jenynsii. The Aschnera genome consisted of a 748,020 bp circular chromosome and a 18,747 bp circular plasmid. The chromosome encoded 603 protein coding genes (including 3 pseudogenes), 33 transfer RNAs, and 1 copy of 16S/23S/5S ribosomal RNA operon. The plasmid contained 10 protein coding genes, whose biological function was elusive. The genome size, 0.77 Mbp, was drastically reduced in comparison with 4-6 Mbp genomes of free-living γ-proteobacteria. Accordingly, the Aschnera genome was devoid of many important functional genes, such as synthetic pathway genes for purines, pyrimidines, and essential amino acids. On the other hand, the Aschnera genome retained complete or near-complete synthetic pathway genes for biotin (vitamin B7), tetrahydrofolate (vitamin B9), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (vitamin B6), suggesting that Aschnera provides these vitamins and cofactors that are deficient in the blood meal of the host bat fly. Similar retention patterns of the synthetic pathway genes for vitamins and cofactors were also observed in the endosymbiont genomes of other blood-sucking insects, such as Riesia of human lice, Arsenophonus of louse flies, and Wigglesworthia of tsetse flies, which may be either due to convergent evolution in the blood-sucking host insects or reflecting the genomic architecture of Arsenophonus-allied bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuichi Koga
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Tomonari Nozaki
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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Oishi S, Moriyama M, Mizutani M, Futahashi R, Fukatsu T. Regulation and remodeling of microbial symbiosis in insect metamorphosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2304879120. [PMID: 37769258 PMCID: PMC10556603 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304879120] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Many insects are dependent on microbial mutualists, which are often harbored in specialized symbiotic organs. Upon metamorphosis, insect organs are drastically reorganized. What mechanism regulates the remodeling of the symbiotic organ upon metamorphosis? How does it affect the microbial symbiont therein? Here, we addressed these fundamental issues of symbiosis by experimentally manipulating insect metamorphosis. The stinkbug Plautia stali possesses a midgut symbiotic organ wherein an essential bacterial symbiont resides. By RNAi of master regulator genes for metamorphosis, Kr-h1 over nymphal traits and E93 over adult traits, we generated precocious adults and supernumerary nymphs of P. stali, thereby disentangling the effects of metamorphosis, growth level, developmental stage, and other factors on the symbiotic system. Upon metamorphosis, the symbiotic organ of P. stali was transformed from nymph type to adult type. The supernumerary nymphs and the precocious adults, respectively, developed nymph-type and adult-type symbiotic organs not only morphologically but also transcriptomically, uncovering that metamorphic remodeling of the symbiotic organ is under the control of the MEKRE93 pathway. Transcriptomic, cytological, and biochemical analyses unveiled that the structural and transcriptomic remodeling of the symbiotic organ toward adult emergence underpins its functional extension to food digestion in addition to the original role of symbiont retention for essential nutrient production. Notably, we found that the symbiotic bacteria in the adult-type symbiotic organ up-regulated genes for production of sulfur-containing essential amino acids, methionine and cysteine, that are rich in eggs and sperm, uncovering adult-specific symbiont functioning for host reproduction and highlighting intricate host-symbiont interactions associated with insect metamorphosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayumi Oishi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 113-0033Tokyo, Japan
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 305-8566Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 305-8566Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Masaki Mizutani
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 305-8566Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Ryo Futahashi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 305-8566Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 113-0033Tokyo, Japan
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 305-8566Tsukuba, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 305-8572Tsukuba, Japan
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Moriyama M, Nishide Y, Toyoda A, Itoh T, Fukatsu T. Complete genomes of mutualistic bacterial co-symbionts " Candidatus Sulcia muelleri" and " Candidatus Nasuia deltocephalinicola" of the rice green leafhopper Nephotettix cincticeps. Microbiol Resour Announc 2023; 12:e0035323. [PMID: 37623315 PMCID: PMC10508130 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00353-23] [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: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The genomes of obligate bacterial co-symbionts of the green rice leafhopper Nephotettix cincticeps, which is notorious as an agricultural pest, were determined. The streamlined genomes of "Candidatus Sulcia muelleri" and "Candidatus Nasuia deltocephalinicola" exhibited complementary metabolic pathways for synthesizing essential nutrients that contribute to host adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minoru Moriyama
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yudai Nishide
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Atsushi Toyoda
- Comparative Genomics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics (NIG), Mishima, Japan
| | - Takehiko Itoh
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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Fukatsu T, Gottlieb Y, Duron O, Graf J. Editorial: Microbial associates of blood-sucking arthropods and other animals: relevance to their physiology, ecology and evolution. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1256275. [PMID: 37564283 PMCID: PMC10411339 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1256275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yuval Gottlieb
- The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Olivier Duron
- MIVEGEC, CNRS, IRD, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Joerg Graf
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
- Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
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Salem H, Biedermann PHW, Fukatsu T. Editorial: Diversity of beetles and associated microorganisms. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1252736. [PMID: 37564291 PMCID: PMC10411724 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1252736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Salem
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Peter H. W. Biedermann
- Chair of Forest Entomology and Protection, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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Kiefer JST, Bauer E, Okude G, Fukatsu T, Kaltenpoth M, Engl T. Cuticle supplementation and nitrogen recycling by a dual bacterial symbiosis in a family of xylophagous beetles. ISME J 2023:10.1038/s41396-023-01415-y. [PMID: 37085551 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01415-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
Many insects engage in stable nutritional symbioses with bacteria that supplement limiting essential nutrients to their host. While several plant sap-feeding Hemipteran lineages are known to be simultaneously associated with two or more endosymbionts with complementary biosynthetic pathways to synthesize amino acids or vitamins, such co-obligate symbioses have not been functionally characterized in other insect orders. Here, we report on the characterization of a dual co-obligate, bacteriome-localized symbiosis in a family of xylophagous beetles using comparative genomics, fluorescence microscopy, and phylogenetic analyses. Across the beetle family Bostrichidae, most investigated species harbored the Bacteroidota symbiont Shikimatogenerans bostrichidophilus that encodes the shikimate pathway to produce tyrosine precursors in its severely reduced genome, likely supplementing the beetles' cuticle biosynthesis, sclerotisation, and melanisation. One clade of Bostrichid beetles additionally housed the co-obligate symbiont Bostrichicola ureolyticus that is inferred to complement the function of Shikimatogenerans by recycling urea and provisioning the essential amino acid lysine, thereby providing additional benefits on nitrogen-poor diets. Both symbionts represent ancient associations within the Bostrichidae that have subsequently experienced genome erosion and co-speciation with their hosts. While Bostrichicola was repeatedly lost, Shikimatogenerans has been retained throughout the family and exhibits a perfect pattern of co-speciation. Our results reveal that co-obligate symbioses with complementary metabolic capabilities occur beyond the well-known sap-feeding Hemiptera and highlight the importance of symbiont-mediated cuticle supplementation and nitrogen recycling for herbivorous beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Simon Thilo Kiefer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Eugen Bauer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Genta Okude
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8571, Japan
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias Engl
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
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Oishi S, Harumoto T, Okamoto-Furuta K, Moriyama M, Fukatsu T. Mechanisms Underpinning Morphogenesis of a Symbiotic Organ Specialized for Hosting an Indispensable Microbial Symbiont in Stinkbugs. mBio 2023; 14:e0052223. [PMID: 37017516 PMCID: PMC10127593 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00522-23] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial mutualists are pivotal for insect adaptation, which often entails the evolution of elaborate organs for symbiosis. Addressing what mechanisms underpin the development of such organs is of evolutionary interest. Here, we investigated the stinkbug Plautia stali, whose posterior midgut is transformed into a specialized symbiotic organ. Despite being a simple tube in newborns, it developed numerous crypts in four rows, whose inner cavity hosts a specific bacterial symbiont, during the 1st to 2nd nymphal instar stages. Visualization of dividing cells revealed that active cell proliferation was coincident with the crypt formation, although spatial patterns of the proliferating cells did not reflect the crypt arrangement. Visualization of visceral muscles in the midgut, consisting of circular muscles and longitudinal muscles, uncovered that, strikingly, circular muscles exhibited a characteristic arrangement running between the crypts specifically in the symbiotic organ. Even in the early 1st instar stage, when no crypts were seen, two rows of epithelial areas delineated by bifurcated circular muscles were identified. In the 2nd instar stage, crossing muscle fibers appeared and connected the adjacent circular muscles, whereby the midgut epithelium was divided into four rows of crypt-to-be areas. The crypt formation proceeded even in aposymbiotic nymphs, revealing the autonomous nature of the crypt development. We propose a mechanistic model of crypt formation wherein the spatial arrangement of muscle fibers and the proliferation of epithelial cells underpin the formation of crypts as midgut evaginations. IMPORTANCE Diverse organisms are associated with microbial mutualists, in which specialized host organs often develop for retaining the microbial partners. In light of the origin of evolutionary novelties, it is important to understand what mechanisms underpin the elaborate morphogenesis of such symbiotic organs, which must have been shaped through interactions with the microbial symbionts. Using the stinkbug Plautia stali as a model, we demonstrated that visceral muscular patterning and proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells during the early nymphal stages are involved in the formation of numerous symbiont-harboring crypts arranged in four rows in the posterior midgut to constitute the symbiotic organ. Strikingly, the crypt formation occurred normally even in symbiont-free nymphs, revealing that the crypt development proceeds autonomously. These findings suggest that the crypt formation is deeply implemented into the normal development of P. stali, which must reflect the considerably ancient evolutionary origin of the midgut symbiotic organ in stinkbugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayumi Oishi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Harumoto
- Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Keiko Okamoto-Furuta
- Division of Electron Microscopic Study, Center for Anatomical Studies, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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11
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Kakizawa S, Hosokawa T, Oguchi K, Miyakoshi K, Fukatsu T. Spiroplasma as facultative bacterial symbionts of stinkbugs. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1044771. [PMID: 36353457 PMCID: PMC9638005 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1044771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Many insects are associated with facultative symbiotic bacteria, and their infection prevalence provides an important clue to understand the biological impact of such microbial associates. Here we surveyed diverse stinkbugs representing 13 families, 69 genera, 97 species and 468 individuals for Spiroplasma infection. Diagnostic PCR detection revealed that 4 families (30.8%), 7 genera (10.1%), 11 species (11.3%) and 21 individuals (4.5%) were Spiroplasma positive. All the 21 stinkbug samples with Spiroplasma infection were subjected to PCR amplification and sequencing of Spiroplasma’s 16S rRNA gene. Molecular phylogenetic analysis uncovered that the stinkbug-associated Spiroplasma symbionts were placed in three distinct clades in the Spiroplasmataceae, highlighting multiple evolutionary origins of the stinkbug-Spiroplasma associations. The Spiroplasma phylogeny did not reflect the host stinkbug phylogeny, indicating the absence of host-symbiont co-speciation. On the other hand, the Spiroplasma symbionts associated with the same stinkbug family tended to be related to each other, suggesting the possibility of certain levels of host-symbiont specificity and/or ecological symbiont sharing. Amplicon sequencing analysis targeting bacterial 16S rRNA gene, FISH visualization of the symbiotic bacteria, and rearing experiments of the host stinkbugs uncovered that the Spiroplasma symbionts are generally much less abundant in comparison with the primary gut symbiotic bacteria, localized to various tissues and organs at relatively low densities, and vertically transmitted to the offspring. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the Spiroplasma symbionts are, in general, facultative bacterial associates of low infection prevalence that are not essential but rather commensalistic for the host stinkbugs, like the Spiroplasma symbionts of fruit flies and aphids, although their impact on the host phenotypes should be evaluated in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeyuki Kakizawa
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- *Correspondence: Shigeyuki Kakizawa, ; Takema Fukatsu,
| | - Takahiro Hosokawa
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kohei Oguchi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Misaki Marine Biological Station (MMBS), School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Miura, Japan
| | - Kaori Miyakoshi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- *Correspondence: Shigeyuki Kakizawa, ; Takema Fukatsu,
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12
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Nishide Y, Nagamine K, Kageyama D, Moriyama M, Futahashi R, Fukatsu T. A new antimicrobial peptide, Pentatomicin, from the stinkbug Plautia stali. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16503. [PMID: 36192417 PMCID: PMC9529961 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20427-w] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play crucial roles in the innate immunity of diverse organisms, which exhibit remarkable diversity in size, structural property and antimicrobial spectrum. Here, we describe a new AMP, named Pentatomicin, from the stinkbug Plautia stali (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Orthologous nucleotide sequences of Pentatomicin were present in stinkbugs and beetles but not in other insect groups. Notably, orthologous sequences were also detected from a horseshoe crab, cyanobacteria and proteobacteria, suggesting the possibility of inter-domain horizontal gene transfers of Pentatomicin and allied protein genes. The recombinant protein of Pentatomicin was effective against an array of Gram-positive bacteria but not against Gram-negative bacteria. Upon septic shock, the expression of Pentatomicin drastically increased in a manner similar to other AMPs. On the other hand, unlike other AMPs, mock and saline injections increased the expression of Pentatomicin. RNAi-mediated downregulation of Imd pathway genes (Imd and Relish) and Toll pathway genes (MyD88 and Dorsal) revealed that the expression of Pentatomicin is under the control of Toll pathway. Being consistent with in vitro effectiveness of the recombinant protein, adult insects injected with dsRNA of Pentatomicin exhibited higher vulnerability to Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus than to Gram-negative Escherichia coli. We discovered high levels of Pentatomicin expression in eggs, which is atypical of other AMPs and suggestive of its biological functioning in eggs. Contrary to the expectation, however, RNAi-mediated downregulation of Pentatomicin did not affect normal embryonic development of P. stali. Moreover, the downregulation of Pentatomicin in eggs did not affect vertical symbiont transmission to the offspring even under heavily contaminated conditions, which refuted our expectation that the antimicrobial activity of Pentatomicin may contribute to egg surface-mediated symbiont transmission by suppressing microbial contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudai Nishide
- grid.416835.d0000 0001 2222 0432Institute of Agrobiological Sciences Ohwashi, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, 305-8634 Japan
| | - Keisuke Nagamine
- grid.416835.d0000 0001 2222 0432Institute of Agrobiological Sciences Ohwashi, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, 305-8634 Japan ,grid.54432.340000 0001 0860 6072Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Tokyo, 102-0083 Japan
| | - Daisuke Kageyama
- grid.416835.d0000 0001 2222 0432Institute of Agrobiological Sciences Ohwashi, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, 305-8634 Japan
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- grid.208504.b0000 0001 2230 7538National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan
| | - Ryo Futahashi
- grid.208504.b0000 0001 2230 7538National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- grid.208504.b0000 0001 2230 7538National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan ,grid.26999.3d0000 0001 2151 536XDepartment of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan ,grid.20515.330000 0001 2369 4728Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8572 Japan
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13
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Moriyama M, Fukatsu T. Host’s demand for essential amino acids is compensated by an extracellular bacterial symbiont in a hemipteran insect model. Front Physiol 2022; 13:1028409. [PMID: 36246139 PMCID: PMC9561257 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1028409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant sap is a nutritionally unbalanced diet that constitutes a challenge for insects that feed exclusively on it. Sap-sucking hemipteran insects generally overcome this challenge by harboring beneficial microorganisms in their specialized symbiotic organ, either intracellularly or extracellularly. Genomic information of these bacterial symbionts suggests that their primary role is to supply essential amino acids, but empirical evidence has been virtually limited to the intracellular symbiosis between aphids and Buchnera. Here we investigated the amino acid complementation by the extracellular symbiotic bacterium Ishikawaella harbored in the midgut symbiotic organ of the stinkbug Megacopta punctatissima. We evaluated amino acid compositions of the phloem sap of plants on which the insect feeds, as well as those of its hemolymph, whole body hydrolysate, and excreta. The results highlighted that the essential amino acids in the diet are apparently insufficient for the stinkbug development. Experimental symbiont removal caused severe shortfalls of some essential amino acids, including branched-chain and aromatic amino acids. In vitro culturing of the isolated symbiotic organ demonstrated that hemolymph-circulating metabolites, glutamine and trehalose, efficiently fuel the production of essential amino acids. Branched-chain amino acids and aromatic amino acids are the ones preferentially synthesized despite the symbiont’s synthetic capability of all essential amino acids. These results indicate that the symbiont-mediated amino acid compensation is quantitatively optimized in the stinkbug-Ishikawaella gut symbiotic association as in the aphid-Buchnera intracellular symbiotic association. The convergence of symbiont functions across distinct nutritional symbiotic systems provides insight into how host-symbiont interactions have been shaped over evolutionary time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minoru Moriyama
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- *Correspondence: Minoru Moriyama, ; Takema Fukatsu,
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- *Correspondence: Minoru Moriyama, ; Takema Fukatsu,
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14
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Nishide Y, Oguchi K, Murakami M, Moriyama M, Koga R, Fukatsu T. Endosymbiotic bacteria of the boar louse Haematopinus apri (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Anoplura). Front Microbiol 2022; 13:962252. [PMID: 36003934 PMCID: PMC9393614 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.962252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects exclusively feeding on vertebrate blood are usually dependent on symbiotic bacteria for provisioning of B vitamins. Among them, sucking lice are prominent in that their symbiotic bacteria as well as their symbiotic organs exhibit striking diversity. Here we investigated the bacterial diversity associated with the boar louse Haematopinus apri in comparison with the hog louse Haematopinus suis. Amplicon sequencing analysis identified the primary endosymbiont predominantly detected from all populations of H. apri with some minor secondary bacterial associates. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA gene confirmed that the endosymbionts of the boar louse H. apri, the hog louse H. suis and the cattle louse Haematopinus eurysternus form a distinct clade in the Gammaproteobacteria. The endosymbiont clade of Haematopinus spp. was phylogenetically distinct from the primary endosymbionts of other louse lineages. Fluorescence in situ hybridization visualized the endosymbiont localization within midgut epithelium, ovarial ampulla and posterior oocyte of H. apri, which were substantially the same as the endosymbiont localization previously described in H. suis and H. eurysternus. Mitochondrial haplotype analysis revealed that, although the domestic pig was derived from the wild boar over the past 8,000 years of human history, the populations of H. apri constituted a distinct sister clade to the populations of H. suis. Based on these results, we discussed possible evolutionary trajectories of the boar louse, the hog louse and their endosymbionts in the context of swine domestication. We proposed ‘Candidatus Haematopinicola symbiotica’ for the distinct clade of the endosymbionts of Haematopinus spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudai Nishide
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Japan
- *Correspondence: Yudai Nishide,
| | - Kohei Oguchi
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Miura, Japan
| | - Maria Murakami
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Koga
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- Takema Fukatsu,
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15
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Koga R, Moriyama M, Onodera-Tanifuji N, Ishii Y, Takai H, Mizutani M, Oguchi K, Okura R, Suzuki S, Gotoh Y, Hayashi T, Seki M, Suzuki Y, Nishide Y, Hosokawa T, Wakamoto Y, Furusawa C, Fukatsu T. Single mutation makes Escherichia coli an insect mutualist. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:1141-1150. [PMID: 35927448 PMCID: PMC9352592 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01179-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [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: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms often live in symbiosis with their hosts, and some are considered mutualists, where all species involved benefit from the interaction. How free-living microorganisms have evolved to become mutualists is unclear. Here we report an experimental system in which non-symbiotic Escherichia coli evolves into an insect mutualist. The stinkbug Plautia stali is typically associated with its essential gut symbiont, Pantoea sp., which colonizes a specialized symbiotic organ. When sterilized newborn nymphs were infected with E. coli rather than Pantoea sp., only a few insects survived, in which E. coli exhibited specific localization to the symbiotic organ and vertical transmission to the offspring. Through transgenerational maintenance with P. stali, several hypermutating E. coli lines independently evolved to support the host's high adult emergence and improved body colour; these were called 'mutualistic' E. coli. These mutants exhibited slower bacterial growth, smaller size, loss of flagellar motility and lack of an extracellular matrix. Transcriptomic and genomic analyses of 'mutualistic' E. coli lines revealed independent mutations that disrupted the carbon catabolite repression global transcriptional regulator system. Each mutation reproduced the mutualistic phenotypes when introduced into wild-type E. coli, confirming that single carbon catabolite repression mutations can make E. coli an insect mutualist. These findings provide an experimental system for future work on host-microbe symbioses and may explain why microbial mutualisms are omnipresent in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuichi Koga
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan.
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Naoko Onodera-Tanifuji
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yoshiko Ishii
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Hiroki Takai
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Masaki Mizutani
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Kohei Oguchi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Reiko Okura
- Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shingo Suzuki
- Center for Biosystem Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Gotoh
- Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Hayashi
- Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Masahide Seki
- Laboratory of Systems Genomics, Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yutaka Suzuki
- Laboratory of Systems Genomics, Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yudai Nishide
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan.,National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takahiro Hosokawa
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yuichi Wakamoto
- Department of Basic Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Universal Biology Institute, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Chikara Furusawa
- Center for Biosystem Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Osaka, Japan.,Universal Biology Institute, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan. .,Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. .,Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
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16
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Harumoto T, Fukatsu T. Perplexing dynamics of Wolbachia proteins for cytoplasmic incompatibility. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001644. [PMID: 35613073 PMCID: PMC9132339 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism of symbiont-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility has been a long-lasting mystery. This Primer explores a new study on Wolbachia’s Cif proteins in PLOS Biology that provides supportive evidence for the “Host-Modification Model,” although the alternative “Toxin-Antidote Model” is still in the running.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiyuki Harumoto
- Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- * E-mail: (TH); (TF)
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- * E-mail: (TH); (TF)
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17
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Moriyama M, Hayashi T, Fukatsu T. A mucin protein predominantly expressed in the female-specific symbiotic organ of the stinkbug Plautia stali. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7782. [PMID: 35546182 PMCID: PMC9095716 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11895-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Diverse insects are obligatorily associated with microbial symbionts, wherein the host often develops special symbiotic organs and vertically transmits the symbiont to the next generation. What molecular factors underpin the host-symbiont relationship is of great interest but poorly understood. Here we report a novel protein preferentially produced in a female-specific symbiotic organ of the stinkbug Plautia stali, whose posterior midgut develops numerous crypts to host a Pantoea-allied bacterial mutualist. In adult females, several posteriormost crypts are conspicuously enlarged, presumably specialized for vertical symbiont transmission. We detected conspicuous protein bands specific to the female’s swollen crypts by gel electrophoresis, and identified them as representing a novel mucin-like glycoprotein. Histological inspections confirmed that the mucin protein is localized to the female’s swollen crypts, coexisting with a substantial population of the symbiotic bacteria, and excreted from the swollen crypts to the midgut main tract together with the symbiotic bacteria. Using RNA interference, we successfully suppressed production of the mucin protein in adult females of P. stali. However, although the mucin protein was depleted, the symbiont population persisted in the swollen crypts, and vertical symbiont transmission to the next generation occurred. Possible biological roles and evolutionary trajectory of the symbiosis-related mucin protein are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minoru Moriyama
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan.
| | - Toshinari Hayashi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan. .,Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8572, Japan.
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18
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Shibao H, Kutsukake M, Matsuyama S, Fukatsu T. Linoleic acid as corpse recognition signal in a social aphid. Zoological Lett 2022; 8:2. [PMID: 34991720 PMCID: PMC8734330 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-021-00184-w] [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] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Social insect colonies constantly produce dead insects, which cause sanitary problems and potentially foster deadly pathogens and parasites. Hence, many social insects have evolved a variety of hygienic behaviors to remove cadavers from the colonies. To that end, they have to discriminate dead insects from live ones, where chemical cues should play important roles. In ants, bees and termites, such corpse recognition signals, also referred to as "death pheromones" or "necromones", have been identified as fatty acids, specifically oleic acid and/or linoleic acid. Meanwhile, there has been no such report on social aphids. Here we attempted to identify the "death pheromone" of a gall-forming social aphid with second instar soldiers, Tuberaphis styraci, by making use of an artificial diet rearing system developed for this species. On the artificial diet plates, soldiers exhibited the typical cleaning behavior, pushing colony wastes with their heads continuously, against dead aphids but not against live aphids. GC-MS and GC-FID analyses revealed a remarkable increase of linoleic acid on the body surface of the dead aphids in comparison with the live aphids. When glass beads coated with either linoleic acid or body surface extract of the dead aphids were placed on the artificial diet plates, soldiers exhibited the cleaning behavior against the glass beads. A series of behavioral assays showed that (i) soldiers exhibit the cleaning behavior more frequently than non-soldiers, (ii) young soldiers perform the cleaning behavior more frequently than old soldiers, and (iii) the higher the concentration of linoleic acid is, the more active cleaning behavior is induced. Analysis of the lipids extracted from the aphids revealed that linoleic acid is mainly derived from phospholipids that constitute the cell membranes. In conclusion, we identified linoleic acid as the corpse recognition factor of the social aphid T. styraci. The commonality of the death pheromones across the divergent social insect groups (Hymenoptera, Blattodea and Hemiptera) highlights that these unsaturated fatty acids are generally produced by enzymatic autolysis of cell membranes after death and therefore amenable to utilization as a reliable signal of dead insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harunobu Shibao
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8572, Japan
| | - Mayako Kutsukake
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
| | - Shigeru Matsuyama
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8572, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8572, Japan.
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
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19
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Kiefer JST, Batsukh S, Bauer E, Hirota B, Weiss B, Wierz JC, Fukatsu T, Kaltenpoth M, Engl T. Author Correction: Inhibition of a nutritional endosymbiont by glyphosate abolishes mutualistic benefit on cuticle synthesis in Oryzaephilus surinamensis. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1079. [PMID: 34504301 PMCID: PMC8429642 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02614-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Julian Simon Thilo Kiefer
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Suvdanselengee Batsukh
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Eugen Bauer
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Bin Hirota
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Benjamin Weiss
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.,Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Jürgen C Wierz
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.,Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.,Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias Engl
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. .,Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany. .,Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
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20
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Nishino T, Hosokawa T, Meng XY, Koga R, Moriyama M, Fukatsu T. Environmental Acquisition of Gut Symbiotic Bacteria in the Saw-Toothed Stinkbug, Megymenum gracilicorne (Hemiptera: Pentatomoidea: Dinidoridae). Zoolog Sci 2021; 38:213-222. [PMID: 34057345 DOI: 10.2108/zs200163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Many plant-sucking stinkbugs possess a specialized symbiotic organ with numerous crypts in a posterior region of the midgut. In stinkbugs of the superfamily Pentatomoidea, specific γ-proteobacteria are hosted in the crypt cavities, which are vertically transmitted through host generations and essential for normal growth and survival of the host insects. Here we report the discovery of an exceptional gut symbiotic association in the saw-toothed stinkbug, Megymenum gracilicorne (Hemiptera: Pentatomoidea: Dinidoridae), in which specific γ-proteobacterial symbionts are not transmitted vertically but acquired environmentally. Histological inspection identified a very thin and long midgut symbiotic organ with two rows of tiny crypts whose cavities harbor rod-shaped bacterial cells. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences from the symbiotic organs of field-collected insects revealed that (i) M. gracilicorne is stably associated with Pantoea-allied γ-proteobacteria within the midgut crypts, (ii) the symbiotic bacteria exhibit a considerable level of diversity across host individuals and populations, (iii) the major symbiotic bacteria represent an environmental bacterial lineage that was reported to be capable of symbiosis with the stinkbug Plautia stali, and (iv) the minor symbiotic bacteria also represent several bacterial lineages that were reported as cultivable symbionts of P. stali and other stinkbugs. The symbiotic bacteria were shown to be generally cultivable. Microbial inspection of ovipositing adult females and their eggs and nymphs uncovered the absence of stable vertical transmission of the symbiotic bacteria. Rearing experiments showed that symbiont-supplemented newborn nymphs exhibit improved survival, suggesting the beneficial nature of the symbiotic association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takanori Nishino
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan.,Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takahiro Hosokawa
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Xian-Ying Meng
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Koga
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan, .,Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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21
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Kiefer JST, Batsukh S, Bauer E, Hirota B, Weiss B, Wierz JC, Fukatsu T, Kaltenpoth M, Engl T. Inhibition of a nutritional endosymbiont by glyphosate abolishes mutualistic benefit on cuticle synthesis in Oryzaephilus surinamensis. Commun Biol 2021; 4:554. [PMID: 33976379 PMCID: PMC8113238 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02057-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Glyphosate is widely used as a herbicide, but recent studies begin to reveal its detrimental side effects on animals by targeting the shikimate pathway of associated gut microorganisms. However, its impact on nutritional endosymbionts in insects remains poorly understood. Here, we sequenced the tiny, shikimate pathway encoding symbiont genome of the sawtoothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis. Decreased titers of the aromatic amino acid tyrosine in symbiont-depleted beetles underscore the symbionts' ability to synthesize prephenate as the precursor for host tyrosine synthesis and its importance for cuticle sclerotization and melanization. Glyphosate exposure inhibited symbiont establishment during host development and abolished the mutualistic benefit on cuticle synthesis in adults, which could be partially rescued by dietary tyrosine supplementation. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses indicate that the shikimate pathways of many nutritional endosymbionts likewise contain a glyphosate sensitive 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase. These findings highlight the importance of symbiont-mediated tyrosine supplementation for cuticle biosynthesis in insects, but also paint an alarming scenario regarding the use of glyphosate in light of recent declines in insect populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Simon Thilo Kiefer
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Suvdanselengee Batsukh
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Eugen Bauer
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Bin Hirota
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Benjamin Weiss
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Jürgen C Wierz
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Tobias Engl
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
- Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.
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22
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Okude G, Fukatsu T, Futahashi R. Comprehensive comparative morphology and developmental staging of final instar larvae toward metamorphosis in the insect order Odonata. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5164. [PMID: 33664373 PMCID: PMC7970851 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84639-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) is among the most ancestral groups of winged insects with drastic morphological changes upon metamorphosis, and thus important for understanding evo-devo aspects of insects. However, basic developmental descriptions of Odonata have been scarce. In an attempt to establish the foundation of developmental and experimental biology of Odonata, we present an unprecedentedly comprehensive survey of dragonflies and damselflies, in total 158 larvae representing 49 species and 14 families, wherein morphological changes of all the final and/or penultimate instar larvae were photographed and monitored everyday. Although their morphology and development were diverse, we consistently identified two visually recognizable morphogenetic events in the final larval instar, namely start of wing expansion and onset of melanization on the wing sheaths, thereby categorizing the final instar into three stages. While the duration of the first stage ranged 4–66 days across diverse Odonata species, the second or third stages exhibited relatively small variation ranging 3–22 days or 1–8 days, respectively, probably reflecting the steady and irreversible metamorphosis process after stage 2. We also described other characteristic morphological changes during the larval development, although they were observed only in some Odonata species and lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genta Okude
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. .,Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan.
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan.,Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Ryo Futahashi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan.
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23
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Abstract
Dragonflies and damselflies (order Odonata) represent one of the most ancestral insects with metamorphosis, in which they change their habitat, morphology, and behavior drastically from aquatic larvae to terrestrial/aerial adults without pupal stage. Odonata adults have a well-developed color vision and show a remarkable diversity in body colors and patterns across sexes, stages, and species. While many ecological and behavioral studies on Odonata have been conducted, molecular genetic studies have been scarce mainly due to the difficulty in applying gene functional analysis to Odonata. For instance, RNA interference (RNAi) is less effective in the Odonata, as reported in the Lepidoptera. To overcome this problem, we successfully established an RNAi method combined with in vivo electroporation. Here we provide a detailed protocol including a video of the electroporation-mediated RNAi method as follows: preparation of larvae, species identification, preparation of dsRNA/siRNA solution and injection needles, ice-cold anesthesia of larvae, dsRNA/siRNA injection, in vivo electroporation, and individual rearing until adult emergence. The electroporation-mediated RNAi method is applicable to both damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) and dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera). In this protocol, we present the methods for the blue-tailed damselfly Ischnura senegalensis (Coenagrionidae) as an example of damselfly species and the pied skimmer dragonfly Pseudothemis zonata (Libellulidae) as another example of dragonfly species. As representative examples, we show the results of RNAi targeting the melanin synthesis gene multicopper oxidase 2. This RNAi method will facilitate understanding of various gene functions involved in metamorphosis, morphogenesis, color pattern formation, and other biological features of Odonata. Moreover, this protocol may be generally applicable to non-model organisms in which RNAi is less effective in gene suppression due to the inefficiency and low penetrance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genta Okude
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo; Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST);
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo; Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST); Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
| | - Ryo Futahashi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST);
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24
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Nishide Y, Kageyama D, Tanaka Y, Yokoi K, Jouraku A, Futahashi R, Fukatsu T. Effectiveness of orally-delivered double-stranded RNA on gene silencing in the stinkbug Plautia stali. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245081. [PMID: 33444324 PMCID: PMC7808618 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of a reliable method for RNA interference (RNAi) by orally-delivered double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is potentially promising for crop protection. Considering that RNAi efficiency considerably varies among different insect species, it is important to seek for the practical conditions under which dsRNA-mediated RNAi effectively works against each pest insect. Here we investigated RNAi efficiency in the brown-winged green stinkbug Plautia stali, which is notorious for infesting various fruits and crop plants. Microinjection of dsRNA into P. stali revealed high RNAi efficiency-injection of only 30 ng dsRNA into last-instar nymphs was sufficient to knockdown target genes as manifested by their phenotypes, and injection of 300 ng dsRNA suppressed the gene expression levels by 80% to 99.9%. Knockdown experiments by dsRNA injection showed that multicopper oxidase 2 (MCO2), vacuolar ATPase (vATPase), inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP), and vacuolar-sorting protein Snf7 are essential for survival of P. stali, as has been demonstrated in other insects. By contrast, P. stali exhibited very low RNAi efficiency when dsRNA was orally administered. When 1000 ng/μL of dsRNA solution was orally provided to first-instar nymphs, no obvious phenotypes were observed. Consistent with this, RT-qPCR showed that the gene expression levels were not affected. A higher concentration of dsRNA (5000 ng/μL) induced mortality in some cohorts, and the gene expression levels were reduced to nearly 50%. Simultaneous oral administration of dsRNA against potential RNAi blocker genes did not improve the RNAi efficiency of the target genes. In conclusion, P. stali shows high sensitivity to RNAi with injected dsRNA but, unlike the allied pest stinkbugs Halyomorpha halys and Nezara viridula, very low sensitivity to RNAi with orally-delivered dsRNA, which highlights the varied sensitivity to RNAi across different species and limits the applicability of the molecular tool for controlling this specific insect pest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudai Nishide
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Institute of Agrobiological Sciences Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Japan
- * E-mail: (YN); (TF)
| | - Daisuke Kageyama
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Institute of Agrobiological Sciences Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Tanaka
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Institute of Agrobiological Sciences Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Kakeru Yokoi
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Institute of Agrobiological Sciences Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Akiya Jouraku
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Institute of Agrobiological Sciences Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Ryo Futahashi
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- * E-mail: (YN); (TF)
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25
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Abstract
Temporal division of labor, or age polyethism, in which altruistic caste individuals change their tasks with aging, is widely found in bees and ants (Hymenoptera) and also in other social insects. Here we report the discovery of elaborate age polyethism in a social aphid (Hemiptera). Tuberaphis styraci is a gall-forming aphid in which monomorphic first instar nymphs differentiate into normal nymphs and soldiers upon second instar molt. Soldiers neither grow nor reproduce but perform gall cleaning and colony defense. Using an artificial diet rearing system, we collected age-defined groups of soldiers and monitored their social behaviors. We observed that young soldiers tend to clean whereas old soldiers preferentially attack, thereby verifying age-dependent task switching from housekeeping to defense. Strategic sampling, age estimation and behavioral observation of soldiers from natural galls revealed that (1) young cleaning soldiers tend to inhabit upper gall regions with adult insects, (2) old attacking soldiers tend to be distributed in lower gall regions, particularly around the gall openings, and (3) the gall structure is linked to intra-nest movement, aging and task switching of soldiers in an adaptive manner. These results highlight an evolutionary parallelism comparable to the sophisticated temporal division of labor observed in honeybee colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harunobu Shibao
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8572, Japan
| | - Mayako Kutsukake
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8572, Japan. .,Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
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26
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Hirota B, Meng XY, Fukatsu T. Bacteriome-Associated Endosymbiotic Bacteria of Nosodendron Tree Sap Beetles (Coleoptera: Nosodendridae). Front Microbiol 2020; 11:588841. [PMID: 33193249 PMCID: PMC7658545 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.588841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The family Nosodendridae is a small group of tree sap beetles with only 91 described species representing three genera from the world. In 1930s, bacteria-harboring symbiotic organs, called bacteriomes, were briefly described in a European species Nosodendron fasciculare. Since then, however, no studies have been conducted on the nosodendrid endosymbiosis for decades. Here we investigated the bacteriomes and the endosymbiotic bacteria of Nosodendron coenosum and Nosodendron asiaticum using molecular phylogenetic and histological approaches. In adults and larvae, a pair of slender bacteriomes were found along both sides of the midgut. The bacteriomes consisted of large bacteriocytes at the center and flat sheath cells on the surface. Fluorescence in situ hybridization detected preferential localization of the endosymbiotic bacteria in the cytoplasm of the bacteriocytes. In reproductive adult females, the endosymbiotic bacteria were also detected at the infection zone in the ovarioles and on the surface of growing oocytes, indicating vertical symbiont transmission via ovarial passage. Transmission electron microscopy unveiled bizarre structural features of the bacteriocytes, whose cytoplasm exhibited degenerate cytology with deformed endosymbiont cells. Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that the nosodendrid endosymbionts formed a distinct clade in the Bacteroidetes. The nosodendrid endosymbionts were the most closely related to the bacteriome endosymbionts of bostrichid powderpost beetles and also allied to the bacteriome endosymbionts of silvanid grain beetles, uncovering an unexpected endosymbiont relationship across the unrelated beetle families Nosodendridae, Bostrichidae and Silvanidae. Host-symbiont co-evolution and presumable biological roles of the endosymbiotic bacteria are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Hirota
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xian-Ying Meng
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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27
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Noda T, Okude G, Meng XY, Koga R, Moriyama M, Fukatsu T. Bacteriocytes and Blattabacterium Endosymbionts of the German Cockroach Blattella germanica, the Forest Cockroach Blattella nipponica, and Other Cockroach Species. Zoolog Sci 2020; 37:399-410. [PMID: 32972080 DOI: 10.2108/zs200054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cockroaches are commonly found in human residences and notorious as hygienic and nuisance pests. Notably, however, no more than 30 cockroach species are regarded as pests, while the majority of 4,500 cockroaches in the world are living in forest environments with little relevance to human life. Why some cockroaches have exceptionally adapted to anthropic environments and established pest status is of interest. Here we investigated the German cockroach Blattella germanica, which is a cosmopolitan pest species, and the forest cockroach Blattella nipponica, which is a wild species closely related to B. germanica. In contrast to easy rearing of B. germanica, laboratory rearing of B. nipponica was challenging-several trials enabled us to keep the insects for up to three months. We particularly focused on the distribution patterns of specialized cells, bacteriocytes, for harboring endosymbiotic Blattabacterium, which has been suggested to contribute to host's nitrogen metabolism and recycling, during the postembryonic development of the insects. The bacteriocytes were consistently localized to visceral fat bodies filling the abdominal body cavity, where a number of single bacteriocytes were scattered among the adipocytes, throughout the developmental stages in both females and males. The distribution patterns of the bacteriocytes were quite similar between B. germanica and B. nipponica, and also among other diverse cockroach species, plausibly reflecting the highly conserved cockroach-Blattabacterium symbiotic association over evolutionary time. Our study lays a foundation to experimentally investigate the origin and the processes of urban pest evolution, on account of possible involvement of microbial associates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohito Noda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Genta Okude
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Xian-Ying Meng
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Koga
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan.,Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan,
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28
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Egan S, Fukatsu T, Francino MP. Opportunities and Challenges to Microbial Symbiosis Research in the Microbiome Era. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1150. [PMID: 32612581 PMCID: PMC7308722 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Suhelen Egan
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation (CMSI), School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - M Pilar Francino
- Joint Research Unit in Genomics and Health, Fundació per al Foment de la Investigació Sanitária i Biomèdica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO)/Institut de Biologia Integrativa de Sistemes (Universitat de València i Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), València, Spain.,CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain
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29
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Kubota K, Watanabe K, Zhu XJ, Kawakami K, Tanahashi M, Fukatsu T. Evolutionary Relationship Between Platycerus Stag Beetles and Their Mycangium-Associated Yeast Symbionts. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1436. [PMID: 32695086 PMCID: PMC7338584 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult females of stag beetles (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) possess an ovipositor-associated mycangium for conveying symbiotic microorganisms. In most lucanid species, their mycangium contains yeast symbionts of the genus Scheffersomyces Kurtzman and Suzuki that are known for their xylose-fermenting capability. The lucanid genus Platycerus Geoffroy, 1762 is a group of small blue stag beetles, in which ten Japanese species constitute a monophyletic clade. Here we examined the evolutionary relationships of these Japanese Platycerus species and their yeast symbionts, together with a Korean Platycerus species and other lucanid species as outgroup taxa. Based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the intergenic spacer (IGS) sequences, the yeast symbionts of all Platycerus species were closely related to each other and formed a monophyletic clade. There is no variation in ITS sequences of the yeast symbionts of the Japanese Platycerus species. Based on IGS sequences, the yeast symbionts formed clusters that largely reflected the geographic distribution of the host insects, being shared by sympatric Platycerus species except for P. delicatulus Lewis, 1883 and P. viridicuprus Kubota & Otobe, The symbiont phylogeny was globally not congruent with the host COI-based phylogeny, although some local congruences were observed. Statistically significant correlations were detected between the genetic distances of COI sequences of the host insects and those of IGS sequences of the yeast symbionts in Japan. These results suggest that, at least to some extent, the host insects and the yeast symbionts may have experienced co-evolutionary associations. While the Japanese Platycerus species formed a monophyletic clade in the COI phylogeny, the yeast symbionts of Japanese P. viridicuprus were very closely related to those of Korean P. hongwonpyoi Imura & Choe, 1989, suggesting the possibility that a recent secondary contact of the two beetle species during a marine withdrawal, e.g., in the last glacial period, might have resulted in an inter-specific horizontal transmission of the yeast symbiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kôhei Kubota
- Laboratory of Forest Zoology, Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kana Watanabe
- Laboratory of Forest Zoology, Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xue-Jiao Zhu
- Laboratory of Forest Zoology, Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kako Kawakami
- Laboratory of Forest Zoology, Course of Applied Life Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masahiko Tanahashi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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30
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Reis F, Kirsch R, Pauchet Y, Bauer E, Bilz LC, Fukumori K, Fukatsu T, Kölsch G, Kaltenpoth M. Bacterial symbionts support larval sap feeding and adult folivory in (semi-)aquatic reed beetles. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2964. [PMID: 32528063 PMCID: PMC7289800 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16687-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [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: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiotic microbes can enable their host to access untapped nutritional resources but may also constrain niche space by promoting specialization. Here, we reconstruct functional changes in the evolutionary history of the symbiosis between a group of (semi-)aquatic herbivorous insects and mutualistic bacteria. Sequencing the symbiont genomes across 26 species of reed beetles (Chrysomelidae, Donaciinae) spanning four genera indicates that the genome-eroded mutualists provide life stage-specific benefits to larvae and adults, respectively. In the plant sap-feeding larvae, the symbionts are inferred to synthesize most of the essential amino acids as well as the B vitamin riboflavin. The adult reed beetles’ folivory is likely supported by symbiont-encoded pectinases that complement the host-encoded set of cellulases, as revealed by transcriptome sequencing. However, mapping the occurrence of the symbionts’ pectinase genes and the hosts’ food plant preferences onto the beetles’ phylogeny reveals multiple independent losses of pectinase genes in lineages that switched to feeding on pectin-poor plants, presumably constraining their hosts’ subsequent adaptive potential. Symbiotic microbes in insects can enable their hosts to access untapped nutritional resources. Here, the authors show that symbiotic bacteria in reed beetles can provide essential amino acids to sap-feeding larvae and help leaf-feeding adults to degrade pectin, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Reis
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128, Mainz, Germany.,Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 5, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Roy Kirsch
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Yannick Pauchet
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Eugen Bauer
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Lisa Carolin Bilz
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Kayoko Fukumori
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
| | - Gregor Kölsch
- Molekulare Evolutionsbiologie, Institut für Zoologie, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.,Maasen 6, 24107, Kiel, Germany
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Evolutionary Ecology, Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
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Salem H, Kirsch R, Pauchet Y, Berasategui A, Fukumori K, Moriyama M, Cripps M, Windsor D, Fukatsu T, Gerardo NM. Symbiont Digestive Range Reflects Host Plant Breadth in Herbivorous Beetles. Curr Biol 2020; 30:2875-2886.e4. [PMID: 32502409 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Revised: 04/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Numerous adaptations are gained in light of a symbiotic lifestyle. Here, we investigated the obligate partnership between tortoise leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) and their pectinolytic Stammera symbionts to detail how changes to the bacterium's streamlined metabolic range can shape the digestive physiology and ecological opportunity of its herbivorous host. Comparative genomics of 13 Stammera strains revealed high functional conservation, highlighted by the universal presence of polygalacturonase, a primary pectinase targeting nature's most abundant pectic class, homogalacturonan (HG). Despite this conservation, we unexpectedly discovered a disparate distribution for rhamnogalacturonan lyase, a secondary pectinase hydrolyzing the pectic heteropolymer, rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I). Consistent with the annotation of rhamnogalacturonan lyase in Stammera, cassidines are able to depolymerize RG-I relative to beetles whose symbionts lack the gene. Given the omnipresence of HG and RG-I in foliage, Stammera that encode pectinases targeting both substrates allow their hosts to overcome a greater diversity of plant cell wall polysaccharides and maximize access to the nutritionally rich cytosol. Possibly facilitated by their symbionts' expanded digestive range, cassidines additionally endowed with rhamnogalacturonan lyase appear to utilize a broader diversity of angiosperms than those beetles whose symbionts solely supplement polygalacturonase. Our findings highlight how symbiont metabolic diversity, in concert with host adaptations, may serve as a potential source of evolutionary innovations for herbivorous lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Salem
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA; Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
| | - Roy Kirsch
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Yannick Pauchet
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany
| | | | - Kayoko Fukumori
- National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Michael Cripps
- AgResearch, Lincoln Research Centre, Lincoln 7608, New Zealand
| | - Donald Windsor
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
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Hosokawa T, Fukatsu T. Relevance of microbial symbiosis to insect behavior. Curr Opin Insect Sci 2020; 39:91-100. [PMID: 32371358 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Microbial symbiosis is widespread among insects. This article reviews our understanding of insect behaviors relevant to commensalistic and mutualistic microbial symbiosis, which has received relatively less attention compared to insect behaviors in parasitic symbiosis. First, we review our knowledge of symbiont transmission behaviors by which the host insects maintain associations with beneficial microorganisms over generations. Some insects that extracellularly harbor mutualistic symbionts exhibit particularly sophisticated behaviors for vertical symbiont transmission. Next, we highlight notable studies on behavioral changes induced by symbiont infection. In the last decade, a number of studies have demonstrated or suggested that mutualistic or commensalistic symbiont infections affect their host behaviors. Finally, future directions regarding these research topics are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Hosokawa
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan; Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan.
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Mondal SI, Akter A, Koga R, Hosokawa T, Dayi M, Murase K, Tanaka R, Shigenobu S, Fukatsu T, Kikuchi T. Reduced Genome of the Gut Symbiotic Bacterium " Candidatus Benitsuchiphilus tojoi" Provides Insight Into Its Possible Roles in Ecology and Adaptation of the Host Insect. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:840. [PMID: 32435239 PMCID: PMC7218078 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Diverse animals, including insects, harbor microbial symbionts within their gut, body cavity, or cells. The subsocial parastrachiid stinkbug Parastrachia japonensis is well-known for its peculiar ecological and behavioral traits, including its prolonged non-feeding diapause period and maternal care of eggs/nymphs in an underground nest. P. japonensis harbors a specific bacterial symbiont within the gut cavity extracellularly, which is vertically inherited through maternal excretion of symbiont-containing white mucus. Thus far, biological roles of the symbiont in the host lifecycle has been little understood. Here we sequenced the genome of the uncultivable gut symbiont “Candidatus Benitsuchiphilus tojoi.” The symbiont has an 804 kb circular chromosome encoding 606 proteins and a 14.5 kb plasmid encoding 13 proteins. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the bacterium is closely related to other obligate insect symbionts belonging to the Gammaproteobacteria, including Buchnera of aphids and Blochmannia of ants, and the most closely related to Ishikawaella, an extracellular gut symbiont of plataspid stinkbugs. These data suggested that the symbiont genome has evolved like highly reduced gamma-proteobacterial symbiont genomes reported from a variety of insects. The presence of genes involved in biosynthesis pathways for amino acids, vitamins, and cofactors in the genome implicated the symbiont as a nutritional mutualist, supplementing essential nutrients to the host. Interestingly, the symbiont’s plasmid encoded genes for thiamine and carotenoid synthesis pathways, suggesting the possibility of additional functions of the symbiont for protecting the host against oxidative stress and DNA damage. Finally, possible involvement of the symbiont in uric acid metabolism during diapause is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakhinur Islam Mondal
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.,Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Arzuba Akter
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.,Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Ryuichi Koga
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takahiro Hosokawa
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan.,Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Mehmet Dayi
- Forestry Vocational School, Düzce University, Düzce, Turkey
| | - Kazunori Murase
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
| | - Ryusei Tanaka
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
| | - Shuji Shigenobu
- NIBB Core Research Facilities, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Taisei Kikuchi
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
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Fukatsu T. Grand Challenges to Launching an Ideal Platform for Publishing Microbe-Insect Symbiosis Studies. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2542. [PMID: 31781062 PMCID: PMC6859797 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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35
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Kuechler SM, Fukatsu T, Matsuura Y. Repeated evolution of bacteriocytes in lygaeoid stinkbugs. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:4378-4394. [PMID: 31573127 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Host-microbe symbioses often evolved highly complex developmental processes and colonization mechanisms for establishment of stable associations. It has long been recognized that many insects harbour beneficial bacteria inside specific symbiotic cells (bacteriocytes) or organs (bacteriomes). However, the evolutionary origin and mechanisms underlying bacterial colonization in bacteriocyte/bacteriome formation have been poorly understood. In order to uncover the origin of such evolutionary novelties, we studied the development of symbiotic organs in five stinkbug species representing the superfamily Lygaeoidea in which diverse bacteriocyte/bacteriome systems have evolved. We tracked the symbiont movement within the eggs during the embryonic development and determined crucial stages at which symbiont infection and bacteriocyte formation occur, using whole-mount fluorescence in situ hybridization. In summary, three distinct developmental patterns were observed: two different modes of symbiont transfer from initial symbiont cluster (symbiont ball) to presumptive bacteriocytes in the embryonic abdomen, and direct incorporation of the symbiont ball without translocation of bacterial cells. Across the host taxa, only closely related species seemed to have evolved relatively conserved types of bacteriome development, suggesting repeated evolution of host symbiotic cells and organs from multiple independent origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Martin Kuechler
- Department of Animal Ecology II, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.,Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yu Matsuura
- Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
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Togawa Y, Shinji J, Fukatsu T, Miura T. Development of Cerata in the Cladobranchian Sea Slug Pteraeolidia semperi (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Nudibranchia). Zoolog Sci 2019; 36:387-394. [PMID: 33319962 DOI: 10.2108/zs190057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Cladobranchian sea slugs are characterized by a number of dorsal projections, called "cerata," which are presumably involved in such biological functions as kleptocnidal defense, gas exchange, and symbiotic photosynthesis. Here, we investigated the developmental pattern of ceras formation in a cladobranchian, Pteraeolidia semperi, using field-collected individuals at various postembryonic developmental stages. As the body length increased, the total number of cerata increased in a logistic manner, up to 280 per individual. On the dorsal side of the body, the cerata exhibited a conspicuous formation of repeated, laterally-paired clusters, or rows, along the antero-posterior axis of the animals. As the body length increased, the number of ceras rows increased in a logistic manner, reaching a plateau at around 15 rows per individual. Two types of ceras clusters were observed: well-developed ceras clusters forming a glove-like structure with a basal bulge, which tended to be found in larger animals and at the anterior body region, and less-developed ceras clusters without the bulge, which tended to be found in smaller animals and at the posterior body region. Statistical and simulation analyses suggested that bulge formation underlies increased ceras number, even after the plateaued formation of new ceras rows. These results indicate that, in the postembryonic development of P. semperi, the increase of dorsal cerata entails the following processes: (i) increase of the number of ceras rows, (ii) formation of the basal bulge in each ceras cluster, and (iii) increase of the number of cerata per ceras cluster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumiko Togawa
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, Misaki, Miura, Kanagawa 238-0225, Japan.,National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan
| | - Junpei Shinji
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, Misaki, Miura, Kanagawa 238-0225, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan
| | - Toru Miura
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, Misaki, Miura, Kanagawa 238-0225, Japan,
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Kutsukake M, Uematsu K, Fukatsu T. Plant Manipulation by Gall-Forming Social Aphids for Waste Management. Front Plant Sci 2019; 10:933. [PMID: 31396247 PMCID: PMC6664026 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Many social aphids form spectacular galls on their host plants, in which hundreds to thousands of aphids thrive for several months or even for over a year. Here, in addition to colony defense against natural enemies, waste disposal is an important task for the gall dwellers to sustain their social life. In open galls, soldier nymphs actively clean colony wastes such as honeydew droplets, cast-off skins, and cadavers by pushing them with their head out of the gall opening. In the gall, the excreted honeydew is coated with aphid-derived powdery wax to form "honeydew balls," which prevents the aphids from wetting and drowning with their own excretion. How the aphids deal with the accumulated honeydew in closed galls has been a mystery. Here, we report a novel gall-cleaning mechanism: the gall inner surface absorbs and removes the liquid waste through the plant vascular system. Such a plant-mediated water-absorbing property is commonly found in aphids forming closed galls, which must have evolved at least three times independently. By contrast, the inner surface of open galls is wax-coated and water-repelling, and in some cases, the inner surface is covered with dense trichomes, which further enhance the water repellency. In conclusion, gall-forming aphids induce novel plant phenotypes to manage the waste problems by manipulating plant morphogenesis and physiology for their own sake. This review describes our recent studies on waste management strategies by gall-forming social aphids and discusses future directions of this research topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayako Kutsukake
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Keigo Uematsu
- Department of General Systems Studies, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
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38
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Harumoto T, Fukatsu T, Lemaitre B. Common and unique strategies of male killing evolved in two distinct Drosophila symbionts. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2017.2167. [PMID: 29563258 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Male killing is a selfish reproductive manipulation caused by symbiotic bacteria, where male offspring of infected hosts are selectively killed. The underlying mechanisms and the process of their evolution are of great interest not only in terms of fundamental biology, but also their potential applications. The two bacterial Drosophila symbionts, Wolbachia and Spiroplasma, have independently evolved male-killing ability. This raises the question whether the underlying mechanisms share some similarities or are specific to each bacterial species. Here, we analyse pathogenic phenotypes of D. bifasciata infected with its natural male-killing Wolbachia strain and compare them with those of D. melanogaster infected with male-killing Spiroplasma We show that male progeny infected with the Wolbachia strain die during embryogenesis with abnormal apoptosis. Interestingly, male-killing Wolbachia infection induces DNA damage and segregation defects in the dosage-compensated chromosome in male embryos, which are reminiscent of the phenotypes caused by male-killing Spiroplasma in D. melanogaster By contrast, host neural development seems to proceed normally unlike male-killing Spiroplasma infection. Our results demonstrate that the dosage-compensated chromosome is a common target of two distinct male killers, yet Spiroplasma uniquely evolved the ability to damage neural tissue of male embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiyuki Harumoto
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 19, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Bruno Lemaitre
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 19, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Oishi S, Moriyama M, Koga R, Fukatsu T. Morphogenesis and development of midgut symbiotic organ of the stinkbug Plautia stali (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Zoological Lett 2019; 5:16. [PMID: 31164991 PMCID: PMC6544922 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-019-0134-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Diverse insects are intimately associated with microbial symbionts, which play a variety of biological roles in their adaptation to and survival in the natural environment. Such insects often possess specialized organs for hosting the microbial symbionts. What developmental processes and mechanisms underlie the formation of the host organs for microbial symbiosis is of fundamental biological interest but poorly understood. Here we investigate the morphogenesis of the midgut symbiotic organ and the process of symbiont colonization therein during the developmental course of the stinkbug Plautia stali. Upon hatching, the midgut is a simple and smooth tube. Subsequently, symbiont colonization to the posterior midgut occurs, and thickening and folding of the midgut epithelium proceed during the first instar period. By the second instar, rudimentary crypts have formed, and their inner cavities are colonized by the symbiotic bacteria. From the second instar to the fourth instar, while the alimentary tract grows and the posterior midgut is established as the symbiotic organ with numerous crypts, the anterior midgut and the posterior midgut are structurally and functionally isolated by a strong constriction in the middle. By the early fifth instar, the midgut symbiotic organ attains the maximal length, but toward the mid fifth instar, the basal region of each crypt starts to constrict and narrow, which deforms the midgut symbiotic organ as a whole into a shorter, thicker and twisted shape. By the late fifth instar to adulthood, the crypts are constricted off, by which the symbiotic bacteria are confined in the crypt cavities and isolated from the midgut main tract, and concurrently, the strong midgut constriction in the middle becomes loose and open, by which the food flow from the anterior midgut to the posterior midgut recovers. This study provides the most detailed and comprehensive descriptions ever reported on the morphogenesis of the symbiotic organ and the process of symbiont colonization in an obligatory insect-bacterium gut symbiotic system. Considering that P. stali is recently emerging as a useful model system for experimentally studying the intimate insect-microbe gut symbiosis, the knowledge obtained in this study establishes the foundation for the further development of this research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayumi Oishi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan
- Computational Bio Big Data Open Innovation Laboratory (CBBD-OIL), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan
| | - Ryuichi Koga
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8566 Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8572 Japan
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Kutsukake M, Moriyama M, Shigenobu S, Meng XY, Nikoh N, Noda C, Kobayashi S, Fukatsu T. Exaggeration and cooption of innate immunity for social defense. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:8950-8959. [PMID: 30988178 PMCID: PMC6500135 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1900917116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Social insects often exhibit striking altruistic behaviors, of which the most spectacular ones may be self-destructive defensive behaviors called autothysis, "self-explosion," or "suicidal bombing." In the social aphid Nipponaphis monzeni, when enemies damage their plant-made nest called the gall, soldier nymphs erupt to discharge a large amount of body fluid, mix the secretion with their legs, and skillfully plaster it over the plant injury. Dozens of soldiers come out, erupt, mix, and plaster, and the gall breach is promptly sealed with the coagulated body fluid. What molecular and cellular mechanisms underlie the self-sacrificing nest repair with body fluid for the insect society? Here we demonstrate that the body cavity of soldier nymphs is full of highly differentiated large hemocytes that contain huge amounts of lipid droplets and phenoloxidase (PO), whereas their hemolymph accumulates huge amounts of tyrosine and a unique repeat-containing protein (RCP). Upon breakage of the gall, soldiers gather around the breach and massively discharge the body fluid. The large hemocytes rupture and release lipid droplets, which promptly form a lipidic clot, and, concurrently, activated PO converts tyrosine to reactive quinones, which cross-link RCP and other macromolecules to physically reinforce the clot to seal the gall breach. Here, soldiers' humoral and cellular immune mechanisms for wound sealing are extremely up-regulated and utilized for colony defense, which provides a striking case of direct evolutionary connection between individual immunity and social immunity and highlights the importance of exaggeration and cooption of preexisting traits to create evolutionary novelties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayako Kutsukake
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, 305-8566 Tsukuba, Japan;
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, 305-8566 Tsukuba, Japan
- Computational Bio Big Data Open Innovation Laboratory, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, 305-8566 Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Shuji Shigenobu
- Core Research Facilities, National Institute for Basic Biology, 444-8585 Okazaki, Japan
| | - Xian-Ying Meng
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, 305-8566 Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Naruo Nikoh
- Department of Liberal Arts, The Open University of Japan, 261-8586 Chiba, Japan
| | - Chiyo Noda
- Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institute for Basic Biology, 444-8787 Okazaki, Japan
| | - Satoru Kobayashi
- Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, University of Tsukuba, 305-8577 Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, 305-8566 Tsukuba, Japan;
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 113-0033 Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 305-8572 Tsukuba, Japan
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Okude G, Futahashi R, Tanahashi M, Fukatsu T. Laboratory Rearing System for Ischnura senegalensis (Insecta: Odonata) Enables Detailed Description of Larval Development and Morphogenesis in Dragonfly. Zoolog Sci 2019; 34:386-397. [PMID: 28990479 DOI: 10.2108/zs170051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In an attempt to establish an experimental dragonfly model, we developed a laboratory rearing system for the blue-tailed damselfly, Ischnura senegalensis. Adoption of multi-well plastic plates as rearing containers enabled mass-rearing of isolated larvae without cannibalism and convenient microscopic monitoring of individual larvae. Feeding Artemia brine shrimps to younger larvae and Tubifex worms for older larvae resulted in low mortality, synchronized ecdysis, and normal development of the larvae. We continuously monitored the development of 118 larvae every day, of which 49 individuals (41.5%) reached adulthood. The adult insects were fed with Drosophila flies in wet plastic cages, attained reproductive maturity in a week, copulated, laid fertilized eggs, and produced progeny. The final larval instar varied from 9th to 12th, with the 11th instar (56.5%) and the 12th instar (24.2%) constituting the majority. From the 1st instar to the penultimate instar, the duration of each instar was relatively short, mainly ranging from three to 11 days. Afterwards, the duration of each instar was prolonged, reaching 7-25 days for the penultimate instar and 14-28 days for the final instar. Some larvae of final, penultimate and younger instars were subjected to continuous and close morphological examinations, which enabled developmental staging of larvae based on size, shape, and angle of compound eyes and other morphological traits. This laboratory rearing system may facilitate the understanding of physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying metamorphosis, hormonal control, morphogenesis, body color polymorphism, and other biological features of dragonflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genta Okude
- 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,2 Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Ryo Futahashi
- 2 Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Masahiko Tanahashi
- 2 Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,2 Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan.,3 Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan
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Nishide Y, Kageyama D, Yokoi K, Jouraku A, Tanaka H, Futahashi R, Fukatsu T. Functional crosstalk across IMD and Toll pathways: insight into the evolution of incomplete immune cascades. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182207. [PMID: 30963836 PMCID: PMC6408883 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In insects, antimicrobial humoral immunity is governed by two distinct gene cascades, IMD pathway mainly targeting Gram-negative bacteria and Toll pathway preferentially targeting Gram-positive bacteria, which are widely conserved among diverse metazoans. However, recent genomic studies uncovered that IMD pathway is exceptionally absent in some hemipteran lineages like aphids and assassin bugs. How the apparently incomplete immune pathways have evolved with functionality is of interest. Here we report the discovery that, in the hemipteran stinkbug Plautia stali, both IMD and Toll pathways are present but their functional differentiation is blurred. Injection of Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria upregulated effector genes of both pathways. Notably, RNAi experiments unveiled significant functional permeation and crosstalk between IMD and Toll pathways: RNAi of IMD pathway genes suppressed upregulation of effector molecules of both pathways, where the suppression was more remarkable for IMD effectors; and RNAi of Toll pathway genes reduced upregulation of effector molecules of both pathways, where the suppression was more conspicuous for Toll effectors. These results suggest the possibility that, in hemipterans and other arthropods, IMD and Toll pathways are intertwined to target wider and overlapping arrays of microbes, which might have predisposed and facilitated the evolution of incomplete immune pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudai Nishide
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ohwashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kageyama
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ohwashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Kakeru Yokoi
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ohwashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Akiya Jouraku
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ohwashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hiromitsu Tanaka
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ohwashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Ryo Futahashi
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan
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43
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Ohbayashi T, Futahashi R, Terashima M, Barrière Q, Lamouche F, Takeshita K, Meng XY, Mitani Y, Sone T, Shigenobu S, Fukatsu T, Mergaert P, Kikuchi Y. Comparative cytology, physiology and transcriptomics of Burkholderia insecticola in symbiosis with the bean bug Riptortus pedestris and in culture. ISME J 2019; 13:1469-1483. [PMID: 30742016 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-019-0361-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Revised: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In the symbiosis of the bean bug Riptortus pedestris with Burkholderia insecticola, the bacteria occupy an exclusive niche in the insect midgut and favor insect development and reproduction. In order to understand how the symbiotic bacteria stably colonize the midgut crypts and which services they provide to the host, we compared the cytology, physiology, and transcriptomics of free-living and midgut-colonizing B. insecticola. The analyses revealed that midgut-colonizing bacteria were smaller in size and had lower DNA content, they had increased stress sensitivity, lost motility, and an altered cell surface. Transcriptomics revealed what kinds of nutrients are provided by the bean bug to the Burkholderia symbiont. Transporters and metabolic pathways of diverse sugars such as rhamnose and ribose, and sulfur compounds like sulfate and taurine were upregulated in the midgut-colonizing symbionts. Moreover, pathways enabling the assimilation of insect nitrogen wastes, i.e. allantoin and urea, were also upregulated. The data further suggested that the midgut-colonizing symbionts produced all essential amino acids and B vitamins, some of which are scarce in the soybean food of the host insect. Together, these findings suggest that the Burkholderia symbiont is fed with specific nutrients and also recycles host metabolic wastes in the insect gut, and in return, the bacterial symbiont provides the host with essential nutrients limited in the insect food, contributing to the rapid growth and enhanced reproduction of the bean bug host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsubasa Ohbayashi
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, UMR9198, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Ryo Futahashi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Mia Terashima
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Quentin Barrière
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, UMR9198, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Florian Lamouche
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, UMR9198, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Kazutaka Takeshita
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,Faculty of Bioresource Sciences, Akita Prefectural University, Akita, Japan
| | - Xian-Ying Meng
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yasuo Mitani
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Teruo Sone
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Shuji Shigenobu
- NIBB Core Research Facilities, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Peter Mergaert
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, UMR9198, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Yoshitomo Kikuchi
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan. .,Computational Bio Big Data Open Innovation Laboratory (CBBD-OIL), AIST, Sapporo, Japan. .,Bioproduction Research Institute, AIST, Sapporo, Japan.
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Futahashi R, Yamahama Y, Kawaguchi M, Mori N, Ishii D, Okude G, Hirai Y, Kawahara-Miki R, Yoshitake K, Yajima S, Hariyama T, Fukatsu T. Molecular basis of wax-based color change and UV reflection in dragonflies. eLife 2019; 8:43045. [PMID: 30642432 PMCID: PMC6353593 DOI: 10.7554/elife.43045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals change their body color for visual signaling and environmental adaptation. Some dragonflies show wax-based color change and ultraviolet (UV) reflection, but the biochemical properties underlying the phenomena are totally unknown. Here we investigated the UV-reflective abdominal wax of dragonflies, thereby identifying very long-chain methyl ketones and aldehydes as unique and major wax components. Little wax was detected on young adults, but dense wax secretion was found mainly on the dorsal abdomen of mature males of Orthetrum albistylum and O. melania, and pruinose wax secretion was identified on the ventral abdomen of mature females of O. albistylum and Sympetrum darwinianum. Comparative transcriptomics demonstrated drastic upregulation of the ELOVL17 gene, a member of the fatty acid elongase gene family, whose expression reflected the distribution of very long-chain methyl ketones. Synthetic 2-pentacosanone, the major component of dragonfly’s wax, spontaneously formed light-scattering scale-like fine structures with strong UV reflection, suggesting its potential utility for biomimetics. Humans have often looked to nature for answers to problems. Living things has evolved for millions of years to deal with life’s challenges, and so engineers and inventors faced with similar challenges can also take inspiration from the natural world. Several plants and animals, for instance, reflect ultraviolet light. This ability may protect them from some of the damaging effects of sunlight; materials with similar properties would have a range of uses, including as coatings on windows that protect our homes and furniture or as cosmetics that protect ourselves in the same way. Some dragonflies – including the white-tailed skimmer, which is particularly common in Japan – are partly coated with a wax that reflects both ultraviolet and visible light. These insects can also see ultraviolet light, which means it is likely that they also use the reflective wax to send visual signals to one another. However, the biochemistry of this wax and the genes involved in its production remained poorly understood. Futahashi et al. have now found that the dragonfly wax consists mostly of very long-chain molecules known as methyl ketones and aldehydes; neither of which are a common components of other waxes. The wax was found in distinct patches on the bodies of adults; these patches were colored white with a hint of blue, while the rest of the dragonfly was mostly brown. Looking at gene activity in different parts of the dragonflies showed that a gene called ELOVL17 is much more active in the wax-coated areas. This gene encodes an enzyme that makes long-chain molecules, and its activity closely matched the distribution of the especially long-chain methyl ketones on the dragonflies’ surface. Futahashi et al. then synthesized the major component of the surface wax – specifically, a chemical called 2-pentacosanone – in the laboratory, and saw that it spontaneously formed fine, scale-like structures that strongly reflected ultraviolet light. Further work is now needed to explore the potential applications of this bio-inspired wax, and to understand exactly what the dragonflies use it for in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Futahashi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yumi Yamahama
- Department of Biology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Migaku Kawaguchi
- National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Naoki Mori
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Daisuke Ishii
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Genta Okude
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan.,Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuji Hirai
- Applied Chemistry and Bioscience, Chitose Institute of Science and Technology, Chitose, Japan
| | | | - Kazutoshi Yoshitake
- Laboratory of Aquatic Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Yajima
- NODAI Genome Research Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takahiko Hariyama
- Department of Biology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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45
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Uematsu K, Kutsukake M, Fukatsu T. Water-repellent plant surface structure induced by gall-forming insects for waste management. Biol Lett 2018; 14:rsbl.2018.0470. [PMID: 30333261 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals and plants have evolved elaborate water-repellent microstructures on their surface, which often play important roles in their ecological adaptation. Here, we report a unique type of water-repellent structure on a plant surface, which develops as an insect-induced plant morphology in a social context. Some social aphids form galls on their host plant, in which they produce large amounts of hydrophobic wax. Excreted honeydew is coated by the powdery wax to form 'honeydew balls', which are actively disposed by soldier nymphs through an opening on their gall. These activities are enabled by a highly water-repellent inner gall surface, and we discovered that this surface is covered with dense trichomes that are not found on normal plant surfaces. The trichomes are coated by fine particles of the insect-produced wax, thereby realizing a high water repellency with a cooperative interaction between aphids and plants. The plant leaves on which the gall is formed often exhibit patchy areas with dense trichomes, representing an ectopic expression of the insect-induced plant morphology. In the pouch-shaped closed galls of a related social aphid species, by contrast, the inner surface was not covered with trichomes. Our findings provide a convincing example of how the extended phenotype of an animal, expressed in a plant, plays a pivotal role in maintaining sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keigo Uematsu
- Department of General Systems Studies, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan .,National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Mayako Kutsukake
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
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46
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Salem H, Bauer E, Kirsch R, Berasategui A, Cripps M, Weiss B, Koga R, Fukumori K, Vogel H, Fukatsu T, Kaltenpoth M. Drastic Genome Reduction in an Herbivore's Pectinolytic Symbiont. Cell 2017; 171:1520-1531.e13. [PMID: 29153832 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 10/10/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Pectin, an integral component of the plant cell wall, is a recalcitrant substrate against enzymatic challenges by most animals. In characterizing the source of a leaf beetle's (Cassida rubiginosa) pectin-degrading phenotype, we demonstrate its dependency on an extracellular bacterium housed in specialized organs connected to the foregut. Despite possessing the smallest genome (0.27 Mb) of any organism not subsisting within a host cell, the symbiont nonetheless retained a functional pectinolytic metabolism targeting the polysaccharide's two most abundant classes: homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan I. Comparative transcriptomics revealed pectinase expression to be enriched in the symbiotic organs, consistent with enzymatic buildup in these structures following immunostaining with pectinase-targeting antibodies. Symbiont elimination results in a drastically reduced host survivorship and a diminished capacity to degrade pectin. Collectively, our findings highlight symbiosis as a strategy for an herbivore to metabolize one of nature's most complex polysaccharides and a universal component of plant tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Salem
- Insect Symbiosis Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30320, USA.
| | - Eugen Bauer
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette 4365, Luxembourg
| | - Roy Kirsch
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Aileen Berasategui
- Insect Symbiosis Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30320, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Michael Cripps
- AgResearch, Lincoln Research Centre, Lincoln 7608, New Zealand
| | - Benjamin Weiss
- Insect Symbiosis Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz 55128, Germany
| | - Ryuichi Koga
- National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Kayoko Fukumori
- National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Heiko Vogel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Insect Symbiosis Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena 07745, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz 55128, Germany
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Tanahashi M, Kim JK, Watanabe K, Fukatsu T, Kubota K. Specificity and genetic diversity of xylose-fermenting Scheffersomyces yeasts associated with small blue stag beetles of the genus Platycerus in East Asia. Mycologia 2017; 109:630-642. [PMID: 29140770 DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2017.1382648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Among insect-fungus relationships, xylose-fermenting Scheffersomyces yeasts are well known for their potential in utilizing wood hemicelluloses and their association with various wood-feeding insects. However, their specificity to host insects or strain-level diversity within host species has not been clearly elucidated. In the insect family Lucanidae, larvae usually feed on decaying wood, and adult females consistently possess a fungus-storage organ, called the mycangium, near the abdominal tip. Here the authors investigated host-symbiont relationships between Scheffersomyces yeast symbionts and small blue stag beetles of the genus Platycerus (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) in East Asia by using intergenic spacer (IGS) region as a genetic marker. All yeast strains isolated from the female mycangium of three Platycerus species, P. hongwonpyoi from Korea and P. acuticollis and P. delicatulus from Japan, were allied to Scheffersomyces segobiensis based on the sequences of the nrDNA 26S and internal transcribed spacer (ITS), in which no sequence difference was observed among those strains. However, IGS regions showed clear genetic differentiation within the yeast symbionts of P. hongwonpyoi, as well as between those of Korean and Japanese Platycerus species. In the IGS sequences, nucleotide substitutions were mainly distributed in the whole stretch of IGS1 and the anterior half of IGS2, whereas nucleotide gaps were localized at IGS1 and the middle of IGS2. Despite the conserved association between the Platycerus beetles and the specific strains of S. segobiensis in East Asia, geophylogenetic divergence patterns of the yeast symbionts were not concordant with those of the insect hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiko Tanahashi
- a Department of Applied Chemistry , National Chiao Tung University , Hsinchu , 30010 Taiwan
| | - Jong-Kuk Kim
- b Department of Forest Environment Protection , College of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University , Kangwondaehak-gil 1, Chuncheon-si , Gangwon-do , 24341 Republic of Korea
| | - Kana Watanabe
- c Laboratory of Forest Zoology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo , Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo, Tokyo , 113-8657 Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- d Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) , Tsukuba , 305-8566 Japan
| | - Kôhei Kubota
- c Laboratory of Forest Zoology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo , Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo, Tokyo , 113-8657 Japan
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48
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Leclair M, Polin S, Jousseaume T, Simon JC, Sugio A, Morlière S, Fukatsu T, Tsuchida T, Outreman Y. Consequences of coinfection with protective symbionts on the host phenotype and symbiont titres in the pea aphid system. Insect Sci 2017; 24:798-808. [PMID: 27514019 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic associations between microbes and insects are widespread, and it is frequent that several symbionts share the same host individual. Hence, interactions can occur between these symbionts, influencing their respective abundance within the host with consequences on its phenotype. Here, we investigate the effects of multiple infections in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, which is the host of an obligatory and several facultative symbionts. In particular, we study the influence of a coinfection with 2 protective symbionts: Hamiltonella defensa, which confers protection against parasitoids, and Rickettsiella viridis, which provides protection against fungal pathogens and predators. The effects of Hamiltonella-Rickettsiella coinfection on the respective abundance of the symbionts, host fitness and efficacy of enemy protection were studied. Asymmetrical interactions between the 2 protective symbionts have been found: when they coinfect the same aphid individuals, the Rickettsiella infection affected Hamiltonella abundance within hosts but not the Hamiltonella-mediated protective phenotype while the Hamiltonella infection negatively influences the Rickettsiella-mediated protective phenotype but not its abundance. Harboring the 2 protective symbionts also reduced the survival and fecundity of host individuals. Overall, this work highlights the effects of multiple infections on symbiont abundances and host traits that are likely to impact the maintenance of the symbiotic associations in natural habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Leclair
- IGEPP, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, Université de Rennes 1, Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France
| | - Sarah Polin
- IGEPP, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, Université de Rennes 1, Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France
| | | | | | - Akiko Sugio
- IGEPP, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, Université de Rennes 1, Le Rheu, France
| | | | | | - Tsutomu Tsuchida
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Yannick Outreman
- IGEPP, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, Université de Rennes 1, Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France
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49
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Hirota B, Okude G, Anbutsu H, Futahashi R, Moriyama M, Meng XY, Nikoh N, Koga R, Fukatsu T. A Novel, Extremely Elongated, and Endocellular Bacterial Symbiont Supports Cuticle Formation of a Grain Pest Beetle. mBio 2017; 8:e01482-17. [PMID: 28951480 PMCID: PMC5615201 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01482-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The saw-toothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Silvanidae), is a cosmopolitan stored-product pest. Early studies on O. surinamensis in the 1930s described the presence of peculiar bacteriomes harboring endosymbiotic bacteria in the abdomen. Since then, however, the microbiological nature of the symbiont has been elusive. Here we investigated the endosymbiotic system of O. surinamensis in detail. In the abdomen of adults, pupae, and larvae, four oval bacteriomes were consistently identified, whose cytoplasm was full of extremely elongated tubular bacterial cells several micrometers wide and several hundred micrometers long. Molecular phylogenetic analysis identified the symbiont as a member of the Bacteroidetes, in which the symbiont was the most closely related to the endosymbiont of a grain pest beetle, Rhyzopertha dominica (Bostrichidae). The symbiont was detected in developing embryos, corroborating vertical symbiont transmission through host generations. The symbiont gene showed AT-biased nucleotide composition and accelerated molecular evolution, plausibly reflecting degenerative evolution of the symbiont genome. When the symbiont infection was experimentally removed, the aposymbiotic insects grew and reproduced normally, but exhibited a slightly but significantly more reddish cuticle and lighter body mass. These results indicate that the symbiont of O. surinamensis is not essential for the host's growth and reproduction but contributes to the host's cuticle formation. Symbiont genome sequencing and detailed comparison of fitness parameters between symbiotic and aposymbiotic insects under various environmental conditions will provide further insights into the symbiont's biological roles for the stored-product pest.IMPORTANCE Some beetles notorious as stored-product pests possess well-developed symbiotic organs called bacteriomes for harboring specific symbiotic bacteria, although their biological roles have been poorly understood. Here we report a peculiar endosymbiotic system of a grain pest beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, in which four oval bacteriomes in the abdomen are full of extremely elongated tubular bacterial cells. Experimental symbiont elimination did not hinder the host's growth and reproduction, but resulted in emergence of reddish beetles, uncovering the symbiont's involvement in host's cuticle formation. We speculate that the extremely elongated symbiont cell morphology might be due to the degenerative symbiont genome deficient in bacterial cell division and/or cell wall formation, which highlights an evolutionary consequence of intimate host-symbiont coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Hirota
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Genta Okude
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hisashi Anbutsu
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Computational Bio Big-Data Open Innovation Laboratory, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryo Futahashi
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Minoru Moriyama
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Xian-Ying Meng
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Naruo Nikoh
- Department of Liberal Arts, the Open University of Japan, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Koga
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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Tanahashi M, Meng XY, Fukatsu T. A Novel Symbiotic Ciliate (Ciliophora: Peritrichia) in the Hindgut of a Stag Beetle (Coleoptera: Lucanidae). Zoolog Sci 2017; 34:217-222. [PMID: 28589838 DOI: 10.2108/zs170012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Bell-shaped ciliates of the subclass Peritrichia, such as Vorticella, Carchesium and Epistylis, are commonly found in freshwater and other aquatic environments, either solitary or colonial. Peritrichs attach to a substratum via a contractile or non-motile stalk, and collect food particles by water current using ciliary rows around the edge of the bell, called the peristome. Some peritrichs are epibiotic and ectocommensalistic associates of aquatic insects and other animals, settling on the surface of their specific hosts. Only a few peritrichs are known to establish a more internal association with their hosts, locating within the preoral cavity or esophagus of water beetles and presumably subsisting on food materials chewed and ingested by the insects. To date, no endoparasitic or endocommensalistic peritrichs have been reported from insects. Host insects reported to date have all been aquatic, and given the aquatic lifestyle of peritrichs, terrestrial hosts have been considered unlikely. In the present study, we report a dense population of bizarre microbes within the gut of a terrestrial insect, and histological, ultrastructural and molecular phylogenetic analyses identified it as a peritrich ciliate. The highly-developed hindgut of the stag beetle Aegus currani contained oval colonial peritrichs connected by branched stalks resembling grape clusters. Each zooid exhibited a reduced peristome without disc, a vestibulum with active ciliary movement inside, and an elongated macronucleus. These features are morphologically reminiscent of but distinct in some respects from those in Operculariella parasitica, known from the esophagus of dysticid diving beetles. Taxonomic, ecological and functional aspects of this gut-dwelling peritrich warrant future study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiko Tanahashi
- 1 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Xian Ying Meng
- 1 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- 1 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan.,2 Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,3 Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan
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