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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] [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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2
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Tan KXY, Shigenobu S. In vivo interference of pea aphid endosymbiont Buchnera groEL gene by synthetic peptide nucleic acids. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5378. [PMID: 38438424 PMCID: PMC10912616 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55179-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The unculturable nature of intracellular obligate symbionts presents a significant challenge for elucidating gene functionality, necessitating the development of gene manipulation techniques. One of the best-studied obligate symbioses is that between aphids and the bacterial endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola. Given the extensive genome reduction observed in Buchnera, the remaining genes are crucial for understanding the host-symbiont relationship, but a lack of tools for manipulating gene function in the endosymbiont has significantly impeded the exploration of the molecular mechanisms underlying this mutualism. In this study, we introduced a novel gene manipulation technique employing synthetic single-stranded peptide nucleic acids (PNAs). We targeted the critical Buchnera groEL using specially designed antisense PNAs conjugated to an arginine-rich cell-penetrating peptide (CPP). Within 24 h of PNA administration via microinjection, we observed a significant reduction in groEL expression and Buchnera cell count. Notably, the interference of groEL led to profound morphological malformations in Buchnera, indicative of impaired cellular integrity. The gene knockdown technique developed in this study, involving the microinjection of CPP-conjugated antisense PNAs, provides a potent approach for in vivo gene manipulation of unculturable intracellular symbionts, offering valuable insights into their biology and interactions with hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrine Xin Yee Tan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genomics, National Institute for Basic Biology, 38 Nishigonaka Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Shuji Shigenobu
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan.
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genomics, National Institute for Basic Biology, 38 Nishigonaka Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan.
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3
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Muñoz-Gómez SA. The energetic costs of cellular complexity in evolution. Trends Microbiol 2024:S0966-842X(24)00003-9. [PMID: 38307786 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
The evolutionary history of cells has been marked by drastic increases in complexity. Some hypothesize that such cellular complexification requires a massive energy flux as the origin of new features is hypothetically more energetically costly than their evolutionary maintenance. However, it remains unclear how increases in cellular complexity demand more energy. I propose that the early evolution of new genes with weak functions imposes higher energetic costs by overexpression before their functions are evolutionarily refined. In the long term, the accumulation of new genes deviates resources away from growth and reproduction. Accrued cellular complexity further requires additional infrastructure for its maintenance. Altogether, this suggests that larger and more complex cells are defined by increased survival but lower reproductive capacity.
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4
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Luan JB. Insect Bacteriocytes: Adaptation, Development, and Evolution. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 69:81-98. [PMID: 38270981 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-010323-124159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Bacteriocytes are host cells specialized to harbor symbionts in certain insect taxa. The adaptation, development, and evolution of bacteriocytes underlie insect symbiosis maintenance. Bacteriocytes carry enriched host genes of insect and bacterial origin whose transcription can be regulated by microRNAs, which are involved in host-symbiont metabolic interactions. Recognition proteins of peptidoglycan, the bacterial cell wall component, and autophagy regulate symbiont abundance in bacteriocytes. Horizontally transferred genes expressed in bacteriocytes influence the metabolism of symbiont peptidoglycan, which may affect the bacteriocyte immune response against symbionts. Bacteriocytes release or transport symbionts into ovaries for symbiont vertical transmission. Bacteriocyte development and death, regulated by transcriptional factors, are variable in different insect species. The evolutionary origin of insect bacteriocytes remains unclear. Future research should elucidate bacteriocyte cell biology, the molecular interplay between bacteriocyte metabolic and immune functions, the genetic basis of bacteriocyte origin, and the coordination between bacteriocyte function and host biology in diverse symbioses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Bo Luan
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China;
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5
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Huang Y, Feng ZF, Li F, Hou YM. Host-Encoded Aminotransferase Import into the Endosymbiotic Bacteria Nardonella of Red Palm Weevil. INSECTS 2024; 15:35. [PMID: 38249041 PMCID: PMC10816905 DOI: 10.3390/insects15010035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Symbiotic systems are intimately integrated at multiple levels. Host-endosymbiont metabolic complementarity in amino acid biosynthesis is especially important for sap-feeding insects and their symbionts. In weevil-Nardonella endosymbiosis, the final step reaction of the endosymbiont tyrosine synthesis pathway is complemented by host-encoded aminotransferases. Based on previous results from other insects, we suspected that these aminotransferases were likely transported into the Nardonella cytoplasm to produce tyrosine. Here, we identified five aminotransferase genes in the genome of the red palm weevil. Using quantitative real-time RT-PCR, we confirmed that RfGOT1 and RfGOT2A were specifically expressed in the bacteriome. RNA interference targeting these two aminotransferase genes reduced the tyrosine level in the bacteriome. The immunofluorescence-FISH double labeling localization analysis revealed that RfGOT1 and RfGOT2A were present within the bacteriocyte, where they colocalized with Nardonella cells. Immunogold transmission electron microscopy demonstrated the localization of RfGOT1 and RfGOT2A in the cytosol of Nardonella and the bacteriocyte. Our data revealed that RfGOT1 and RfGOT2A are transported into the Nardonella cytoplasm to collaborate with genes retained in the Nardonella genome in order to synthesize tyrosine. The results of our study will enhance the understanding of the integration of host and endosymbiont metabolism in amino acid biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Y.H.); (Z.-F.F.); (F.L.)
- Department of Plant Protection, Fujian Province Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Zhen-Feng Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Y.H.); (Z.-F.F.); (F.L.)
- Department of Plant Protection, Fujian Province Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Fan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Y.H.); (Z.-F.F.); (F.L.)
- Department of Plant Protection, Fujian Province Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - You-Ming Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Y.H.); (Z.-F.F.); (F.L.)
- Department of Plant Protection, Fujian Province Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
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6
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Kwak Y, Hansen AK. Unveiling metabolic integration in psyllids and their nutritional endosymbionts through comparative transcriptomics analysis. iScience 2023; 26:107930. [PMID: 37810228 PMCID: PMC10558732 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Psyllids, a group of insects that feed on plant sap, have a symbiotic relationship with an endosymbiont called Carsonella. Carsonella synthesizes essential amino acids and vitamins for its psyllid host, but lacks certain genes required for this process, suggesting a compensatory role of psyllid host genes. To investigate this, gene expression was compared between two psyllid species, Bactericera cockerelli and Diaphorina citri, in specialized cells where Carsonella resides (bacteriomes). Collaborative psyllid genes, including horizontally transferred genes, showed patterns of conserved gene expression; however, species-specific patterns were also observed, suggesting differences in the nutritional metabolism between psyllid species. Also, the recycling of nitrogen in bacteriomes may primarily rely on glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). Additionally, lineage-specific gene clusters were differentially expressed in B. cockerelli and D. citri bacteriomes and are highlighted here. These findings shed light on potential host adaptations for the regulation of this symbiosis due to host, microbiome, and environmental differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Younghwan Kwak
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Allison K Hansen
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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7
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Argandona JA, Kim D, Hansen AK. Comparative transcriptomics of aphid species that diverged > 22 MYA reveals genes that are important for the maintenance of their symbiosis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5341. [PMID: 37005434 PMCID: PMC10067822 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32291-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Most plant-sap feeding insects have obligate relationships with maternally transmitted bacteria. Aphids require their nutritional endosymbiont, Buchnera aphidicola, for the production of essential amino acids. Such endosymbionts are harbored inside of specialized insect cells called bacteriocytes. Here, we use comparative transcriptomics of bacteriocytes between two recently diverged aphid species, Myzus persicae and Acyrthosiphon pisum, to identify key genes that are important for the maintenance of their nutritional mutualism. The majority of genes with conserved expression profiles in M. persicae and A. pisum are for orthologs previously identified in A. pisum to be important for the symbiosis. However, asparaginase which produces aspartate from asparagine was significantly up-regulated only in A. pisum bacteriocytes, potentially because Buchnera of M. persicae encodes its own asparaginase enzyme unlike Buchnera of A. pisum resulting in Buchnera of A. pisum to be dependent on its aphid host for aspartate. One-to-one orthologs that explained the most amount of variation for bacteriocyte specific mRNA expression for both species includes a collaborative gene for methionine biosynthesis, multiple transporters, a horizontally transmitted gene, and secreted proteins. Finally, we highlight species-specific gene clusters which may contribute to host adaptations and/or accommodations in gene regulation to changes in the symbiont or the symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Argandona
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Dohyup Kim
- Stanford University School of Medicine, 291 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Allison K Hansen
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
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8
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Yu W, Bosquée E, Fan J, Liu Y, Bragard C, Francis F, Chen J. Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analysis for Identification of Endosymbiotic Bacteria Associated with BYDV Transmission Efficiency by Sitobion miscanthi. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:3352. [PMID: 36501390 PMCID: PMC9735544 DOI: 10.3390/plants11233352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Sitobion miscanthi, an important viral vector of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), is also symbiotically associated with endosymbionts, but little is known about the interactions between endosymbionts, aphid and BYDV. Therefore, two aphids' geographic populations, differing in their BYDV transmission efficiency, after characterizing their endosymbionts, were treated with antibiotics to investigate how changes in the composition of their endosymbiont population affected BYDV transmission efficiency. After antibiotic treatment, Rickettsia was eliminated from two geographic populations. BYDV transmission efficiency by STY geographic population dropped significantly, by -44.2% with ampicillin and -25.01% with rifampicin, but HDZ geographic population decreased by only 14.19% with ampicillin and 23.88% with rifampicin. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the number of DEGs related to the immune system, carbohydrate metabolism and lipid metabolism did increase in the STY rifampicin treatment, while replication and repair, glycan biosynthesis and metabolism increased in the STY ampicillin treatment. Proteomic analysis showed that the abundance of symbionin symL, nascent polypeptide-associated complex subunit alpha and proteasome differed significantly between the two geographic populations. We found that the endosymbionts can mediate vector viral transmission. They should therefore be included in investigations into aphid-virus interactions and plant disease epidemiology. Our findings should also help with the development of strategies to prevent virus transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Yu
- MOA Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pests on Crops in Southwest China, Institute of Plant Protection, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
- Functional and Evolutionary Entomology, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Disease and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Emilie Bosquée
- Functional and Evolutionary Entomology, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Jia Fan
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Disease and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yong Liu
- College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, China
| | - Claude Bragard
- Applied Microbiologye-Phytopathology, Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, Croix du Sud L7.05.03, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Frédéric Francis
- Functional and Evolutionary Entomology, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Julian Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Disease and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
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9
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Luo C, Belghazi M, Schmitz A, Lemauf S, Desneux N, Simon JC, Poirié M, Gatti JL. Hosting certain facultative symbionts modulates the phenoloxidase activity and immune response of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 28:1780-1799. [PMID: 33200579 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum hosts different facultative symbionts (FS) which provide it with various benefits, such as tolerance to heat or protection against natural enemies (e.g., fungi, parasitoid wasps). Here, we investigated whether and how the presence of certain FS could affect phenoloxidase (PO) activity, a key component of insect innate immunity, under normal and stressed conditions. For this, we used clones of A. pisum of different genetic backgrounds (LL01, YR2 and T3-8V1) lacking FS or harboring one or two (Regiella insecticola, Hamiltonella defensa, Serratia symbiotica + Rickettsiella viridis). Gene expression and proteomics analyses of the aphid hemolymph indicated that the two A. pisum POs, PPO1 and PPO2, are expressed and translated into proteins. The level of PPO genes expression as well as the amount of PPO proteins and phenoloxidase activity in the hemolymph depended on both the aphid genotype and FS species. In particular, H. defensa and R. insecticola, but not S. symbiotica + R. viridis, caused a sharp decrease in PO activity by interfering with both transcription and translation. The microinjection of different types of stressors (yeast, Escherichia coli, latex beads) in the YR2 lines hosting different symbionts affected the survival rate of aphids and, in most cases, also decreased the expression of PPO genes after 24 h. The amount and activity of PPO proteins varied according to the type of FS and stressor, without clear corresponding changes in gene expression. These data demonstrate that the presence of certain FS influences an important component of pea aphid immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Luo
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, UMR Institut Sophia Agrobiotech (ISA), Sophia Antipolis, France
- Present address: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, 712100, China
| | - Maya Belghazi
- INP, UMR7051, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, 13015, France
| | - Antonin Schmitz
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, UMR Institut Sophia Agrobiotech (ISA), Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Séverine Lemauf
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, UMR Institut Sophia Agrobiotech (ISA), Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Nicolas Desneux
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, UMR Institut Sophia Agrobiotech (ISA), Sophia Antipolis, France
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, UMR Institut Sophia Agrobiotech (ISA), 06000 Nice, France
| | | | - Marylène Poirié
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, UMR Institut Sophia Agrobiotech (ISA), Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Jean-Luc Gatti
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, CNRS, UMR Institut Sophia Agrobiotech (ISA), Sophia Antipolis, France
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10
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Mukhopadhyay C, Yang C, Xu L, Liu D, Wang Y, Huang D, Deonarine LD, Cyrta J, Davicioni E, Sboner A, Robinson BD, Chinnaiyan AM, Rubin MA, Barbieri CE, Zhou P. G3BP1 inhibits Cul3 SPOP to amplify AR signaling and promote prostate cancer. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6662. [PMID: 34795264 PMCID: PMC8602290 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27024-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
SPOP, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, acts as a prostate-specific tumor suppressor with several key substrates mediating oncogenic function. However, the mechanisms underlying SPOP regulation are largely unknown. Here, we have identified G3BP1 as an interactor of SPOP and functions as a competitive inhibitor of Cul3SPOP, suggesting a distinctive mode of Cul3SPOP inactivation in prostate cancer (PCa). Transcriptomic analysis and functional studies reveal a G3BP1-SPOP ubiquitin signaling axis that promotes PCa progression through activating AR signaling. Moreover, AR directly upregulates G3BP1 transcription to further amplify G3BP1-SPOP signaling in a feed-forward manner. Our study supports a fundamental role of G3BP1 in disabling the tumor suppressive Cul3SPOP, thus defining a PCa cohort independent of SPOP mutation. Therefore, there are significantly more PCa that are defective for SPOP ubiquitin ligase than previously appreciated, and these G3BP1high PCa are more susceptible to AR-targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandrani Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Chenyi Yang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Limei Xu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Deli Liu
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Dennis Huang
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Lesa Dayal Deonarine
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Joanna Cyrta
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | | | - Andrea Sboner
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Brian D Robinson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Arul M Chinnaiyan
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Mark A Rubin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Department for Biomedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christopher E Barbieri
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Pengbo Zhou
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
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11
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A Label-Free Proteomic and Complementary Metabolomic Analysis of Leaves of the Resurrection Plant Xerophytaschlechteri during Dehydration. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11111242. [PMID: 34833116 PMCID: PMC8624122 DOI: 10.3390/life11111242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Vegetative desiccation tolerance, or the ability to survive the loss of ~95% relative water content (RWC), is rare in angiosperms, with these being commonly called resurrection plants. It is a complex multigenic and multi-factorial trait, with its understanding requiring a comprehensive systems biology approach. The aim of the current study was to conduct a label-free proteomic analysis of leaves of the resurrection plant Xerophyta schlechteri in response to desiccation. A targeted metabolomics approach was validated and correlated to the proteomics, contributing the missing link in studies on this species. Three physiological stages were identified: an early response to drying, during which the leaf tissues declined from full turgor to a RWC of ~80–70%, a mid-response in which the RWC declined to 40% and a late response where the tissues declined to 10% RWC. We identified 517 distinct proteins that were differentially expressed, of which 253 proteins were upregulated and 264 were downregulated in response to the three drying stages. Metabolomics analyses, which included monitoring the levels of a selection of phytohormones, amino acids, sugars, sugar alcohols, fatty acids and organic acids in response to dehydration, correlated with some of the proteomic differences, giving insight into the biological processes apparently involved in desiccation tolerance in this species.
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12
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Pers D, Hansen AK. The boom and bust of the aphid's essential amino acid metabolism across nymphal development. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2021; 11:jkab115. [PMID: 33831149 PMCID: PMC8433001 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Within long-term symbioses, animals integrate their physiology and development with their symbiont. In a model nutritional mutualism, aphids harbor the endosymbiont, Buchnera, within specialized bacteriocyte cells. Buchnera synthesizes essential amino acids (EAAs) and vitamins for their host, which are lacking from the aphid's plant sap diet. It is unclear if the aphid host differentially expresses aphid EAA metabolism pathways and genes that collaborate with Buchnera for the production of EAA and vitamins throughout nymphal development when feeding on plants. It is also unclear if aphid bacteriocytes are differentially methylated throughout aphid development as DNA methylation may play a role in gene regulation. By analyzing aphid gene expression, we determined that the bacteriocyte is metabolically more active in metabolizing Buchnera's EAAs and vitamins early in nymphal development compared to intermediate or later immature and adult lifestages. The largest changes in aphid bacteriocyte gene expression, especially for aphid genes that collaborate with Buchnera, occurred during the 3rd to 4th instar transition. During this transition, there is a huge shift in the bacteriocyte from a high energy "nutrient-consuming state" to a "recovery and growth state" where patterning and signaling genes and pathways are upregulated and differentially methylated, and de novo methylation is reduced as evidenced by homogenous DNA methylation profiles after the 2nd instar. Moreover, bacteriocyte number increased and Buchnera's titer decreased throughout aphid nymphal development. These data suggest in combination that bacteriocytes of older nymphal and adult lifestages depend less on the nutritional symbiosis compared to early nymphal lifestages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Pers
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Allison K Hansen
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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13
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Perreau J, Moran NA. Genetic innovations in animal-microbe symbioses. Nat Rev Genet 2021; 23:23-39. [PMID: 34389828 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-021-00395-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Animal hosts have initiated myriad symbiotic associations with microorganisms and often have maintained these symbioses for millions of years, spanning drastic changes in ecological conditions and lifestyles. The establishment and persistence of these relationships require genetic innovations on the parts of both symbionts and hosts. The nature of symbiont innovations depends on their genetic population structure, categorized here as open, closed or mixed. These categories reflect modes of inter-host transmission that result in distinct genomic features, or genomic syndromes, in symbionts. Although less studied, hosts also innovate in order to preserve and control symbiotic partnerships. New capabilities to sequence host-associated microbial communities and to experimentally manipulate both hosts and symbionts are providing unprecedented insights into how genetic innovations arise under different symbiont population structures and how these innovations function to support symbiotic relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Perreau
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Nancy A Moran
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
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14
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Neiers F, Saliou JM, Briand L, Robichon A. Adaptive Variation of Buchnera Endosymbiont Density in Aphid Host Acyrthosiphon pisum Controlled by Environmental Conditions. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:17902-17914. [PMID: 34308025 PMCID: PMC8296009 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c01465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The scarcity of transcriptional regulatory genes in Buchnera aphidicola, an obligate endosymbiont in aphids, suggests the stability of expressed gene patterns and metabolic pathways. This observation argues in favor of the hypothesis that this endosymbiont bacteria might contribute little to the host adaptation when aphid hosts are facing challenging fluctuating environment. Finding evidence for the increased expression or silenced genes involved in metabolic pathways under the pressure of stress conditions and/or a given environment has been challenging for experimenters with this bacterial symbiotic model. Transcriptomic data have shown that Buchnera gene expression changes are confined to a narrow range when the aphids face brutal environmental variations. In this report, we demonstrate that instead of manipulating individual genes, the conditions may act on the relative mass of endosymbiont corresponding to the needs of the host. The control of the fluctuating number of endosymbiont cells per individual host appears to be an unexpected regulatory modality that contributes to the adaptation of aphids to their environment. This feature may account for the success of the symbiotic advantages in overcoming the drastic changes in temperature and food supplies during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrice Neiers
- Centre des Sciences
du Goût et de l’Alimentation (CSGA), Université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté, CNRS, INRA, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Jean-Michel Saliou
- Institut Pasteur de Lille, Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, US 41—UMS 2014—PLBS, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Loïc Briand
- Centre des Sciences
du Goût et de l’Alimentation (CSGA), Université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté, CNRS, INRA, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Alain Robichon
- ISA, Université Côte
dʼAzur, INRA, CNRS, 06903 Sophia Antipolis, France
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15
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Isolation of the Buchnera aphidicola flagellum basal body complexes from the Buchnera membrane. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245710. [PMID: 33970928 PMCID: PMC8109811 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Buchnera aphidicola is an intracellular bacterial symbiont of aphids and maintains a small genome of only 600 kbps. Buchnera is thought to maintain only genes relevant to the symbiosis with its aphid host. Curiously, the Buchnera genome contains gene clusters coding for flagellum basal body structural proteins and for flagellum type III export machinery. These structures have been shown to be highly expressed and present in large numbers on Buchnera cells. No recognizable pathogenicity factors or secreted proteins have been identified in the Buchnera genome, and the relevance of this protein complex to the symbiosis is unknown. Here, we show isolation of Buchnera flagellum basal body proteins from the cellular membrane of Buchnera, confirming the enrichment of flagellum basal body proteins relative to other proteins in the Buchnera proteome. This will facilitate studies of the structure and function of the Buchnera flagellum structure, and its role in this model symbiosis.
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16
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Aliashkevich A, Howell M, Brown PJB, Cava F. d-canavanine affects peptidoglycan structure, morphogenesis and fitness in Rhizobiales. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:5823-5836. [PMID: 33830599 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The bacterial cell wall is made of peptidoglycan (PG), a polymer that is essential for maintenance of cell shape and survival. Many bacteria alter their PG chemistry as a strategy to adapt their cell wall to external challenges. Therefore, identifying these environmental cues is important to better understand the interplay between microbes and their habitat. Here, we used the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida to uncover cell wall modulators from plant extracts and found canavanine (CAN), a non-proteinogenic amino acid. We demonstrated that cell wall chemical editing by CAN is licensed by P. putida BSAR, a broad-spectrum racemase which catalyses production of dl-CAN from l-CAN, which is produced by many legumes. Importantly, d-CAN diffuses to the extracellular milieu thereby having a potential impact on other organisms inhabiting the same niche. Our results show that d-CAN alters dramatically the PG structure of Rhizobiales (e.g., Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Sinorhizobium meliloti), impairing PG crosslinkage and cell division. Using A. tumefaciens, we demonstrated that the detrimental effect of d-CAN is suppressed by a single amino acid substitution in the cell division PG transpeptidase penicillin binding protein 3a. Collectively, this work highlights the role of amino acid racemization in cell wall chemical editing and fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Aliashkevich
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Matthew Howell
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65201, USA.,Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Westminster College, Fulton, MO, 65251, USA
| | - Pamela J B Brown
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65201, USA
| | - Felipe Cava
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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17
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Mubarik MS, Khan SH, Ahmad A, Raza A, Khan Z, Sajjad M, Sammour RHA, Mustafa AEZM, Al-Ghamdi AA, Alajmi AH, Alshamasi FKI, Elshikh MS. Controlling Geminiviruses before Transmission: Prospects. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 9:E1556. [PMID: 33198339 PMCID: PMC7697176 DOI: 10.3390/plants9111556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)-transmitted Geminiviruses cause serious diseases of crop plants in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Plants, animals, and their microbial symbionts have evolved complex ways to interact with each other that impact their life cycles. Blocking virus transmission by altering the biology of vector species, such as the whitefly, can be a potential approach to manage these devastating diseases. Virus transmission by insect vectors to plant hosts often involves bacterial endosymbionts. Molecular chaperonins of bacterial endosymbionts bind with virus particles and have a key role in the transmission of Geminiviruses. Hence, devising new approaches to obstruct virus transmission by manipulating bacterial endosymbionts before infection opens new avenues for viral disease control. The exploitation of bacterial endosymbiont within the insect vector would disrupt interactions among viruses, insects, and their bacterial endosymbionts. The study of this cooperating web could potentially decrease virus transmission and possibly represent an effective solution to control viral diseases in crop plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Salman Mubarik
- Centre for Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology (CABB), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan;
| | - Sultan Habibullah Khan
- Centre for Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology (CABB), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan;
- Center of Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security (CAS-AFS), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan;
| | - Aftab Ahmad
- Center of Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security (CAS-AFS), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan;
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
| | - Ali Raza
- Key Lab of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Wuhan 430062, China;
| | - Zulqurnain Khan
- Institute of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology (IPBB), MNS University of Agriculture, Multan 66000, Pakistan;
| | - Muhammad Sajjad
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Park Road, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan;
| | - Reda Helmy Ahmed Sammour
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia; (R.H.A.S.); (A.A.A.-G.); (A.H.A.); (F.K.I.A.); (M.S.E.)
| | - Abd El-Zaher M.A. Mustafa
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia; (R.H.A.S.); (A.A.A.-G.); (A.H.A.); (F.K.I.A.); (M.S.E.)
- Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta 31511, Egypt
| | - Abdullah Ahmed Al-Ghamdi
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia; (R.H.A.S.); (A.A.A.-G.); (A.H.A.); (F.K.I.A.); (M.S.E.)
| | - Amal H. Alajmi
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia; (R.H.A.S.); (A.A.A.-G.); (A.H.A.); (F.K.I.A.); (M.S.E.)
| | - Fatin K. I. Alshamasi
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia; (R.H.A.S.); (A.A.A.-G.); (A.H.A.); (F.K.I.A.); (M.S.E.)
| | - Mohamed Soliman Elshikh
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia; (R.H.A.S.); (A.A.A.-G.); (A.H.A.); (F.K.I.A.); (M.S.E.)
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18
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Abstract
For the last century we have relied on model organisms to help understand fundamental biological processes. Now, with advancements in genome sequencing, assembly, and annotation, non-model organisms may be studied with the same advanced bioanalytical toolkit as model organisms. Proteomics is one such technique, which classically relies on predicted protein sequences to catalog and measure complex proteomes across tissues and biofluids. Applying proteomics to non-model organisms can advance and accelerate biomimicry studies, biomedical advancements, veterinary medicine, agricultural research, behavioral ecology, and food safety. In this postmodel organism era, we can study almost any species, meaning that many non-model organisms are, in fact, important emerging model organisms. Herein we specifically focus on eukaryotic organisms and discuss the steps to generate sequence databases, analyze proteomic data with or without a database, and interpret results as well as future research opportunities. Proteomics is more accessible than ever before and will continue to rapidly advance in the coming years, enabling critical research and discoveries in non-model organisms that were hitherto impossible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Heck
- Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Plant Pathology and Plant Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Benjamin A. Neely
- Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, USA
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19
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Duplouy A, Minard G, Saastamoinen M. The gut bacterial community affects immunity but not metabolism in a specialist herbivorous butterfly. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:8755-8769. [PMID: 32884655 PMCID: PMC7452788 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant tissues often lack essential nutritive elements and may contain a range of secondary toxic compounds. As nutritional imbalance in food intake may affect the performances of herbivores, the latter have evolved a variety of physiological mechanisms to cope with the challenges of digesting their plant-based diet. Some of these strategies involve living in association with symbiotic microbes that promote the digestion and detoxification of plant compounds or supply their host with essential nutrients missing from the plant diet. In Lepidoptera, a growing body of evidence has, however, recently challenged the idea that herbivores are nutritionally dependent on their gut microbial community. It is suggested that many of the herbivorous Lepidopteran species may not host a resident microbial community, but rather a transient one, acquired from their environment and diet. Studies directly testing these hypotheses are however scarce and come from an even more limited number of species.By coupling comparative metabarcoding, immune gene expression, and metabolomics analyses with experimental manipulation of the gut microbial community of prediapause larvae of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia, L.), we tested whether the gut microbial community supports early larval growth and survival, or modulates metabolism or immunity during early stages of development.We successfully altered this microbiota through antibiotic treatments and consecutively restored it through fecal transplants from conspecifics. Our study suggests that although the microbiota is involved in the up-regulation of an antimicrobial peptide, it did not affect the life history traits or the metabolism of early instars larvae.This study confirms the poor impact of the microbiota on diverse life history traits of yet another Lepidoptera species. However, it also suggests that potential eco-evolutionary host-symbiont strategies that take place in the gut of herbivorous butterfly hosts might have been disregarded, particularly how the microbiota may affect the host immune system homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Duplouy
- Department of Biology, Biodiversity UnitLund UniversityLundSweden
- Research Centre for Ecological changes, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgramFaculty of Environmental and Biological SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Guillaume Minard
- Research Centre for Ecological changes, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgramFaculty of Environmental and Biological SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Laboratory of Microbial EcologyUMR CNRS 5557UMR INRA 1418University Claude Bernard Lyon 1VilleurbanneFrance
| | - Marjo Saastamoinen
- Research Centre for Ecological changes, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgramFaculty of Environmental and Biological SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Helsinki Institute of Life ScienceUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
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20
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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] [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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Husnik F, Hypsa V, Darby A. Insect-Symbiont Gene Expression in the Midgut Bacteriocytes of a Blood-Sucking Parasite. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 12:429-442. [PMID: 32068830 PMCID: PMC7197495 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals interact with a diverse array of both beneficial and detrimental microorganisms. In insects, these symbioses in many cases allow feeding on nutritionally unbalanced diets. It is, however, still not clear how are obligate symbioses maintained at the cellular level for up to several hundred million years. Exact mechanisms driving host-symbiont interactions are only understood for a handful of model species and data on blood-feeding hosts with intracellular bacteria are particularly scarce. Here, we analyzed interactions between an obligately blood-sucking parasite of sheep, the louse fly Melophagus ovinus, and its obligate endosymbiont, Arsenophonus melophagi. We assembled a reference transcriptome for the insect host and used dual RNA-Seq with five biological replicates to compare expression in the midgut cells specialized for housing symbiotic bacteria (bacteriocytes) to the rest of the gut (foregut-hindgut). We found strong evidence for the importance of zinc in the system likely caused by symbionts using zinc-dependent proteases when acquiring amino acids, and for different immunity mechanisms controlling the symbionts than in closely related tsetse flies. Our results show that cellular and nutritional interactions between this blood-sucking insect and its symbionts are less intimate than what was previously found in most plant-sap sucking insects. This finding is likely interconnected to several features observed in symbionts in blood-sucking arthropods, particularly their midgut intracellular localization, intracytoplasmic presence, less severe genome reduction, and relatively recent associations caused by frequent evolutionary losses and replacements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Husnik
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Vaclav Hypsa
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Alistair Darby
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
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22
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Symbiont replacements reset the co-evolutionary relationship between insects and their heritable bacteria. ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:1384-1395. [PMID: 32076126 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0616-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Auchenorrhynchan insects (Hemiptera) generally depend on two bacterial symbionts for nutrition. These bacteria experience extreme genome reduction and loss of essential cell functions that require direct host support, or the replacement of failing symbionts with more capable ones. However, it remains unclear how hosts adapt to integrate symbionts into their systems, particularly when they are replaced. Here, we comparatively investigated the evolution of host-support mechanisms in the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (GWSS), and the aster leafhopper, Macrosteles quadrilineatus (ALF). ALF harbors the ancestral co-symbionts of the Auchenorrhyncha that have tiny genomes, Sulcia (190 kb) and Nasuia (112 kb). In GWSS, Sulcia retains an expanded genome (245 kb), but Nasuia was replaced by the more capable Baumannia (686 kb). To support their symbionts, GWSS and ALF have evolved novel mechanisms via horizontal gene transfer, gene duplication, and co-option of mitochondrial support genes. However, GWSS has fewer support systems targeting essential bacterial processes. In particular, although both hosts use ancestral mechanisms to support Sulcia, GWSS does not encode all of the same support genes required to sustain Sulcia-ALF or Nasuia. Moreover, GWSS support of Baumannia is far more limited and tailored to its expanded capabilities. Our results demonstrate how symbiont replacements shape host genomes and the co-evolutionary process.
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23
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Nucleocytoplasmic Proteomic Analysis Uncovers eRF1 and Nonsense-Mediated Decay as Modifiers of ALS/FTD C9orf72 Toxicity. Neuron 2020; 106:90-107.e13. [PMID: 32059759 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9orf72 (C9-HRE). While RNA and dipeptide repeats produced by C9-HRE disrupt nucleocytoplasmic transport, the proteins that become redistributed remain unknown. Here, we utilized subcellular fractionation coupled with tandem mass spectrometry and identified 126 proteins, enriched for protein translation and RNA metabolism pathways, which collectively drive a shift toward a more cytosolic proteome in C9-HRE cells. Among these was eRF1, which regulates translation termination and nonsense-mediated decay (NMD). eRF1 accumulates within elaborate nuclear envelope invaginations in patient induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) neurons and postmortem tissue and mediates a protective shift from protein translation to NMD-dependent mRNA degradation. Overexpression of eRF1 and the NMD driver UPF1 ameliorate C9-HRE toxicity in vivo. Our findings provide a resource for proteome-wide nucleocytoplasmic alterations across neurodegeneration-associated repeat expansion mutations and highlight eRF1 and NMD as therapeutic targets in C9orf72-associated ALS and/or FTD.
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Chong RA, Park H, Moran NA. Genome Evolution of the Obligate Endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 36:1481-1489. [PMID: 30989224 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
An evolutionary consequence of uniparentally transmitted symbiosis is degradation of symbiont genomes. We use the system of aphids and their maternally inherited obligate endosymbiont, Buchnera aphidicola, to explore the evolutionary process of genome degradation. We compared complete genome sequences for 39 Buchnera strains, including 23 newly sequenced symbiont genomes from diverse aphid hosts. We reconstructed the genome of the most recent shared Buchnera ancestor, which contained 616 protein-coding genes, and 39 RNA genes. The extent of subsequent gene loss varied across lineages, resulting in modern genomes ranging from 412 to 646 kb and containing 354-587 protein-coding genes. Loss events were highly nonrandom across loci. Genes involved in replication, transcription, translation, and amino acid biosynthesis are largely retained, whereas genes underlying ornithine biosynthesis, stress responses, and transcriptional regulation were lost repeatedly. Aside from losses, gene order is almost completely stable. The main exceptions involve movement between plasmid and chromosome locations of genes underlying tryptophan and leucine biosynthesis and supporting nutrition of aphid hosts. This set of complete genomes enabled tests for signatures of positive diversifying selection. Of 371 Buchnera genes tested, 29 genes show strong support for ongoing positive selection. These include genes encoding outer membrane porins that are expected to be involved in direct interactions with hosts. Collectively, these results indicate that extensive genome reduction occurred in the ancestral Buchnera prior to aphid diversification and that reduction has continued since, with losses greater in some lineages and for some loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Chong
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
- Department of Biology, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI
| | - Hyunjin Park
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
| | - Nancy A Moran
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
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George EE, Husnik F, Tashyreva D, Prokopchuk G, Horák A, Kwong WK, Lukeš J, Keeling PJ. Highly Reduced Genomes of Protist Endosymbionts Show Evolutionary Convergence. Curr Biol 2020; 30:925-933.e3. [PMID: 31978335 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.12.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Genome evolution in bacterial endosymbionts is notoriously extreme: the combined effects of strong genetic drift and unique selective pressures result in highly reduced genomes with distinctive adaptations to hosts [1-4]. These processes are mostly known from animal endosymbionts, where nutritional endosymbioses represent the best-studied systems. However, eukaryotic microbes, or protists, also harbor diverse bacterial endosymbionts, but their genome reduction and functional relationships with their hosts are largely unexplored [5-7]. We sequenced the genomes of four bacterial endosymbionts from three species of diplonemids, poorly studied but abundant and diverse heterotrophic protists [8-12]. The endosymbionts come from two bacterial families, Rickettsiaceae and Holosporaceae, that have invaded two families of diplonemids, and their genomes have converged on an extremely small size (605-632 kilobase pairs [kbp]), similar gene content (e.g., metabolite transporters and secretion systems), and reduced metabolic potential (e.g., loss of energy metabolism). These characteristics are generally found in both families, but the diplonemid endosymbionts have evolved greater extremes in parallel. They possess modified type VI secretion systems that could function in manipulating host metabolism or other intracellular interactions. Finally, modified cellular machinery like the ATP synthase without oxidative phosphorylation, and the reduced flagellar apparatus present in some diplonemid endosymbionts and nutritional animal endosymbionts, indicates that intracellular mechanisms have converged in bacterial endosymbionts with various functions and from different eukaryotic hosts across the tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E George
- University of British Columbia, Department of Botany, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Filip Husnik
- University of British Columbia, Department of Botany, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Daria Tashyreva
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Galina Prokopchuk
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Aleš Horák
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Waldan K Kwong
- University of British Columbia, Department of Botany, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- University of British Columbia, Department of Botany, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Coordination of host and symbiont gene expression reveals a metabolic tug-of-war between aphids and Buchnera. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:2113-2121. [PMID: 31964845 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1916748117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Symbioses between animals and microbes are often described as mutualistic, but are subject to tradeoffs that may manifest as shifts in host and symbiont metabolism, cellular processes, or symbiont density. In pea aphids, the bacterial symbiont Buchnera is confined to specialized aphid cells called bacteriocytes, where it produces essential amino acids needed by hosts. This relationship is dynamic; Buchnera titer varies within individual aphids and among different clonal aphid lineages, and is affected by environmental and host genetic factors. We examined how host genotypic variation relates to host and symbiont function among seven aphid clones differing in Buchnera titer. We found that bacteriocyte gene expression varies among individual aphids and among aphid clones, and that Buchnera gene expression changes in response. By comparing hosts with low and high Buchnera titer, we found that aphids and Buchnera oppositely regulate genes underlying amino acid biosynthesis and cell growth. In high-titer hosts, both bacteriocytes and symbionts show elevated expression of genes underlying energy metabolism. Several eukaryotic cell signaling pathways are differentially expressed in bacteriocytes of low- versus high-titer hosts: Cell-growth pathways are up-regulated in low-titer genotypes, while membrane trafficking, lysosomal processes, and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and cytokine pathways are up-regulated in high-titer genotypes. Specific Buchnera functions are up-regulated within different bacteriocyte environments, with genes underlying flagellar body secretion and flagellar assembly overexpressed in low- and high-titer hosts, respectively. Overall, our results reveal allowances and demands made by both host and symbiont engaged in a metabolic "tug-of-war."
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Minimal fermentative metabolism fuels extracellular symbiont in a leaf beetle. ISME JOURNAL 2019; 14:866-870. [PMID: 31796934 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-019-0562-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
While genome erosion is extensively studied in intracellular symbionts, the metabolic implications of reductive evolution in microbes subsisting extracellularly remain poorly understood. Stammera capleta-an extracellular symbiont in leaf beetles-possesses an extremely reduced genome (0.27 Mb), enabling the study of drastic reductive evolution in the absence of intracellularity. Here, we outline the genomic and transcriptomic profiles of Stammera and its host to elucidate host-symbiont metabolic interactions. Given the symbiont's substantial demands for nutrients and membrane components, the host's symbiotic organ shows repurposing of internal resources by upregulating nutrient transporters and cuticle-processing genes targeting epithelial chitin. Facilitated by this supplementation and its localization, Stammera exhibits a highly streamlined gene expression profile and a fermentation pathway for energy conversion, sharply contrasting the respiratory metabolism retained by most intracellular symbionts. Our results provide insights into a tightly regulated and metabolically integrated extracellular symbiosis, expanding our understanding of the minimal metabolism required to sustain life outside of a host cell.
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Thairu MW, Hansen AK. Changes in Aphid Host Plant Diet Influence the Small-RNA Expression Profiles of Its Obligate Nutritional Symbiont, Buchnera. mBio 2019; 10:e01733-19. [PMID: 31744912 PMCID: PMC6867890 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01733-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants are a difficult food resource to use, and herbivorous insects have evolved a variety of mechanisms that allow them to fully exploit this poor nutritional resource. One such mechanism is the maintenance of bacterial symbionts that aid in host plant feeding and development. The majority of these intracellular symbionts have highly eroded genomes that lack many key regulatory genes; consequently, it is unclear if these symbionts can respond to changes in the insect's diet to facilitate host plant use. There is emerging evidence that symbionts with highly eroded genomes express small RNAs (sRNAs), some of which potentially regulate gene expression. In this study, we sought to determine if the reduced genome of the nutritional symbiont (Buchnera) in the pea aphid responds to changes in the aphid's host plant diet. Using transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), Buchnera sRNA expression profiles were characterized within two Buchnera life stages when pea aphids fed on either alfalfa or fava bean. Overall, this study demonstrates that Buchnera sRNA expression changes not only with life stage but also with changes in aphid host plant diet. Of the 321 sRNAs characterized in this study, 47% were previously identified and 22% showed evidence of conservation in two or more Buchnera taxa. Functionally, 13 differentially expressed sRNAs were predicted to target genes related to pathways involved in essential amino acid biosynthesis. Overall, results from this study reveal that host plant diet influences the expression of conserved and lineage-specific sRNAs in Buchnera and that these sRNAs display distinct host plant-specific expression profiles among biological replicates.IMPORTANCE In general, the genomes of intracellular bacterial symbionts are reduced compared to those of free-living relatives and lack many key regulatory genes. Many of these reduced genomes belong to obligate mutualists of insects that feed on a diet that is deficient in essential nutrients, such as essential amino acids. It is unclear if these symbionts respond with their host to changes in insect diet, because of their reduced regulatory capacity. Emerging evidence suggests that these symbionts express small RNAs (sRNAs) that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. Therefore, in this study, we sought to determine if the reduced genome of the nutritional symbiont Buchnera in the pea aphid responds to changes in the aphid's host plant diet. This study demonstrates for the first time that Buchnera sRNAs, some conserved in two or more Buchnera lineages, are differentially expressed when aphids feed on different plant species and potentially target genes within essential amino acid biosynthesis pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret W Thairu
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Allison K Hansen
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
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Feng H, Park JS, Zhai RG, Wilson ACC. microRNA-92a regulates the expression of aphid bacteriocyte-specific secreted protein 1. BMC Res Notes 2019; 12:638. [PMID: 31564246 PMCID: PMC6767646 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-019-4665-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Aphids harbor a nutritional obligate endosymbiont in specialized cells called bacteriocytes, which aggregate to form an organ known as the bacteriome. Aphid bacteriomes display distinct gene expression profiles that facilitate the symbiotic relationship. Currently, the mechanisms that regulate these patterns of gene expression are unknown. Recently using computational pipelines, we identified miRNAs that are conserved in expression in the bacteriomes of two aphid species and proposed that they function as important regulators of bacteriocyte gene expression. Here using a dual luciferase assay in mouse NIH/3T3 cell culture, we aimed to experimentally validate the computationally predicted interaction between Myzus persicae miR-92a and the predicted target region of M. persicae bacteriocyte-specific secreted protein 1 (SP1) mRNA. RESULTS In the dual luciferase assay, miR-92a interacted with the SP1 target region resulting in a significant downregulation of the luciferase signal. Our results demonstrate that miR-92a interacts with SP1 to alter expression in a heterologous expression system, thereby supporting our earlier assertion that miRNAs are regulators of the aphid/Buchnera symbiotic interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honglin Feng
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA. .,Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
| | - Joun S Park
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - R Grace Zhai
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
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Gavelis GS, Gile GH. How did cyanobacteria first embark on the path to becoming plastids?: lessons from protist symbioses. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2019; 365:5079637. [PMID: 30165400 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fny209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbioses between phototrophs and heterotrophs (a.k.a 'photosymbioses') are extremely common, and range from loose and temporary associations to obligate and highly specialized forms. In the history of life, the most transformative was the 'primary endosymbiosis,' wherein a cyanobacterium was engulfed by a eukaryote and became genetically integrated as a heritable photosynthetic organelle, or plastid. By allowing the rise of algae and plants, this event dramatically altered the biosphere, but its remote origin over one billion years ago has obscured the sequence of events leading to its establishment. Here, we review the genetic, physiological and developmental hurdles involved in early primary endosymbiosis. Since we cannot travel back in time to witness these evolutionary junctures, we will draw on examples of unicellular eukaryotes (protists) spanning diverse modes of photosymbiosis. We also review experimental approaches that could be used to recreate aspects of early primary endosymbiosis on a human timescale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory S Gavelis
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Room 611, Life Science Tower E, 427 E, Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Gillian H Gile
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Room 611, Life Science Tower E, 427 E, Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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Abstract
Plant sap-feeding insects thrive despite feeding exclusively on a diet lacking in essential amino acids. This nutritional deficit is countered through endosymbiotic relationships with microbial symbionts. Nonessential amino acids, vital for microbial symbionts, are utilized by symbiont metabolic pathways and yield essential amino acids required by their eukaryotic hosts. Symbionts are completely dependent on their host to meet nutritional requirements. The endosymbionts are surrounded individually by host-derived symbiosomal membranes and are housed within specialized host bacteriocyte cells. The transport capabilities of the symbiosomal membrane remain unknown. Here, we identify a transport system that mediates a crucial step in this metabolic complementarity: a transporter capable of transporting nonessential amino acids across the symbiosomal membrane of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. Plant sap-feeding insects are widespread, having evolved to occupy diverse environmental niches despite exclusive feeding on an impoverished diet lacking in essential amino acids and vitamins. Success depends exquisitely on their symbiotic relationships with microbial symbionts housed within specialized eukaryotic bacteriocyte cells. Each bacteriocyte is packed with symbionts that are individually surrounded by a host-derived symbiosomal membrane representing the absolute host–symbiont interface. The symbiosomal membrane must be a dynamic and selectively permeable structure to enable bidirectional and differential movement of essential nutrients, metabolites, and biosynthetic intermediates, vital for growth and survival of host and symbiont. However, despite this crucial role, the molecular basis of membrane transport across the symbiosomal membrane remains unresolved in all bacteriocyte-containing insects. A transport protein was immunolocalized to the symbiosomal membrane separating the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum from its intracellular symbiont Buchnera aphidicola. The transporter, A. pisum nonessential amino acid transporter 1, or ApNEAAT1 (gene: ACYPI008971), was characterized functionally following heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes, and mediates both inward and outward transport of small dipolar amino acids (serine, proline, cysteine, alanine, glycine). Electroneutral ApNEAAT1 transport is driven by amino acid concentration gradients and is not coupled to transmembrane ion gradients. Previous metabolite profiling of hemolymph and bacteriocyte, alongside metabolic pathway analysis in host and symbiont, enable prediction of a physiological role for ApNEAAT1 in bidirectional host–symbiont amino acid transfer, supplying both host and symbiont with indispensable nutrients and biosynthetic precursors to facilitate metabolic complementarity.
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32
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Mergaert P. Role of antimicrobial peptides in controlling symbiotic bacterial populations. Nat Prod Rep 2019; 35:336-356. [PMID: 29393944 DOI: 10.1039/c7np00056a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Covering: up to 2018 Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been known for well over three decades as crucial mediators of the innate immune response in animals and plants, where they are involved in the killing of infecting microbes. However, AMPs have now also been found to be produced by eukaryotic hosts during symbiotic interactions with bacteria. These symbiotic AMPs target the symbionts and therefore have a more subtle biological role: not eliminating the microbial symbiont population but rather keeping it in check. The arsenal of AMPs and the symbionts' adaptations to resist them are in a careful balance, which contributes to the establishment of the host-microbe homeostasis. Although in many cases the biological roles of symbiotic AMPs remain elusive, for a number of symbiotic interactions, precise functions have been assigned or proposed to the AMPs, which are discussed here. The microbiota living on epithelia in animals, from the most primitive ones to the mammals, are challenged by a cocktail of AMPs that determine the specific composition of the bacterial community as well as its spatial organization. In the symbiosis of legume plants with nitrogen-fixing rhizobium bacteria, the host deploys an extremely large panel of AMPs - called nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides - that drive the bacteria into a terminally differentiated state and manipulate the symbiont physiology to maximize the benefit for the host. The NCR peptides are used as tools to enslave the bacterial symbionts, limiting their reproduction but keeping them metabolically active for nitrogen fixation. In the nutritional symbiotic interactions of insects and protists that have vertically transmitted bacterial symbionts with reduced genomes, symbiotic AMPs could facilitate the integration of the endosymbiont and host metabolism by favouring the flow of metabolites across the symbiont membrane through membrane permeabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Mergaert
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, UMR9198, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
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Bustamante-Brito R, Vera-Ponce de León A, Rosenblueth M, Martínez-Romero JC, Martínez-Romero E. Metatranscriptomic Analysis of the Bacterial Symbiont Dactylopiibacterium carminicum from the Carmine Cochineal Dactylopius coccus (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Dactylopiidae). Life (Basel) 2019; 9:life9010004. [PMID: 30609847 PMCID: PMC6463064 DOI: 10.3390/life9010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The scale insect Dactylopius coccus produces high amounts of carminic acid, which has historically been used as a pigment by pre-Hispanic American cultures. Nowadays carmine is found in food, cosmetics, and textiles. Metagenomic approaches revealed that Dactylopius spp. cochineals contain two Wolbachia strains, a betaproteobacterium named Candidatus Dactylopiibacterium carminicum and Spiroplasma, in addition to different fungi. We describe here a transcriptomic analysis indicating that Dactylopiibacterium is metabolically active inside the insect host, and estimate that there are over twice as many Dactylopiibacterium cells in the hemolymph than in the gut, with even fewer in the ovary. Albeit scarce, the transcripts in the ovaries support the presence of Dactylopiibacterium in this tissue and a vertical mode of transmission. In the cochineal, Dactylopiibacterium may catabolize plant polysaccharides, and be active in carbon and nitrogen provisioning through its degradative activity and by fixing nitrogen. In most insects, nitrogen-fixing bacteria are found in the gut, but in this study they are shown to occur in the hemolymph, probably delivering essential amino acids and riboflavin to the host from nitrogen substrates derived from nitrogen fixation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Bustamante-Brito
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos C.P. 62210, Mexico.
| | - Arturo Vera-Ponce de León
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos C.P. 62210, Mexico.
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Mónica Rosenblueth
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos C.P. 62210, Mexico.
| | - Julio César Martínez-Romero
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos C.P. 62210, Mexico.
| | - Esperanza Martínez-Romero
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM, Cuernavaca, Morelos C.P. 62210, Mexico.
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Colella S, Parisot N, Simonet P, Gaget K, Duport G, Baa-Puyoulet P, Rahbé Y, Charles H, Febvay G, Callaerts P, Calevro F. Bacteriocyte Reprogramming to Cope With Nutritional Stress in a Phloem Sap Feeding Hemipteran, the Pea Aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. Front Physiol 2018; 9:1498. [PMID: 30410449 PMCID: PMC6209921 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nutritional symbioses play a central role in the ability of insects to thrive on unbalanced diets and in ensuring their evolutionary success. A genomic model for nutritional symbiosis comprises the hemipteran Acyrthosiphon pisum, and the gamma-3-proteobacterium, Buchnera aphidicola, with genomes encoding highly integrated metabolic pathways. A. pisum feeds exclusively on plant phloem sap, a nutritionally unbalanced diet highly variable in composition, thus raising the question of how this symbiotic system responds to nutritional stress. We addressed this by combining transcriptomic, phenotypic and life history trait analyses to determine the organismal impact of deprivation of tyrosine and phenylalanine. These two aromatic amino acids are essential for aphid development, are synthesized in a metabolic pathway for which the aphid host and the endosymbiont are interdependent, and their concentration can be highly variable in plant phloem sap. We found that this nutritional challenge does not have major phenotypic effects on the pea aphid, except for a limited weight reduction and a 2-day delay in onset of nymph laying. Transcriptomic analyses through aphid development showed a prominent response in bacteriocytes (the core symbiotic tissue which houses the symbionts), but not in gut, thus highlighting the role of bacteriocytes as major modulators of this homeostasis. This response does not involve a direct regulation of tyrosine and phenylalanine biosynthetic pathway and transporter genes. Instead, we observed an extensive transcriptional reprogramming of the bacteriocyte with a rapid down-regulation of genes encoding sugar transporters and genes required for sugar metabolism. Consistently, we observed continued overexpression of the A. pisum homolog of RRAD, a small GTPase implicated in repressing aerobic glycolysis. In addition, we found increased transcription of genes involved in proliferation, cell size control and signaling. We experimentally confirmed the significance of these gene expression changes detecting an increase in bacteriocyte number and cell size in vivo under tyrosine and phenylalanine depletion. Our results support a central role of bacteriocytes in the aphid response to amino acid deprivation: their transcriptional and cellular responses fine-tune host physiology providing the host insect with an effective way to cope with the challenges posed by the variability in composition of phloem sap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Colella
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Nicolas Parisot
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Pierre Simonet
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Karen Gaget
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Gabrielle Duport
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | | | - Yvan Rahbé
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Hubert Charles
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Gérard Febvay
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Patrick Callaerts
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Developmental Genetics, Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Federica Calevro
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
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Bennett GM, Mao M. Comparative genomics of a quadripartite symbiosis in a planthopper host reveals the origins and rearranged nutritional responsibilities of anciently diverged bacterial lineages. Environ Microbiol 2018; 20:4461-4472. [PMID: 30047196 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Insects in the Auchenorrhyncha (Hemiptera: Suborder) established nutritional symbioses with bacteria approximately 300 million years ago (MYA). The suborder split early during its diversification (~ 250 MYA) into the Fulgoroidea (planthoppers) and Cicadomorpha (leafhoppers and cicadas). The two lineages share some symbionts, including Sulcia and possibly a Betaproteobacteria that collaboratively provide their hosts with 10 essential amino acids (EAA). Some hosts harbour three bacteria, as is common among planthoppers. However, genomic studies are currently restricted to the dual-bacterial symbioses found in Cicadomorpha, leaving the origins and functions of these more complex symbioses unclear. To address these questions, we sequenced the genomes and performed phylogenomic analyses of 'Candidatus Sulcia muelleri' (Bacteroidetes), 'Ca. Vidania fulgoroideae' (Betaproteobacteria) and 'Ca. Purcelliella pentastirinorum' (Gammaproteobacteria) from a planthopper (Cixiidae: Oliarus). In contrast to the Cicadomorpha, nutritional synthesis responsibilities are rearranged between the cixiid symbionts. Although Sulcia has a highly conserved genome across the Auchenorrhyncha, in the cixiids it is greatly reduced and provides only three EAAs. Vidania contributes the remaining seven EAAs. Phylogenomic results suggest that it represents an ancient symbiont lineage paired with Sulcia throughout the Auchenorrhyncha. Finally, Purcelliella was recently acquired from plant-insect associated bacteria (Pantoea-Erwinia) to provide B vitamins and metabolic support to its degenerate partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon M Bennett
- Life and Environmental Sciences Unit, University of California, Merced, CA, 95343, USA.,Department of Plant and Environmental Protections Sciences, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
| | - Meng Mao
- Life and Environmental Sciences Unit, University of California, Merced, CA, 95343, USA.,Department of Plant and Environmental Protections Sciences, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
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Douglas AE. Omics and the metabolic function of insect-microbial symbioses. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 29:1-6. [PMID: 30551814 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Omic studies of metabolic interactions between insects and their microbial symbionts enable us to construct precise hypotheses, especially regarding the metabolic services provided by microbial partners and the identity of metabolites exchanged between microorganisms and the insect host. Valuable sources of information include the complement of metabolism-related genes in the microbial partners, and differences in the abundance of transcripts, proteins or metabolites, either between microbe-bearing organs and the whole body or between insects bearing and lacking microbial symbionts. Hypotheses generated from omic data can, most productively, be tested by experiments using reverse genetics for precise manipulation of the gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela E Douglas
- Department of Entomology and Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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Manzano-Marín A, Coeur d'acier A, Clamens AL, Orvain C, Cruaud C, Barbe V, Jousselin E. A Freeloader? The Highly Eroded Yet Large Genome of the Serratia symbiotica Symbiont of Cinara strobi. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:2178-2189. [PMID: 30102395 PMCID: PMC6125246 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome reduction is pervasive among maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts. This genome reduction can eventually lead to serious deterioration of essential metabolic pathways, thus rendering an obligate endosymbiont unable to provide essential nutrients to its host. This loss of essential pathways can lead to either symbiont complementation (sharing of the nutrient production with a novel co-obligate symbiont) or symbiont replacement (complete takeover of nutrient production by the novel symbiont). However, the process by which these two evolutionary events happen remains somewhat enigmatic by the lack of examples of intermediate stages of this process. Cinara aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) typically harbor two obligate bacterial symbionts: Buchnera and Serratia symbiotica. However, the latter has been replaced by different bacterial taxa in specific lineages, and thus species within this aphid lineage could provide important clues into the process of symbiont replacement. In the present study, using 16S rRNA high-throughput amplicon sequencing, we determined that the aphid Cinara strobi harbors not two, but three fixed bacterial symbionts: Buchnera aphidicola, a Sodalis sp., and S. symbiotica. Through genome assembly and genome-based metabolic inference, we have found that only the first two symbionts (Buchnera and Sodalis) actually contribute to the hosts' supply of essential nutrients while S. symbiotica has become unable to contribute towards this task. We found that S. symbiotica has a rather large and highly eroded genome which codes only for a few proteins and displays extensive pseudogenization. Thus, we propose an ongoing symbiont replacement within C. strobi, in which a once "competent" S. symbiotica does no longer contribute towards the beneficial association. These results suggest that in dual symbiotic systems, when a substitute cosymbiont is available, genome deterioration can precede genome reduction and a symbiont can be maintained despite the apparent lack of benefit to its host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Manzano-Marín
- UMR 1062 Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations, INRA, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ. Montpellier, France
| | - Armelle Coeur d'acier
- UMR 1062 Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations, INRA, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ. Montpellier, France
| | - Anne-Laure Clamens
- UMR 1062 Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations, INRA, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ. Montpellier, France
| | - Céline Orvain
- Institut de Biologie François-Jacob, CEA, Genoscope, Évry Cedex, France
| | - Corinne Cruaud
- Institut de Biologie François-Jacob, CEA, Genoscope, Évry Cedex, France
| | - Valérie Barbe
- Institut de Biologie François-Jacob, CEA, Genoscope, Évry Cedex, France
| | - Emmanuelle Jousselin
- UMR 1062 Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations, INRA, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ. Montpellier, France
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38
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Kruse A, Ramsey JS, Johnson R, Hall DG, MacCoss MJ, Heck M. Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus Minimally Alters Expression of Immunity and Metabolism Proteins in Hemolymph of Diaphorina citri, the Insect Vector of Huanglongbing. J Proteome Res 2018; 17:2995-3011. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.8b00183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Angela Kruse
- Section of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, School of Integrated Plant Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
- Boyce Thompson
Institute, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - John S. Ramsey
- Boyce Thompson
Institute, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
- Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research Unit, Robert W. Holley Center, United States Department of Agriculature Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS), Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Richard Johnson
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - David G. Hall
- U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Subtropical Insects and Horticulture Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Fort Pierce, Florida 34945, United States
| | - Michael J. MacCoss
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Michelle Heck
- Section of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, School of Integrated Plant Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
- Boyce Thompson
Institute, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
- Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research Unit, Robert W. Holley Center, United States Department of Agriculature Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS), Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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Key Transport and Ammonia Recycling Genes Involved in Aphid Symbiosis Respond to Host-Plant Specialization. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2018; 8:2433-2443. [PMID: 29769291 PMCID: PMC6027869 DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Microbes are known to influence insect-plant interactions; however, it is unclear if host-plant diet influences the regulation of nutritional insect symbioses. The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, requires its nutritional endosymbiont, Buchnera, for the production of essential amino acids. We hypothesize that key aphid genes that regulate the nutritional symbioses respond to host-plant diet when aphids feed on a specialized (alfalfa) compared to a universal host-plant diet (fava), which vary in amino acid profiles. Using RNA-Seq and whole genome bisulfite sequencing, we measured gene expression and DNA methylation profiles for such genes when aphids fed on either their specialized or universal host-plant diets. Our results reveal that when aphids feed on their specialized host-plant they significantly up-regulate and/or hypo-methylate key aphid genes in bacteriocytes related to the amino acid metabolism, including glutamine synthetase in the GOGAT cycle that recycles ammonia into glutamine and the glutamine transporter ApGLNT1. Moreover, regardless of what host-plant aphids feed on we observed significant up-regulation and differential methylation of key genes involved in the amino acid metabolism and the glycine/serine metabolism, a metabolic program observed in proliferating cancer cells potentially to combat oxidative stress. Based on our results, we suggest that this regulatory response of key symbiosis genes in bacteriocytes allows aphids to feed on a suboptimal host-plant that they specialize on.
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40
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Ankrah NYD, Douglas AE. Nutrient factories: metabolic function of beneficial microorganisms associated with insects. Environ Microbiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Angela E. Douglas
- Department of MicrobiologyCornell UniversityIthaca NY14853 USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and GeneticsCornell UniversityIthaca NY14853 USA
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41
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Feng H, Wang L, Wuchty S, Wilson ACC. microRNA regulation in an ancient obligate endosymbiosis. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:1777-1793. [PMID: 29271121 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Although many insects are associated with obligate bacterial endosymbionts, the mechanisms by which these host/endosymbiont associations are regulated remain mysterious. While microRNAs (miRNAs) have been recently identified as regulators of host/microbe interactions, including host/pathogen and host/facultative endosymbiont interactions, the role miRNAs may play in mediating host/obligate endosymbiont interactions is virtually unknown. Here, we identified conserved miRNAs that potentially mediate symbiotic interactions between aphids and their obligate endosymbiont, Buchnera aphidicola. Using small RNA sequence data from Myzus persicae and Acyrthosiphon pisum, we annotated 93 M. persicae and 89 A. pisum miRNAs, among which 69 were shared. We found 14 miRNAs that were either highly expressed in aphid bacteriome, the Buchnera-housing tissue, or differentially expressed in bacteriome vs. gut, a non-Buchnera-housing tissue. Strikingly, 10 of these 14 miRNAs have been implicated previously in other host/microbe interaction studies. Investigating the interaction networks of these miRNAs using a custom computational pipeline, we identified 103 miRNA::mRNA interactions shared between M. persicae and A. pisum. Functional annotation of the shared mRNA targets revealed only two over-represented cluster of orthologous group categories: amino acid transport and metabolism, and signal transduction mechanisms. Our work supports a role for miRNAs in mediating host/symbiont interactions between aphids and their obligate endosymbiont Buchnera. In addition, our results highlight the probable importance of signal transduction mechanisms to host/endosymbiont coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honglin Feng
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Lingyu Wang
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Stefan Wuchty
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.,Department of Computer Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.,Center for Computational Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.,Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Alex C C Wilson
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
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42
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Hosono Y, Niknafs YS, Prensner JR, Iyer MK, Dhanasekaran SM, Mehra R, Pitchiaya S, Tien J, Escara-Wilke J, Poliakov A, Chu SC, Saleh S, Sankar K, Su F, Guo S, Qiao Y, Freier SM, Bui HH, Cao X, Malik R, Johnson TM, Beer DG, Feng FY, Zhou W, Chinnaiyan AM. Oncogenic Role of THOR, a Conserved Cancer/Testis Long Non-coding RNA. Cell 2017; 171:1559-1572.e20. [PMID: 29245011 PMCID: PMC5734106 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.11.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Revised: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale transcriptome sequencing efforts have vastly expanded the catalog of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with varying evolutionary conservation, lineage expression, and cancer specificity. Here, we functionally characterize a novel ultraconserved lncRNA, THOR (ENSG00000226856), which exhibits expression exclusively in testis and a broad range of human cancers. THOR knockdown and overexpression in multiple cell lines and animal models alters cell or tumor growth supporting an oncogenic role. We discovered a conserved interaction of THOR with IGF2BP1 and show that THOR contributes to the mRNA stabilization activities of IGF2BP1. Notably, transgenic THOR knockout produced fertilization defects in zebrafish and also conferred a resistance to melanoma onset. Likewise, ectopic expression of human THOR in zebrafish accelerated the onset of melanoma. THOR represents a novel class of functionally important cancer/testis lncRNAs whose structure and function have undergone positive evolutionary selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuyuki Hosono
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yashar S Niknafs
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - John R Prensner
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew K Iyer
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Saravana M Dhanasekaran
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Rohit Mehra
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Jean Tien
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Anton Poliakov
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shih-Chun Chu
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sahal Saleh
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Keerthana Sankar
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Fengyun Su
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Yuanyuan Qiao
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | | | - Xuhong Cao
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Rohit Malik
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Timothy M Johnson
- Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - David G Beer
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Section of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Felix Y Feng
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Weibin Zhou
- Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Arul M Chinnaiyan
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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43
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Thairu MW, Cheng S, Hansen AK. A sRNA in a reduced mutualistic symbiont genome regulates its own gene expression. Mol Ecol 2017; 27:1766-1776. [PMID: 29134727 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 10/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Similar to other nutritional endosymbionts that are obligate for host survival, the mutualistic aphid endosymbiont, Buchnera, has a highly reduced genome with few regulatory elements. Until recently, it was thought that aphid hosts were primarily responsible for regulating their symbiotic relationship. However, we recently revealed that Buchnera displays differential protein regulation, but not mRNA expression. We also identified a number of conserved small RNAs (sRNAs) that are expressed among Buchnera taxa. In this study, we investigate whether differential protein regulation in Buchnera is the result of post-transcriptional gene regulation via sRNAs. We characterize the sRNA profile of two Buchnera life stages: (i) when Buchnera is transitioning from an extracellular proliferating state in aphid embryos and (ii) when Buchnera is in an intracellular nonproliferating state in aphid bacteriocytes (specialized symbiont cells). Overall, we identified 90 differentially expressed sRNAs, 97% of which were upregulated in aphid embryos. Of these sRNAs, the majority were predicted to be involved in the regulation of various metabolic processes, including arginine biosynthesis. Using a heterologous dual expression vector, we reveal for the first time that a Buchnera antisense sRNA can post-transcriptionally interact with its cognate Buchnera coding sequence, carB, a gene involved in arginine biosynthesis. These results corroborate our in vivo RNAseq and proteomic data, where the candidate antisense sRNA carB and the protein CarB are significantly upregulated in aphid embryos. Overall, we demonstrate that Buchnera may regulate gene expression independently from its host by utilizing sRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret W Thairu
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Siyuan Cheng
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Allison K Hansen
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
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44
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Skidmore IH, Hansen AK. The evolutionary development of plant-feeding insects and their nutritional endosymbionts. INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 24:910-928. [PMID: 28371395 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Herbivorous insects have evolved diverse mechanisms enabling them to feed on plants with suboptimal nutrient availability. Low nutrient availability negatively impacts insect herbivore development and fitness. To overcome this obstacle numerous insect lineages have evolved intimate associations with nutritional endosymbionts. This is especially true for insects that specialize on nitrogen-poor substrates, as these insects are highly dependent on intracellular symbionts to provide nitrogen lacking in their insect host's diet. Emerging evidence in these systems suggest that the symbiont's and/or the insect's biosynthetic pathways are dynamically regulated throughout the insect's development to potentially cope with the insect's changing nutritional demands. In this review, we evaluate the evolutionary development of symbiotic insect cells (bacteriocytes) by comparing and contrasting genes and mechanisms involved in maintaining and regulating the nutritional symbiosis throughout insect development in a diversity of insect herbivore-endosymbiont associations. With new advances in genome sequencing and functional genomics, we evaluate to what extent nutritional symbioses are shaped by (i) the regulation of symbiont titer, (ii) the regulation of insect symbiosis genes, and (iii) the regulation of symbiont genes. We discuss how important these mechanisms are for the biosynthesis of essential amino acids and vitamins across insect life stages in divergent insect-symbiont systems. We conclude by suggesting future directions of research to further elucidate the evolutionary development of bacteriocytes and the impact of these nutritional symbioses on insect-plant interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel H Skidmore
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Allison K Hansen
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
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45
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Ponce-de-Leon M, Tamarit D, Calle-Espinosa J, Mori M, Latorre A, Montero F, Pereto J. Determinism and Contingency Shape Metabolic Complementation in an Endosymbiotic Consortium. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2290. [PMID: 29213256 PMCID: PMC5702781 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial endosymbionts and their insect hosts establish an intimate metabolic relationship. Bacteria offer a variety of essential nutrients to their hosts, whereas insect cells provide the necessary sources of matter and energy to their tiny metabolic allies. These nutritional complementations sustain themselves on a diversity of metabolite exchanges between the cell host and the reduced yet highly specialized bacterial metabolism—which, for instance, overproduces a small set of essential amino acids and vitamins. A well-known case of metabolic complementation is provided by the cedar aphid Cinara cedri that harbors two co-primary endosymbionts, Buchnera aphidicola BCc and Ca. Serratia symbiotica SCc, and in which some metabolic pathways are partitioned between different partners. Here we present a genome-scale metabolic network (GEM) for the bacterial consortium from the cedar aphid iBSCc. The analysis of this GEM allows us the confirmation of cases of metabolic complementation previously described by genome analysis (i.e., tryptophan and biotin biosynthesis) and the redefinition of an event of metabolic pathway sharing between the two endosymbionts, namely the biosynthesis of tetrahydrofolate. In silico knock-out experiments with iBSCc showed that the consortium metabolism is a highly integrated yet fragile network. We also have explored the evolutionary pathways leading to the emergence of metabolic complementation between reduced metabolisms starting from individual, complete networks. Our results suggest that, during the establishment of metabolic complementation in endosymbionts, adaptive evolution is significant in the case of tryptophan biosynthesis, whereas vitamin production pathways seem to adopt suboptimal solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Ponce-de-Leon
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Tamarit
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Molecular Evolution, Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jorge Calle-Espinosa
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Matteo Mori
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Amparo Latorre
- Departament de Genètica, Universitat de València, València, Spain.,Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, Universitat de València-CSIC, València, Spain
| | - Francisco Montero
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juli Pereto
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, Universitat de València-CSIC, València, Spain.,Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat de València, València, Spain
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46
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Genome-Wide Transcriptional Dynamics in the Companion Bacterial Symbionts of the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (Cicadellidae: Homalodisca vitripennis) Reveal Differential Gene Expression in Bacteria Occupying Multiple Host Organs. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2017; 7:3073-3082. [PMID: 28705905 PMCID: PMC5592932 DOI: 10.1534/g3.117.044255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The agricultural pest known as the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) or Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) harbors two bacterial symbionts, “Candidatus Sulcia muelleri” and “Ca. Baumannia cicadellinicola,” which provide the 10 essential amino acids (EAAs) that are limited in the host plant-sap diet. Although they differ in origin and symbiotic age, both bacteria have experienced extensive genome degradation resulting from their ancient restriction to specialized host organs (bacteriomes) that provide cellular support and ensure vertical transmission. GWSS bacteriomes are of different origins and distinctly colored red and yellow. While Sulcia occupies the yellow bacteriome, Baumannia inhabits both. Aside from genomic predictions, little is currently known about the cellular functions of these bacterial symbionts, particularly whether Baumannia in different bacteriomes perform different roles in the symbiosis. To address these questions, we conducted a replicated, strand-specific RNA-seq experiment to assay global gene expression patterns in Sulcia and Baumannia. Despite differences in genomic capabilities, the symbionts exhibit similar profiles of their most highly expressed genes, including those involved in nutrition synthesis and protein stability (chaperonins dnaK and groESL) that likely aid impaired proteins. Baumannia populations in separate bacteriomes differentially express genes enriched in essential nutrient synthesis, including EAAs (histidine and methionine) and B vitamins (biotin and thiamine). Patterns of differential gene expression further reveal complexity in methionine synthesis. Baumannia’s capability to differentially express genes is unusual, as ancient symbionts lose the capability to independently regulate transcription. Combined with previous microscopy, our results suggest that the GWSS may rely on distinct Baumannia populations for essential nutrition and vertical transmission.
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47
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Massive Protein Import into the Early-Evolutionary-Stage Photosynthetic Organelle of the Amoeba Paulinella chromatophora. Curr Biol 2017; 27:2763-2773.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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48
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Cooperative Metabolism in a Three-Partner Insect-Bacterial Symbiosis Revealed by Metabolic Modeling. J Bacteriol 2017; 199:JB.00872-16. [PMID: 28348026 PMCID: PMC5512215 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00872-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
An important factor determining the impact of microbial symbionts on their animal hosts is the balance between the cost of nutrients consumed by the symbionts and the benefit of nutrients released back to the host, but the quantitative significance of nutrient exchange in symbioses involving multiple microbial partners has rarely been addressed. In this study on the association between two intracellular bacterial symbionts, “Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum” and “Candidatus Hamiltonella defensa,” and their animal host, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, we apply metabolic modeling to investigate host-symbiont nutrient exchange. Our in silico analysis revealed that >60% of the essential amino acids and related metabolites synthesized by “Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum” are utilized by the host, including a substantial contribution of nitrogen recycled from host nitrogenous waste, and that these interactions are required for host growth. In contrast, “Candidatus Hamiltonella defensa” retains most or all of the essential amino acids and B vitamins that it is capable of synthesizing. Furthermore, “Candidatus Hamiltonella defensa” suppresses host growth in silico by competition with “Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum” for multiple host nutrients, by suppressing “Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum” growth and metabolic function, and also by consumption of host nutrients that would otherwise be allocated to host growth. The interpretation from these modeling outputs that “Candidatus Hamiltonella defensa” is a nutritional parasite could not be inferred reliably from gene content alone but requires consideration of constraints imposed by the structure of the metabolic network. Furthermore, these quantitative models offer precise predictions for future experimental study and the opportunity to compare the functional organization of metabolic networks in different symbioses. IMPORTANCE The metabolic functions of unculturable intracellular bacteria with much reduced genomes are traditionally inferred from gene content without consideration of how the structure of the metabolic network may influence flux through metabolic reactions. The three-compartment model of metabolic flux between two bacterial symbionts and their insect host constructed in this study revealed that one symbiont is structured to overproduce essential amino acids for the benefit of the host, but the essential amino acid production in the second symbiont is quantitatively constrained by the structure of its network, rendering it “selfish” with respect to these nutrients. This study demonstrates the importance of quantitative flux data for elucidation of the metabolic function of symbionts. The in silico methodology can be applied to other symbioses with intracellular bacteria.
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Thairu MW, Skidmore IH, Bansal R, Nováková E, Hansen TE, Li-Byarlay H, Wickline SA, Hansen AK. Efficacy of RNA interference knockdown using aerosolized short interfering RNAs bound to nanoparticles in three diverse aphid species. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 26:356-368. [PMID: 28314050 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a promising method for validating gene function; however, its utility in nonmodel insects has proven problematic, with delivery methods being one of the main obstacles. This study investigates a novel method of RNAi delivery in aphids, the aerosolization of short interfering RNA (siRNA)-nanoparticle complexes. By using nanoparticles as a siRNA carrier, the likelihood of cellular uptake is increased, when compared to methods previously used in insects. To determine the efficacy of this RNAi delivery system, siRNAs were aerosolized with and without nanoparticles in three aphid species: Acyrthosiphon pisum, Aphis glycines and Schizaphis graminum. The genes targeted for knockdown were carotene dehydrogenase (tor), which is important for pigmentation in Ac. pisum, and branched chain-amino acid transaminase (bcat), which is essential in the metabolism of branched-chain amino acids in all three aphid species. Overall, we observed modest gene knockdown of tor in Ac. pisum and moderate gene knockdown of bcat in Ap. glycines along with its associated phenotype. We also determined that the nanoparticle emulsion significantly increased the efficacy of gene knockdown. Overall, these results suggest that the aerosolized siRNA-nanoparticle delivery method is a promising new high-throughput and non-invasive RNAi delivery method in some aphid species.
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Affiliation(s)
- M W Thairu
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - I H Skidmore
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - R Bansal
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, USA
| | - E Nováková
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - T E Hansen
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - H Li-Byarlay
- Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - S A Wickline
- School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - A K Hansen
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
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Mergaert P, Kikuchi Y, Shigenobu S, Nowack ECM. Metabolic Integration of Bacterial Endosymbionts through Antimicrobial Peptides. Trends Microbiol 2017; 25:703-712. [PMID: 28549825 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2017.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2017] [Revised: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are massively produced by eukaryotic hosts during symbiotic interactions with bacteria. Among other roles, these symbiotic AMPs have the capacity to permeabilize symbiont membranes and facilitate metabolite flow across the host-symbiont interface. We propose that an ancestral role of these peptides is to facilitate metabolic exchange between the symbiotic partners through membrane permeabilization. This function may be particularly critical for integration of endosymbiont and host metabolism in interactions involving bacteria with strongly reduced genomes lacking most small metabolite transporters. Moreover, AMPs could have acted in a similar way at the onset of plastid and mitochondrion evolution, after a host cell took up a bacterium and needed to extract nutrients from it in the absence of dedicated solute transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Mergaert
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, UMR9198, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Yoshitomo Kikuchi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Hokkaido Center, Sapporo, Japan; Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | - Eva C M Nowack
- Department of Biology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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