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Tang XF, Sun YF, Liang YS, Yang KY, Chen PT, Li HS, Huang YH, Pang H. Metabolism, digestion, and horizontal transfer: potential roles and interaction of symbiotic bacteria in the ladybird beetle Novius pumilus and their prey Icerya aegyptiaca. Microbiol Spectr 2024:e0295523. [PMID: 38497713 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02955-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
In this study, we first time sequenced and analyzed the 16S rRNA gene data of predator ladybird beetles Novius pumilus and globally distributed invasive pest Icerya aegyptiaca at different stages, and combined data with bacterial genome sequences in N. pumilus to explored the taxonomic distribution, alpha and beta diversity, differentially abundant bacteria, co-occurrence network, and putative functions of their microbial community. Our finding revealed that Candidatus Walczuchella, which exhibited a higher abundance in I. aegyptiaca, possessed several genes in essential amino acid biosynthesis and seemed to perform roles in providing nutrients to the host, similar to other obligate symbionts in scale insects. Lactococcus, Serratia, and Pseudomonas, more abundant in N. pumilus, were predicted to have genes related to hydrocarbon, fatty acids, and chitin degradation, which may assist their hosts in digesting the wax shell covering the scale insects. Notably, our result showed that Lactococcus had relatively higher abundances in adults and eggs compared to other stages in N. pumilus, indicating potential vertical transmission. Additionally, we found that Arsenophonus, known to influence sex ratios in whitefly and wasp, may also function in I. aegyptiaca, probably by influencing nutrient metabolism as it similarly had many genes corresponding to vitamin B and essential amino acid biosynthesis. Also, we observed a potential horizontal transfer of Arsenophonus between the scale insect and its predator, with a relatively high abundance in the ladybirds compared to other bacteria from the scale insects.IMPORTANCEThe composition and dynamic changes of microbiome in different developmental stages of ladybird beetles Novius pumilus with its prey Icerya aegyptiaca were detected. We found that Candidatus Walczuchella, abundant in I. aegyptiaca, probably provide nutrients to their host based on their amino acid biosynthesis-related genes. Abundant symbionts in N. pumilus, including Lactococcus, Serratia, and Pseudophonus, may help the host digest the scale insects with their hydrocarbon, fatty acid, and chitin degrading-related genes. A key endosymbiont Arsenophonus may play potential roles in the nutrient metabolisms and sex determination in I. aegyptiaca, and is possibly transferred from the scale insect to the predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Fei Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- College of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yi-Fei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuan-Sen Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Kun-Yu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Pei-Tao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hao-Sen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yu-Hao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hong Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
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Wang YH, Mikaelyan A, Coates BS, Lorenzen M. The Genome of Arsenophonus sp. and Its Potential Contribution in the Corn Planthopper, Peregrinus maidis. Insects 2024; 15:113. [PMID: 38392531 PMCID: PMC10889269 DOI: 10.3390/insects15020113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The co-evolution between symbionts and their insect hosts has led to intricate functional interdependencies. Advances in DNA-sequencing technologies have not only reduced the cost of sequencing but, with the advent of highly accurate long-read methods, have also enabled facile genome assembly even using mixed genomic input, thereby allowing us to more easily assess the contribution of symbionts to their insect hosts. In this study, genomic data recently generated from Peregrinus maidis was used to assemble the genome of a bacterial symbiont, Pm Arsenophonus sp. This ~4.9-Mb assembly is one of the largest Arsenophonus genomes reported to date. The Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) result indicates that this Pm Arsenophonus assembly has a high degree of completeness, with 96% of the single-copy Enterobacterales orthologs found. The identity of the Pm Arsenophonus sp. was further confirmed by phylogenetic analysis. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis indicates a major contribution by Pm Arsenophonus sp. to the biosynthesis of B vitamins and essential amino acids in P. maidis, where threonine and lysine production is carried out solely by Pm Arsenophonus sp. This study not only provides deeper insights into the evolutionary relationships between symbionts and their insect hosts, but also adds to our understanding of insect biology, potentially guiding the development of novel pest control methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Hui Wang
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Aram Mikaelyan
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Brad S Coates
- USDA-ARS, Corn Insects & Crop Genetics Research Unit, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Marcé Lorenzen
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
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Morin S, Atkinson PW, Walling LL. Whitefly-Plant Interactions: An Integrated Molecular Perspective. Annu Rev Entomol 2024; 69:503-525. [PMID: 37816261 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-120120-093940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
The rapid advances in available transcriptomic and genomic data and our understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of whitefly-plant interactions have allowed us to gain new and significant insights into the biology of whiteflies and their successful adaptation to host plants. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms that whiteflies have evolved to overcome the challenges of feeding on phloem sap. We also highlight the evolution and functions of gene families involved in host perception, evaluation, and manipulation; primary metabolism; and metabolite detoxification. We discuss the emerging themes in plant immunity to whiteflies, focusing on whitefly effectors and their sites of action in plant defense-signaling pathways. We conclude with a discussion of advances in the genetic manipulation of whiteflies and the potential that they hold for exploring the interactions between whiteflies and their host plants, as well as the development of novel strategies for the genetic control of whiteflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shai Morin
- Department of Entomology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel;
| | - Peter W Atkinson
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA;
| | - Linda L Walling
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, USA;
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Martin Říhová J, Gupta S, Darby AC, Nováková E, Hypša V. Arsenophonus symbiosis with louse flies: multiple origins, coevolutionary dynamics, and metabolic significance. mSystems 2023; 8:e0070623. [PMID: 37750682 PMCID: PMC10654098 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00706-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Insects that live exclusively on vertebrate blood utilize symbiotic bacteria as a source of essential compounds, e.g., B vitamins. In louse flies, the most frequent symbiont originated in genus Arsenophonus, known from a wide range of insects. Here, we analyze genomic traits, phylogenetic origins, and metabolic capacities of 11 Arsenophonus strains associated with louse flies. We show that in louse flies, Arsenophonus established symbiosis in at least four independent events, reaching different stages of symbiogenesis. This allowed for comparative genomic analysis, including convergence of metabolic capacities. The significance of the results is twofold. First, based on a comparison of independently originated Arsenophonus symbioses, it determines the importance of individual B vitamins for the insect host. This expands our theoretical insight into insect-bacteria symbiosis. The second outcome is of methodological significance. We show that the comparative approach reveals artifacts that would be difficult to identify based on a single-genome analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Martin Říhová
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Shruti Gupta
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Alistair C. Darby
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Eva Nováková
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, ASCR, v.v.i., České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Václav Hypša
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, ASCR, v.v.i., České Budějovice, Czechia
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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Kolo AO, Raghavan R. Impact of endosymbionts on tick physiology and fitness. Parasitology 2023; 150:859-865. [PMID: 37722758 PMCID: PMC10577665 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182023000793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Ticks transmit pathogens and harbour non-pathogenic, vertically transmitted intracellular bacteria termed endosymbionts. Almost all ticks studied to date contain 1 or more of Coxiella, Francisella, Rickettsia or Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii endosymbionts, indicative of their importance to tick physiology. Genomic and experimental data suggest that endosymbionts promote tick development and reproductive success. Here, we review the limited information currently available on the potential roles endosymbionts play in enhancing tick metabolism and fitness. Future studies that expand on these findings are needed to better understand endosymbionts’ contributions to tick biology. This knowledge could potentially be applied to design novel strategies that target endosymbiont function to control the spread of ticks and pathogens they vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agatha O. Kolo
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Rahul Raghavan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
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Campbell LI, Nwezeobi J, van Brunschot SL, Kaweesi T, Seal SE, Swamy RAR, Namuddu A, Maslen GL, Mugerwa H, Armean IM, Haggerty L, Martin FJ, Malka O, Santos-Garcia D, Juravel K, Morin S, Stephens ME, Muhindira PV, Kersey PJ, Maruthi MN, Omongo CA, Navas-Castillo J, Fiallo-Olivé E, Mohammed IU, Wang HL, Onyeka J, Alicai T, Colvin J. Comparative evolutionary analyses of eight whitefly Bemisia tabaci sensu lato genomes: cryptic species, agricultural pests and plant-virus vectors. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:408. [PMID: 37468834 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09474-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The group of > 40 cryptic whitefly species called Bemisia tabaci sensu lato are amongst the world's worst agricultural pests and plant-virus vectors. Outbreaks of B. tabaci s.l. and the associated plant-virus diseases continue to contribute to global food insecurity and social instability, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Published B. tabaci s.l. genomes have limited use for studying African cassava B. tabaci SSA1 species, due to the high genetic divergences between them. Genomic annotations presented here were performed using the 'Ensembl gene annotation system', to ensure that comparative analyses and conclusions reflect biological differences, as opposed to arising from different methodologies underpinning transcript model identification. RESULTS We present here six new B. tabaci s.l. genomes from Africa and Asia, and two re-annotated previously published genomes, to provide evolutionary insights into these globally distributed pests. Genome sizes ranged between 616-658 Mb and exhibited some of the highest coverage of transposable elements reported within Arthropoda. Many fewer total protein coding genes (PCG) were recovered compared to the previously published B. tabaci s.l. genomes and structural annotations generated via the uniform methodology strongly supported a repertoire of between 12.8-13.2 × 103 PCG. An integrative systematics approach incorporating phylogenomic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial markers supported a monophyletic Aleyrodidae and the basal positioning of B. tabaci Uganda-1 to the sub-Saharan group of species. Reciprocal cross-mating data and the co-cladogenesis pattern of the primary obligate endosymbiont 'Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum' from 11 Bemisia genomes further supported the phylogenetic reconstruction to show that African cassava B. tabaci populations consist of just three biological species. We include comparative analyses of gene families related to detoxification, sugar metabolism, vector competency and evaluate the presence and function of horizontally transferred genes, essential for understanding the evolution and unique biology of constituent B. tabaci. s.l species. CONCLUSIONS These genomic resources have provided new and critical insights into the genetics underlying B. tabaci s.l. biology. They also provide a rich foundation for post-genomic research, including the selection of candidate gene-targets for innovative whitefly and virus-control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lahcen I Campbell
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Joachim Nwezeobi
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK.
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Hinxton, UK.
| | - Sharon L van Brunschot
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK
- CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Dutton Park, QLD, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Tadeo Kaweesi
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK
- Rwebitaba Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | - Susan E Seal
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK
| | - Rekha A R Swamy
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK
| | - Annet Namuddu
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK
- National Crops Resources Research Institute, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Gareth L Maslen
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, UK
| | - Habibu Mugerwa
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Griffin, GA, USA
| | - Irina M Armean
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Leanne Haggerty
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Fergal J Martin
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Osnat Malka
- Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Diego Santos-Garcia
- CNRS, Laboratory of Biometry and Evolutionary Biology UMR 5558, University of Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
- Center for Biology and Management of Populations, INRAe UMR1062, Montferrier-sur-Lez, France
| | - Ksenia Juravel
- Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shai Morin
- Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | | | - Paul Visendi Muhindira
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Paul J Kersey
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, UK
| | - M N Maruthi
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK
| | | | - Jesús Navas-Castillo
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical Y Mediterránea "La Mayora" (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Málaga, Algarrobo-Costa, Spain
| | - Elvira Fiallo-Olivé
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical Y Mediterránea "La Mayora" (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Málaga, Algarrobo-Costa, Spain
| | | | - Hua-Ling Wang
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK
- College of Forestry, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, Hebei, China
| | - Joseph Onyeka
- National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Nigeria
| | - Titus Alicai
- National Crops Resources Research Institute, Kampala, Uganda
| | - John Colvin
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK
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Tian PP, Zhang YL, Huang JL, Li WY, Liu XD. Arsenophonus Interacts with Buchnera to Improve Growth Performance of Aphids under Amino Acid Stress. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0179223. [PMID: 37222634 PMCID: PMC10269474 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01792-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Amino acids play a crucial role in the growth and development of insects. Aphids cannot ingest enough amino acids in plant phloem to meet their requirements, and therefore, they are mainly dependent on the obligate symbiont Buchnera aphidicola to synthesize essential amino acids. Besides Buchnera, aphids may harbor another facultative symbiont, Arsenophonus, which alters the requirement of the cotton-melon aphid Aphis gossypii for amino acid. However, it is unclear how Arsenophonus regulates the requirement. Here, we found that Arsenophonus ameliorated growth performance of A. gossypii on an amino acid-deficient diet. A deficiency in lysine (Lys) or methionine (Met) led to changes in the abundance of Arsenophonus. Arsenophonus suppressed the abundance of Buchnera when aphids were fed a normal amino acid diet, but this suppression was eliminated or reversed when aphids were on a Lys- or Met-deficient diet. The relative abundance of Arsenophonus was positively correlated with that of Buchnera, but neither of them was correlated with the body weight of aphids. The relative expression levels of Lys and Met synthase genes of Buchnera were affected by the interaction between Arsenophonus infections and Buchnera abundance, especially in aphids reared on a Lys- or Met-deficient diet. Arsenophonus coexisted with Buchnera in bacteriocytes, which strengthens the interaction. IMPORTANCE The obligate symbiont Buchnera can synthesize amino acids for aphids. In this study, we found that a facultative symbiont, Arsenophonus, can help improve aphids' growth performance under amino acid deficiency stress by changing the relative abundance of Buchnera and the expression levels of amino acid synthase genes. This study highlights the interaction between Arsenophonus and Buchnera to ameliorate aphid growth under amino acid stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan-Pan Tian
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yu-Lin Zhang
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jing-Ling Huang
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wang-Yan Li
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiang-Dong Liu
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
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Fujiwara A, Meng XY, Kamagata Y, Tsuchida T. Subcellular Niche Segregation of Co-Obligate Symbionts in Whiteflies. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0468422. [PMID: 36546855 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04684-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Many insects contain endosymbiotic bacteria within their bodies. In multiple endosymbiotic systems comprising two or more symbionts, each of the symbionts is generally localized in a different host cell or tissue. Bemisia tabaci (Sweet potato whitefly) possesses a unique endosymbiotic system where co-obligate symbionts are localized in the same bacteriocytes. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization, we found that endosymbionts in B. tabaci MEAM1 occupy distinct subcellular habitats, or niches, within a single bacteriocyte. Hamiltonella was located adjacent to the nucleus of the bacteriocyte, while Portiera was present in the cytoplasm surrounding Hamiltonella. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the endoplasmic reticulum separates the two symbionts. Habitat segregation was maintained for longer durations in female bacteriocytes. The same segregation was observed in three genetically distinct B. tabaci groups (MEAM1, MED Q1, and Asia II 6) and Trialeurodes vaporariorum, which shared a common ancestor with Bemisia over 80 million years ago, even though the coexisting symbionts and the size of bacteriocytes were different. These results suggest that the habitat segregation system existed in the common ancestor and was conserved in both lineages, despite different bacterial partners coexisting with Portiera. Our findings provide insights into the evolution and maintenance of complex endosymbiotic systems and highlight the importance of organelles for the construction of separate niches for endosymbionts. IMPORTANCE Co-obligate endosymbionts in B. tabaci are exceptionally localized within the same bacteriocyte (a specialized cell for endosymbiosis), but the underlying mechanism for their coexistence remains largely unknown. This study provides evidence for niche segregation at the subcellular level between the two symbionts. We showed that the endoplasmic reticulum is a physical barrier separating the two species. Despite differences in co-obligate partners, this subcellular niche segregation was conserved across various whitefly species. The physical proximity of symbionts may enable the efficient biosynthesis of essential nutrients via shared metabolic pathways. The expression "Good fences make good neighbors" appears to be true for insect endosymbiotic systems.
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El Hamss H, Maruthi MN, Ally HM, Omongo CA, Wang HL, van Brunschot S, Colvin J, Delatte H. Spatio-temporal changes in endosymbiont diversity and composition in the African cassava whitefly, Bemisia tabaci SSA1. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:986226. [DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.986226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sap-sucking insects, including whiteflies, are amongst the most devastating and widely distributed organisms on the planet. They are often highly invasive and endosymbiont communities within these insects help them adapt to new or changing environments. Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius; Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) whitefly species are vectors of more than 500 known plant-viruses and harbour highly diverse endosymbionts communities. To date, however, whitefly–endosymbiont interactions, community structure and their spatio-temporal changes are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the spatio-temporal changes in the composition and diversity of bacterial endosymbionts in the agricultural crop pest whitefly species, Bemisia tabaci sub-Saharan Africa 1-subgroup 1 and 2 (SSA1-SG1 and SSA1-SG2). 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing analysis was carried out to characterise endosymbiont compositionsin field-collected SSA1 (SSA1-SG1 and SSA1-SG2) populations infesting cassava in Uganda in 1997 and 2017. We detected Portiera, Arsenophonus, Wolbachia, Hamiltonella and Hemipteriphilus, with Arsenophonus and Wolbachia infections being predominant. Hemipteriphilus and Hamiltonella frequencies were very low and were detected in seven and two samples, respectively. Bacterial diversity based on three independent parameters including Simpson index, number of haplotypes and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity matrix was significantly higher in 1997 than in 2017. This period also coincided with the advent of super-abundant cassava-whitefly populations on cassava crops in Uganda. We discuss how endosymbionts may influence the biology and behaviour of whiteflies leading to population explosions.
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Li J, Li F, Yu N, Liu Z. The betaine-dependent remethylation pathway is a homocysteine metabolism pathway associated with the carnivorous feeding habits of spiders. Insect Sci 2022; 29:1047-1058. [PMID: 34647692 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Homocysteine (Hcy) is a sulfur-containing amino acid derived from the essential amino acid methionine (Met). Circulating levels of Hcy in animals can be increased by feeding on Met-enriched diets, which is generally considered harmful. Spiders are one of the largest groups of obligate carnivores and feed on animals high in protein and Met. We analyzed the Hcy metabolism pathways in 18 species of 3 taxa (Mammalia, Insecta, and Arachnida) and found that the betaine-dependent remethylation pathway (BRP) was present in all carnivorous arachnid species and mammals but absent in insects and red spider mites. We then studied the Hcy metabolism pathway in Pardosa pseudoannulata. In P. pseudoannulata, Hcy is metabolized through the transsulfuration pathway, BRP, and S-methylmethionine-dependent remethylation pathway. Because of a prior duplication event of the betaine homocysteine S-methyltransferase (BHMT) gene in the BRP, BHMTa and BHMTb are present in tandem in the genome of P. pseudoannulata. The high expression levels of BHMTa and its high abundance in detoxification tissues indicate that it plays an important role in the BRP; the ability of BHMTa and BHMTb to remethylate Hcy using betaine as substrate was similar. Compared with other Hcy metabolic enzyme genes, BHMT responded quickly to the application of Hcy or betaine. In sum, the BRP is important in Hcy metabolism in P. pseudoannulata and in other spider species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Li
- Key laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fangfang Li
- Key laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Na Yu
- Key laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zewen Liu
- Key laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
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12
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Silva FJ, Santos-Garcia D, Zheng X, Zhang L, Han XY. Construction and Analysis of the Complete Genome Sequence of Leprosy Agent Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0169221. [PMID: 35467405 PMCID: PMC9248898 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01692-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. We report construction and analyses of the complete genome sequence of M. lepromatosis FJ924. The genome contained 3,271,694 nucleotides to encode 1,789 functional genes and 1,564 pseudogenes. It shared 1,420 genes and 885 pseudogenes (71.4%) with M. leprae but differed in 1,281 genes and pseudogenes (28.6%). In phylogeny, the leprosy bacilli started from a most recent common ancestor (MRCA) that diverged ~30 million years ago (Mya) from environmental organism Mycobacterium haemophilum. The MRCA then underwent reductive evolution with pseudogenization, gene loss, and chromosomal rearrangements. Analysis of the shared pseudogenes estimated the pseudogenization event ~14 Mya, shortly before species bifurcation. Afterwards, genomic changes occurred to lesser extent in each species. Like M. leprae, four major types of highly repetitive sequences were detected in M. lepromatosis, contributing to chromosomal rearrangements within and after MRCA. Variations in genes and copy numbers were noted, such as three copies of the gene encoding bifunctional diguanylate cyclase/phosphodiesterase in M. lepromatosis, but single copy in M. leprae; 6 genes encoding the TetR family transcriptional regulators in M. lepromatosis, but 11 such genes in M. leprae; presence of hemW gene in M. lepromatosis, but absence in M. leprae; and others. These variations likely aid unique pathogenesis, such as diffuse lepromatous leprosy associated with M. lepromatosis, while the shared genomic features should explain the common pathogenesis of dermatitis and neuritis in leprosy. Together, these findings and the genomic data of M. lepromatosis may facilitate future research and care for leprosy. IMPORTANCE Leprosy is a dreaded infection that still affects millions of people worldwide. Mycobacterium lepromatosis is a recently recognized cause in addition to the well-known Mycobacterium leprae. M. lepromatosis is likely specific for diffuse lepromatous leprosy, a severe form of the infection and endemic in Mexico. This study constructed and annotated the complete genome sequence of M. lepromatosis FJ924 and performed comparative genomic analyses with related mycobacteria. The results afford new and refined insights into the genome size, gene repertoire, pseudogenes, phylogenomic relationship, genome organization and plasticity, process and timing of reductive evolution, and genetic and proteomic basis for pathogenesis. The availability of the complete M. lepromatosis genome may prove to be useful for future research and care for the infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco J. Silva
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), University of Valencia and CSIC, Paterna, Spain
- Genomics and Health Area, Foundation for the Promotion of Sanitary and Biomedical Research, Valencia, Spain
| | - Diego Santos-Garcia
- Laboratory of Biometry and Evolutionary Biology UMR CNRS, University of Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Xiaofeng Zheng
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Xiang Y. Han
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
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13
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Kaur R, Singh S, Joshi N. Pervasive Endosymbiont Arsenophonus Plays a Key Role in the Transmission of Cotton Leaf Curl Virus Vectored by Asia II-1 Genetic Group of Bemisia tabaci. Environ Entomol 2022; 51:564-577. [PMID: 35485184 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvac024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Insects often coevolved with their mutualistic partners such as gut endosymbionts, which play a key in the physiology of host. Studies on such interactions between Bemisia tabaci and its primary and secondary endosymbionts have gained importance due to their indispensable roles in the biology of this insect. Present study reports the predominance of two secondary endosymbionts, Arsenophonus and Cardinium in the Asia II-1 genetic group of whitefly and elucidates their role in the transmission of its vectored Cotton leaf curl virus. Selective elimination of endosymbionts was optimized using serial concentration of ampicillin, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, tetracycline, and rifampicin administered to viruliferous whiteflies through sucrose diet. Primary endosymbiont, Portiera was unresponsive to all the antibiotics, however, rifampicin and tetracycline at 90 μg/ml selectively eliminated Arsenophonus from the whitefly. Elimination of Arsenophonus resulted in significant decrease in virus titer from viruliferous whitefly, further the CLCuV transmission efficiency of these whiteflies was significantly reduced compared to the control flies. Secondary endosymbiont, Cardinium could not be eliminated completely even with higher concentrations of antibiotics. Based on the findings, Arsenophonus plays a key role in the retention and transmission of CLCuV in the Asia II-1 genetic group of B. tabaci, while the role of Cardinium could not be established due to its unresponsiveness to antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramandeep Kaur
- Regional Research Station, Punjab Agricultural University, Faridkot, Punjab, India
| | - Satnam Singh
- Regional Research Station, Punjab Agricultural University, Faridkot, Punjab, India
| | - Neelam Joshi
- Department of Entomology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
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14
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Zhu DT, Rao Q, Zou C, Ban FX, Zhao JJ, Liu SS. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses reveal metabolic complementarity between whiteflies and their symbionts. Insect Sci 2022; 29:539-549. [PMID: 34264019 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Nutritional mutualism between insects and symbiotic bacteria is widespread. The various sap-feeding whitefly species within the Bemisia tabaci complex associate with the same obligate symbiont (Portiera) and multiple secondary symbionts. It is often assumed that some of the symbionts residing in the whiteflies play crucial roles in the nutritional physiology of their insect hosts. Although effort has been made to understand the functions of the whitefly symbionts, the metabolic complementarity offered by these symbionts to the hosts is not yet well understood. We examined two secondary symbionts, Arsenophonus and Wolbachia, in two species of the B. tabaci whitefly complex, provisionally named as Asia II 3 and China 1. Genomic sequence analyses revealed that Arsenophonus and Wolbachia retained genes responsible for the biosynthesis of B vitamins. We then conducted transcriptomic surveys of the bacteriomes in these two species of whiteflies together with that in another species named MED of this whitefly complex previously reported. The analyses indicated that several key genes in B vitamin syntheses from the three whitefly species were identical. Our findings suggest that, similar to another secondary symbiont Hamiltonella, Arsenophonus and Wolbachia function in the nutrient provision of host whiteflies. Although phylogenetically distant species of symbionts are associated with their respective hosts, they have evolved and retained similar functions in biosynthesis of some B vitamins. Such metabolic complementarity between whiteflies and symbionts represents an important feature of their coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan-Tong Zhu
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China
| | - Qiong Rao
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Lin'an, Hangzhou, 311300, China
| | - Chi Zou
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China
| | - Fei-Xue Ban
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China
| | - Juan-Juan Zhao
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China
| | - Shu-Sheng Liu
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China
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15
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Buysse M, Floriano AM, Gottlieb Y, Nardi T, Comandatore F, Olivieri E, Giannetto A, Palomar AM, Makepeace BL, Bazzocchi C, Cafiso A, Sassera D, Duron O. A dual endosymbiosis supports nutritional adaptation to hematophagy in the invasive tick Hyalomma marginatum. eLife 2021; 10:e72747. [PMID: 34951405 PMCID: PMC8709577 DOI: 10.7554/elife.72747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals are dependent on microbial partners that provide essential nutrients lacking from their diet. Ticks, whose diet consists exclusively on vertebrate blood, rely on maternally inherited bacterial symbionts to supply B vitamins. While previously studied tick species consistently harbor a single lineage of those nutritional symbionts, we evidence here that the invasive tick Hyalomma marginatum harbors a unique dual-partner nutritional system between an ancestral symbiont, Francisella, and a more recently acquired symbiont, Midichloria. Using metagenomics, we show that Francisella exhibits extensive genome erosion that endangers the nutritional symbiotic interactions. Its genome includes folate and riboflavin biosynthesis pathways but deprived functional biotin biosynthesis on account of massive pseudogenization. Co-symbiosis compensates this deficiency since the Midichloria genome encompasses an intact biotin operon, which was primarily acquired via lateral gene transfer from unrelated intracellular bacteria commonly infecting arthropods. Thus, in H. marginatum, a mosaic of co-evolved symbionts incorporating gene combinations of distant phylogenetic origins emerged to prevent the collapse of an ancestral nutritional symbiosis. Such dual endosymbiosis was never reported in other blood feeders but was recently documented in agricultural pests feeding on plant sap, suggesting that it may be a key mechanism for advanced adaptation of arthropods to specialized diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Buysse
- MIVEGEC (Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs : Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), Univ. Montpellier (UM) - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) - Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement (IRD)MontpellierFrance
- Centre of Research in Ecology and Evolution of Diseases (CREES), Montpellier, FranceMontpellierFrance
| | - Anna Maria Floriano
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani”, University of PaviaPaviaItaly
- Faculty of Science, University of South BohemiaČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
| | - Yuval Gottlieb
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of JerusalemRehovotIsrael
| | - Tiago Nardi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani”, University of PaviaPaviaItaly
| | - Francesco Comandatore
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences L. Sacco and Pediatric Clinical Research Center, University of MilanMilanItaly
| | - Emanuela Olivieri
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani”, University of PaviaPaviaItaly
| | - Alessia Giannetto
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of MessinaMessinaItaly
| | - Ana M Palomar
- Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases (CRETAV), San Pedro University Hospital- Center of Biomedical Research from La Rioja (CIBIR)LogroñoSpain
| | - Benjamin L Makepeace
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUnited Kingdom
| | | | | | - Davide Sassera
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani”, University of PaviaPaviaItaly
| | - Olivier Duron
- MIVEGEC (Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs : Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), Univ. Montpellier (UM) - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) - Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement (IRD)MontpellierFrance
- Centre of Research in Ecology and Evolution of Diseases (CREES), Montpellier, FranceMontpellierFrance
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16
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Benhamou S, Rahioui I, Henri H, Charles H, Da Silva P, Heddi A, Vavre F, Desouhant E, Calevro F, Mouton L. Cytotype Affects the Capability of the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci MED Species To Feed and Oviposit on an Unfavorable Host Plant. mBio 2021; 12:e0073021. [PMID: 34781749 PMCID: PMC8593682 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00730-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The acquisition of nutritional obligate primary endosymbionts (P-symbionts) allowed phloemo-phageous insects to feed on plant sap and thus colonize novel ecological niches. P-symbionts often coexist with facultative secondary endosymbionts (S-symbionts), which may also influence their hosts' niche utilization ability. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a highly diversified species complex harboring, in addition to the P-symbiont "Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum," seven S-symbionts whose roles remain poorly understood. Here, we compare the phenotypic and metabolic responses of three B. tabaci lines differing in their S-symbiont community, reared on three different host plants, hibiscus, tobacco, or lantana, and address whether and how S-symbionts influence insect capacity to feed and produce offspring on those plants. We first show that hibiscus, tobacco, and lantana differ in their free amino acid composition. Insects' performance, as well as free amino acid profile and symbiotic load, were shown to be plant dependent, suggesting a critical role for the plant nutritional properties. Insect fecundity was significantly lower on lantana, indicating that it is the least favorable plant. Remarkably, insects reared on this plant show a specific amino acid profile and a higher symbiont density compared to the two other plants. In addition, this plant was the only one for which fecundity differences were observed between lines. Using genetically homogeneous hybrids, we demonstrate that cytotype (mitochondria and symbionts), and not genotype, is a major determinant of females' fecundity and amino acid profile on lantana. As cytotypes differ in their S-symbiont community, we propose that these symbionts may mediate their hosts' suitable plant range. IMPORTANCE Microbial symbionts are universal in eukaryotes, and it is now recognized that symbiotic associations represent major evolutionary driving forces. However, the extent to which symbionts contribute to their hosts' ecological adaptation and subsequent diversification is far from being fully elucidated. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a sap feeder associated with multiple coinfecting intracellular facultative symbionts. Here, we show that plant species simultaneously affect whiteflies' performance, amino acid profile, and symbiotic density, which could be partially explained by differences in plant nutritional properties. We also demonstrate that, on lantana, the least favorable plant used in our study, whiteflies' performance is determined by their cytotype. We propose that the host plant utilization in B. tabaci is influenced by its facultative symbiont community composition, possibly through its impact on the host dietary requirements. Altogether, our data provide new insights into the impact of intracellular microorganisms on their animal hosts' ecological niche range and diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Benhamou
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, VetAgro Sup, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
- Univ Lyon, INRAE, INSA Lyon, BF2I, UMR 203, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Isabelle Rahioui
- Univ Lyon, INRAE, INSA Lyon, BF2I, UMR 203, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Hélène Henri
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, VetAgro Sup, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Hubert Charles
- Univ Lyon, INRAE, INSA Lyon, BF2I, UMR 203, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Pedro Da Silva
- Univ Lyon, INRAE, INSA Lyon, BF2I, UMR 203, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Abdelaziz Heddi
- Univ Lyon, INRAE, INSA Lyon, BF2I, UMR 203, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Fabrice Vavre
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, VetAgro Sup, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Emmanuel Desouhant
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, VetAgro Sup, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Federica Calevro
- Univ Lyon, INRAE, INSA Lyon, BF2I, UMR 203, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Laurence Mouton
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, VetAgro Sup, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
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17
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Milenovic M, Ghanim M, Hoffmann L, Rapisarda C. Whitefly endosymbionts: IPM opportunity or tilting at windmills? J Pest Sci (2004) 2021; 95:543-566. [PMID: 34744550 PMCID: PMC8562023 DOI: 10.1007/s10340-021-01451-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Whiteflies are sap-sucking insects responsible for high economic losses. They colonize hundreds of plant species and cause direct feeding damage and indirect damage through transmission of devastating viruses. Modern agriculture has seen a history of invasive whitefly species and populations that expand to novel regions, bringing along fierce viruses. Control efforts are hindered by fast virus transmission, insecticide-resistant populations, and a wide host range which permits large natural reservoirs for whiteflies. Augmentative biocontrol by parasitoids while effective in suppressing high population densities in greenhouses falls short when it comes to preventing virus transmission and is ineffective in the open field. A potential source of much needed novel control strategies lays within a diverse community of whitefly endosymbionts. The idea to exploit endosymbionts for whitefly control is as old as identification of these bacteria, yet it still has not come to fruition. We review where our knowledge stands on the aspects of whitefly endosymbiont evolution, biology, metabolism, multitrophic interactions, and population dynamics. We show how these insights are bringing us closer to the goal of better integrated pest management strategies. Combining most up to date understanding of whitefly-endosymbiont interactions and recent technological advances, we discuss possibilities of disrupting and manipulating whitefly endosymbionts, as well as using them for pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Milenovic
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department (ERIN), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41, Rue du Brill, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
- Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Università degli Studi di Catania, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), via Santa Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Murad Ghanim
- Department of Entomology, Volcani Center, ARO, HaMaccabim Road 68, PO Box 15159, 7528809 Rishon Le Tsiyon, Israel
| | - Lucien Hoffmann
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department (ERIN), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 41, Rue du Brill, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Carmelo Rapisarda
- Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Università degli Studi di Catania, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), via Santa Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, Italy
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18
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Shan HW, Liu SS. The Costs and Benefits of Two Secondary Symbionts in a Whitefly Host Shape Their Differential Prevalence in the Field. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:739521. [PMID: 34659172 PMCID: PMC8515054 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.739521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects commonly harbor maternally inherited intracellular symbionts in nature, and the microbial partners often exert influence on host reproduction and fitness to promote their prevalence. Here, we investigated composition of symbionts and their biological effects in the invasive Bemisia tabaci MED species of a whitefly complex. Our field surveys revealed that populations of the MED whitefly, in addition to the primary symbiont Portiera, mainly contain two secondary symbionts Hamiltonella, which is nearly fixed in the host populations, and Cardinium with infection frequencies ranging from 0 to 86%. We isolated and established Cardinium-positive and Cardinium-free whitefly lines with a similar nuclear genetic background from a field population, and compared performance of the two whitefly lines. The infection of Cardinium incurred significant fitness costs on the MED whitefly, including reduction of fecundity and egg viability as well as delay in development. We then selectively removed Hamiltonella from the Cardinium-free whitefly line and compared performance of two whitefly lines, one harboring both Portiera and Hamiltonella and the other harboring only Portiera. While depletion of Hamiltonella had little or only marginal effects on the fecundity, developmental rate, and offspring survival, the Hamiltonella-free whitefly line produced very few female offspring, often reducing the progeny female ratio from about 50% to less than 1%. Our findings indicate that the varying costs and benefits of the association between these two symbionts and the MED whitefly may play an important role in shaping their differential prevalence in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Wei Shan
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Key Laboratory of Biotechnology in Plant Protection of Ministry of Agriculture and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Plant Virology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.,Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shu-Sheng Liu
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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19
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Salazar MM, Pupo MT, Brown AMV. Co-Occurrence of Viruses, Plant Pathogens, and Symbionts in an Underexplored Hemipteran Clade. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:715998. [PMID: 34513731 PMCID: PMC8426549 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.715998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions between insect symbionts and plant pathogens are dynamic and complex, sometimes involving direct antagonism or synergy and sometimes involving ecological and evolutionary leaps, as insect symbionts transmit through plant tissues or plant pathogens transition to become insect symbionts. Hemipterans such as aphids, whiteflies, psyllids, leafhoppers, and planthoppers are well-studied plant pests that host diverse symbionts and vector plant pathogens. The related hemipteran treehoppers (family Membracidae) are less well-studied but offer a potentially new and diverse array of symbionts and plant pathogenic interactions through their distinct woody plant hosts and ecological interactions with diverse tending hymenopteran taxa. To explore membracid symbiont–pathogen diversity and co-occurrence, this study performed shotgun metagenomic sequencing on 20 samples (16 species) of treehopper, and characterized putative symbionts and pathogens using a combination of rapid blast database searches and phylogenetic analysis of assembled scaffolds and correlation analysis. Among the 8.7 billion base pairs of scaffolds assembled were matches to 9 potential plant pathogens, 12 potential primary and secondary insect endosymbionts, numerous bacteriophages, and other viruses, entomopathogens, and fungi. Notable discoveries include a divergent Brenneria plant pathogen-like organism, several bee-like Bombella and Asaia strains, novel strains of Arsenophonus-like and Sodalis-like symbionts, Ralstonia sp. and Ralstonia-type phages, Serratia sp., and APSE-type phages and bracoviruses. There were several short Phytoplasma and Spiroplasma matches, but there was no indication of plant viruses in these data. Clusters of positively correlated microbes such as yeast-like symbionts and Ralstonia, viruses and Serratia, and APSE phage with parasitoid-type bracoviruses suggest directions for future analyses. Together, results indicate membracids offer a rich palette for future study of symbiont–plant pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- McKinlee M Salazar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Mônica T Pupo
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Amanda M V Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
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20
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Michalik A, Castillo Franco D, Kobiałka M, Szklarzewicz T, Stroiński A, Łukasik P. Alternative Transmission Patterns in Independently Acquired Nutritional Cosymbionts of Dictyopharidae Planthoppers. mBio 2021; 12:e0122821. [PMID: 34465022 DOI: 10.1128/mBio.01228-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sap-sucking hemipterans host specialized, heritable microorganisms that supplement their diet with essential nutrients. These microbes show unusual features that provide a unique perspective on the coevolution of host-symbiont systems but are still poorly understood. Here, we combine microscopy with high-throughput sequencing to revisit 80-year-old reports on the diversity of symbiont transmission modes in a broadly distributed planthopper family, Dictyopharidae. We show that in seven species examined, the ancestral nutritional symbionts Sulcia and Vidania producing essential amino acids are complemented by co-primary symbionts, either Arsenophonus or Sodalis, acquired several times independently by different host lineages and contributing to the biosynthesis of B vitamins. These symbionts reside within separate bacteriomes within the abdominal cavity, although in females Vidania also occupies bacteriocytes in the rectal organ. Notably, the symbionts are transovarially transmitted from mothers to offspring in two alternative ways. In most examined species, all nutritional symbionts simultaneously infect the posterior end of the full-grown oocytes and next gather in their perivitelline space. In contrast, in other species, Sodalis colonizes the cytoplasm of the anterior pole of young oocytes, forming a cluster separate from the "symbiont ball" formed by late-invading Sulcia and Vidania. Our results show how newly arriving microbes may utilize different strategies to establish long-term heritable symbiosis. IMPORTANCE Sup-sucking hemipterans host ancient heritable microorganisms that supplement their unbalanced diet with essential nutrients and have repeatedly been complemented or replaced by other microorganisms. These symbionts need to be reliably transmitted to subsequent generations through the reproductive system, and often they end up using the same route as the most ancient ones. We show for the first time that in a single family of planthoppers, the complementing symbionts that have established infections independently utilize different transmission strategies, one of them novel, with the transmission of different microbes separated spatially and temporally. These data show how newly arriving microbes may utilize different strategies to establish long-term heritable symbioses.
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Fakhour S, Renoz F, Ambroise J, Pons I, Noël C, Gala JL, Hance T. Insight into the bacterial communities of the subterranean aphid Anoecia corni. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256019. [PMID: 34379678 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Many insect species are associated with bacterial partners that can significantly influence their evolutionary ecology. Compared to other insect groups, aphids harbor a bacterial microbiota that has the reputation of being poorly diversified, generally limited to the presence of the obligate nutritional symbiont Buchnera aphidicola and some facultative symbionts. In this study, we analyzed the bacterial diversity associated with the dogwood-grass aphid Anoecia corni, an aphid species that spends much of its life cycle in a subterranean environment. Little is known about the bacterial diversity associated with aphids displaying such a lifestyle, and one hypothesis is that close contact with the vast microbial community of the rhizosphere could promote the acquisition of a richer bacterial diversity compared to other aphid species. Using 16S rRNA amplicon Illumina sequencing on specimens collected on wheat roots in Morocco, we identified 10 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) corresponding to five bacterial genera. In addition to the obligate symbiont Buchnera, we identified the facultative symbionts Serratia symbiotica and Wolbachia in certain aphid colonies. The detection of Wolbachia is unexpected as it is considered rare in aphids. Moreover, its biological significance remains unknown in these insects. Besides, we also detected Arsenophonus and Dactylopiibacterium carminicum. These results suggest that, despite its subterranean lifestyle, A. corni shelter a bacterial diversity mainly limited to bacterial endosymbionts.
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Selvaraj G, Santos-Garcia D, Mozes-Daube N, Medina S, Zchori-Fein E, Freilich S. An eco-systems biology approach for modeling tritrophic networks reveals the influence of dietary amino acids on symbiont dynamics of Bemisia tabaci. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 97:6348090. [PMID: 34379764 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiab117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolic conversions allow organisms to produce essential metabolites from the available nutrients in an environment, frequently requiring metabolic exchanges among co-inhabiting organisms. Here, we applied genomic-based simulations for exploring tri-trophic interactions among the sap-feeding insect whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), its host-plants, and symbiotic bacteria. The simplicity of this ecosystem allows capturing the interacting organisms (based on genomic data) and the environmental content (based on metabolomics data). Simulations explored the metabolic capacities of insect-symbiont combinations under environments representing natural phloem. Predictions were correlated with experimental data on the dynamics of symbionts under different diets. Simulation outcomes depict a puzzle of three-layer origins (plant-insect-symbionts) for the source of essential metabolites across habitats and stratify interactions enabling the whitefly to feed on diverse hosts. In parallel to simulations, natural and artificial feeding experiments provide supporting evidence for an environment-based effect on symbiont dynamics. Based on simulations, a decrease in the relative abundance of a symbiont can be associated with a loss of fitness advantage due to an environmental excess in amino-acids whose production in a deprived environment used to depend on the symbiont. The study demonstrates that genomic-based predictions can bridge environment and community dynamics and guide the design of symbiont manipulation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gopinath Selvaraj
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, The Agricultural Research Organization, P.O.B. 1021, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel.,Institute of Plant Protection, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, The Agricultural Research Organization, P.O.B. 1021, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel
| | - Diego Santos-Garcia
- Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Netta Mozes-Daube
- Institute of Plant Protection, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, The Agricultural Research Organization, P.O.B. 1021, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel
| | - Shlomit Medina
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, The Agricultural Research Organization, P.O.B. 1021, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel
| | - Einat Zchori-Fein
- Institute of Plant Protection, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, The Agricultural Research Organization, P.O.B. 1021, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel
| | - Shiri Freilich
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, The Agricultural Research Organization, P.O.B. 1021, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel
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Ma YJ, He HP, Zhao HM, Xian YD, Guo H, Liu B, Xue K. Microbiome diversity of cotton aphids (Aphis gossypii) is associated with host alternation. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5260. [PMID: 33664278 PMCID: PMC7933357 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83675-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Aphids are infected by a series of bacteria that can help them survive on specific host plants. However, the associations between aphids and these bacteria are not clear, and the bacterial communities in many aphid species are poorly characterized. Here, we investigated the bacterial communities of cotton aphids (Aphis gossypii) on 2 representative winter host plants and transferred to 3 summer host plants by 16S rDNA sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Our results revealed that the bacterial communities varied among cotton aphids on hibiscus, cotton aphids on pomegranate, cotton aphids on cotton transferred from hibiscus, cotton aphids on muskmelon transferred from hibiscus, cotton aphids on cucumber transferred from hibiscus,. The diversity and richness of the bacterial communities were significantly higher in aphids on muskmelon and aphids on cucumber than in the other treatments. There were two main factors influencing the distribution of internal bacterial OTUs revealed by principal component analysis, including the differences among Punicaceae, Malvaceae and Cucurbitaceae. There were 28 bacterial communities with significant differences between two arbitrary treatments, which could be grouped into 6 main clusters depending on relative abundance. Moreover, our results indicated that in addition to the obligate endosymbiont Buchnera, with a dominant position (> 52%), A. gossypii also harbored 3 facultative endosymbiotic bacteria (Serratia, Arsenophonus, and Wolbachia) and 3 possibly symbiotic bacteria (Acinetobacter, Pantoea, and Flavobacterium). There were several correspondences between the symbiotic bacteria in cotton aphids and the specific host plants of the aphids. This study provides a better understanding of the interactions among symbiotic bacteria, aphids and host plants, suggesting that the selection pressure on aphid bacterial communities is likely to be exerted by the species of host plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-jie Ma
- grid.411077.40000 0004 0369 0529College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081 China
| | - Hao-peng He
- grid.411077.40000 0004 0369 0529College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081 China
| | - Hai-meng Zhao
- grid.411077.40000 0004 0369 0529College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081 China
| | - Yi-dan Xian
- grid.411077.40000 0004 0369 0529College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081 China
| | - Hui Guo
- grid.411077.40000 0004 0369 0529College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081 China
| | - Biao Liu
- grid.464374.60000 0004 1757 8263Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, MEP, Nanjing, 210042 China
| | - Kun Xue
- grid.411077.40000 0004 0369 0529College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081 China ,grid.464374.60000 0004 1757 8263Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, MEP, Nanjing, 210042 China
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Shan H, Wu W, Sun Z, Chen J, Li H. The Gut Microbiota of the Insect Infraorder Pentatomomorpha (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) for the Light of Ecology and Evolution. Microorganisms 2021; 9:464. [PMID: 33672230 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The stinkbugs of the infraorder Pentatomomorpha are a group of important plant sap-feeding insects, which host diverse microorganisms. Some are located in their complex morphological midgut compartments, while some within the specialized bacteriomes of insect hosts. This perpetuation of symbioses through host generations is reinforced via the diverse routes of vertical transmission or environmental acquisition of the symbionts. These symbiotic partners, reside either through the extracellular associations in midgut or intracellular associations in specialized cells, not only have contributed nutritional benefits to the insect hosts but also shaped their ecological and evolutionary basis. The stinkbugs and gut microbe symbioses present a valuable model that provides insights into symbiotic interactions between agricultural insects and microorganisms and may become potential agents for insect pest management.
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Dittmer J, Lusseau T, Foissac X, Faoro F. Skipping the Insect Vector: Plant Stolon Transmission of the Phytopathogen ' Ca. Phlomobacter fragariae' from the Arsenophonus Clade of Insect Endosymbionts. Insects 2021; 12:93. [PMID: 33499057 DOI: 10.3390/insects12020093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary Numerous plant sap-feeding insects are vectors of plant-pathogenic bacteria that cause devastating crop diseases. Some of these bacteria had initially been insect endosymbionts that eventually evolved the capacity to survive in plants after being frequently transmitted to plants by their insect hosts during feeding. An example for this evolutionary transition is the bacterial symbiont ‘Candidatus Phlomobacter fragariae’ (hereafter Phlomobacter) of the planthopper Cixius wagneri. Upon transmission to strawberry plants by its insect vector, the bacterium accumulates in the plant phloem and causes Strawberry Marginal Chlorosis disease. Using quantitative PCR and transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrate an additional plant-to-plant transmission route: Phlomobacter can be transmitted from an infected plant to daughter plants through stolons, a specific type of stem from which daughter plants can develop. Our results show that Phlomobacter was abundant in stolons and was efficiently transmitted to daughter plants, which developed disease symptoms. Hence, Phlomobacter is not only able to survive in plants, but can even be transmitted to new plant generations, independently from its ancestral insect host. Abstract The genus Arsenophonus represents one of the most widespread clades of insect endosymbionts, including reproductive manipulators and bacteriocyte-associated primary endosymbionts. Two strains belonging to the Arsenophonus clade have been identified as insect-vectored plant pathogens of strawberry and sugar beet. The bacteria accumulate in the phloem of infected plants, ultimately causing leaf yellows and necrosis. These symbionts therefore represent excellent model systems to investigate the evolutionary transition from a purely insect-associated endosymbiont towards an insect-vectored phytopathogen. Using quantitative PCR and transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrate that ‘Candidatus Phlomobacter fragariae’, bacterial symbiont of the planthopper Cixius wagneri and the causative agent of Strawberry Marginal Chlorosis disease, can be transmitted from an infected strawberry plant to multiple daughter plants through stolons. Stolons are horizontally growing stems enabling the nutrient provisioning of daughter plants during their early growth phase. Our results show that Phlomobacter was abundant in the phloem sieve elements of stolons and was efficiently transmitted to daughter plants, which rapidly developed disease symptoms. From an evolutionary perspective, Phlomobacter is, therefore, not only able to survive within the plant after transmission by the insect vector, but can even be transmitted to new plant generations, independently from its ancestral insect host.
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Wang YB, Ren FR, Yao YL, Sun X, Walling LL, Li NN, Bai B, Bao XY, Xu XR, Luan JB. Intracellular symbionts drive sex ratio in the whitefly by facilitating fertilization and provisioning of B vitamins. ISME J 2020; 14:2923-2935. [PMID: 32690936 PMCID: PMC7784916 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0717-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Symbionts can regulate animal reproduction in multiple ways, but the underlying physiological and biochemical mechanisms remain largely unknown. The presence of multiple lineages of maternally inherited, intracellular symbionts (the primary and secondary symbionts) in terrestrial arthropods is widespread in nature. However, the biological, metabolic, and evolutionary role of co-resident secondary symbionts for hosts is poorly understood. The bacterial symbionts Hamiltonella and Arsenophonus have very high prevalence in two globally important pests, the whiteflies Bemisia tabaci and Trialeurodes vaporariorum, respectively. Both symbionts coexist with the primary symbiont Portiera in the same host cell (bacteriocyte) and are maternally transmitted. We found that elimination of both Hamiltonella and Arsenophonous by antibiotic treatment reduced the percentage of female offspring in whiteflies. Microsatellite genotyping and cytogenetic analysis revealed that symbiont deficiency inhibited fertilization in whiteflies, leading to more haploid males with one maternal allele, which is consistent with distorted sex ratio in whiteflies. Quantification of essential amino acids and B vitamins in whiteflies indicated that symbiont deficiency reduced B vitamin levels, and dietary B vitamin supplementation rescued fitness of whiteflies. This study, for the first time, conclusively demonstrates that these two intracellular symbionts affect sex ratios in their whitefly hosts by regulating fertilization and supplying B vitamins. Our results reveal that both symbionts have the convergent function of regulating reproduction in phylogenetically-distant whitefly species. The 100% frequency, the inability of whiteflies to develop normally without their symbiont, and rescue with B vitamins suggests that both symbionts may be better considered co-primary symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Bin Wang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Fei-Rong Ren
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Ya-Lin Yao
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Xiang Sun
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Linda L Walling
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, Center for Plant Cell Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521-0124, USA
| | - Na-Na Li
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Bing Bai
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Xi-Yu Bao
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Xiao-Rui Xu
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Jun-Bo Luan
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China.
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Tobias NJ, Eberhard FE, Guarneri AA. Enzymatic biosynthesis of B-complex vitamins is supplied by diverse microbiota in the Rhodnius prolixus anterior midgut following Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 18:3395-3401. [PMID: 33294135 PMCID: PMC7691439 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, colonizes the gut of triatomine insects, including Rhodnius prolixus. It is believed that this colonization upsets the microbiota that are normally present, presumably switching the environment to one more favorable for parasite survival. It was previously thought that one particular bacterium, Rhodococcus rhodnii, was essential for insect survival due to its ability to produce vital B-complex vitamins. However, these bacteria are not always identified in great abundance in studies on R. prolixus microbiota. Here we sequenced the microbiota of the insect anterior midgut using shotgun metagenomic sequencing in order to obtain a high-resolution snapshot of the microbes inside at two different time points and under two conditions; in the presence or absence of parasite and immediately following infection, or three days post-infection. We identify a total of 217 metagenomic bins, and recovered one metagenome-assembled genome, which we placed in the genus Dickeya. We show that, despite Rhodococcus being present, it is not the only microbe capable of synthesizing B-complex vitamins, with the genes required for biosynthesis present in a number of different microbes. This work helps to gain a new insight into the microbial ecology of R. prolixus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Tobias
- LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity in Genomics (TBG), Frankfurt, Germany.,Molekulare Biotechnologie, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Fanny E Eberhard
- Integrative Parasitologie und Zoophysiologie, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Alessandra A Guarneri
- Vector Behaviour and Pathogen Interaction Group, Instituto René Rachou, Avenida Augusto de Lima, 1715, Belo Horizonte, MG CEP 30190-009, Brazil
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Andreason SA, Shelby EA, Moss JB, Moore PJ, Moore AJ, Simmons AM. Whitefly Endosymbionts: Biology, Evolution, and Plant Virus Interactions. Insects 2020; 11:insects11110775. [PMID: 33182634 PMCID: PMC7696030 DOI: 10.3390/insects11110775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are sap-feeding global agricultural pests. These piercing-sucking insects have coevolved with intracellular endosymbiotic bacteria that help to supplement their nutrient-poor plant sap diets with essential amino acids and carotenoids. These obligate, primary endosymbionts have been incorporated into specialized organs called bacteriomes where they sometimes coexist with facultative, secondary endosymbionts. All whitefly species harbor the primary endosymbiont Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum and have a variable number of secondary endosymbionts. The secondary endosymbiont complement harbored by the cryptic whitefly species Bemisia tabaci is particularly complex with various assemblages of seven different genera identified to date. In this review, we discuss whitefly associated primary and secondary endosymbionts. We focus on those associated with the notorious B. tabaci species complex with emphasis on their biological characteristics and diversity. We also discuss their interactions with phytopathogenic begomoviruses (family Geminiviridae), which are transmitted exclusively by B. tabaci in a persistent-circulative manner. Unraveling the complex interactions of these endosymbionts with their insect hosts and plant viruses could lead to advancements in whitefly and whitefly transmitted virus management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon A. Andreason
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Vegetable Laboratory, Charleston, SC 29414, USA;
| | - Emily A. Shelby
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (E.A.S.); (J.B.M.); (P.J.M.); (A.J.M.)
| | - Jeanette B. Moss
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (E.A.S.); (J.B.M.); (P.J.M.); (A.J.M.)
| | - Patricia J. Moore
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (E.A.S.); (J.B.M.); (P.J.M.); (A.J.M.)
| | - Allen J. Moore
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (E.A.S.); (J.B.M.); (P.J.M.); (A.J.M.)
| | - Alvin M. Simmons
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Vegetable Laboratory, Charleston, SC 29414, USA;
- Correspondence:
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Ren FR, Sun X, Wang TY, Yao YL, Huang YZ, Zhang X, Luan JB. Biotin provisioning by horizontally transferred genes from bacteria confers animal fitness benefits. ISME J 2020; 14:2542-2553. [PMID: 32572143 PMCID: PMC7490365 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0704-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Insect symbionts are widespread in nature and lateral gene transfer is prevalent in insect symbiosis. However, the function of horizontally transferred genes (HTGs) in insect symbiosis remains speculative, including the mechanism that enables insects to feed on plant phloem deficient in B vitamins. Previously, we found there is redundancy in biotin synthesis pathways from both whitefly Bemisia tabaci and symbiotic Hamiltonella due to the presence of whitefly HTGs. Here, we demonstrate that elimination of Hamiltonella decreased biotin levels but elevated the expression of horizontally transferred biotin genes in whiteflies. HTGs proteins exhibit specific expression patterns in specialized insect cells called bacteriocytes housing symbionts. Complementation with whitefly HTGs rescued E. coli biotin gene knockout mutants. Furthermore, silencing whitefly HTGs in Hamiltonella-infected whiteflies reduced biotin levels and hindered adult survival and fecundity, which was partially rescued by biotin supplementation. Each of horizontally transferred biotin genes are conserved in various laboratory cultures and species of whiteflies with geographically diverse distributions, which shares an evolutionary origin. We provide the first experimental evidence that biotin synthesized through acquired HTGs is important in whiteflies and may be as well in other animals. Our findings suggest that B vitamin provisioning in animal-microbe symbiosis frequently evolved from bacterial symbionts to animal hosts through horizontal gene transfer events. This study will also shed light on how the animal genomes evolve through functional transfer of genes with bacterial origin in the wider contexts of microbial ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei-Rong Ren
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Xiang Sun
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Tian-Yu Wang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Ya-Lin Yao
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Yan-Zhen Huang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Xue Zhang
- China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jun-Bo Luan
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Economic and Applied Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China.
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Blow F, Bueno E, Clark N, Zhu DT, Chung SH, Güllert S, Schmitz RA, Douglas AE. B-vitamin nutrition in the pea aphid-Buchnera symbiosis. J Insect Physiol 2020; 126:104092. [PMID: 32763248 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2020.104092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Various insects that utilize vitamin-deficient diets derive a supplementary supply of these micronutrients from their symbiotic microorganisms. Here, we tested the inference from genome annotation that the symbiotic bacterium Buchnera aphidicola in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum provides the insect with vitamins B2 and B5 but no other B-vitamins. Contrary to expectation, aphid survival over five days of larval development on artificial diets individually lacking each B-vitamin not synthesized by Buchnera was not significantly reduced, despite significantly lower carcass B1, B3, B6 and B7 concentrations in the aphids on diets lacking each of these B-vitamins than on the vitamin-complete diet. Aphid survival was, however, significantly reduced on diet containing low concentrations (≤0.2 mM) or no pantothenate (B5). Complementary transcriptome analysis revealed low abundance of the sense-transcript, but high abundance of the antisense transcript, of the Buchnera gene panC encoding the enzyme mediating the terminal reaction in pantothenate synthesis. We hypothesize that metabolic constraints or antisense transcripts may reduce Buchnera-mediated production of pantothenate, resulting in poor aphid performance on pantothenate-free diets. The discrepancy between predictions from genome data and empirical data illustrates the need for physiological study to test functional inferences made from genome annotations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances Blow
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Eduardo Bueno
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Noah Clark
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Dan Tong Zhu
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Seung Ho Chung
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Simon Güllert
- Institute of General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel, Germany
| | - Ruth A Schmitz
- Institute of General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel, Germany
| | - Angela E Douglas
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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Salcedo-Porras N, Umaña-Diaz C, Bitencourt ROB, Lowenberger C. The Role of Bacterial Symbionts in Triatomines: An Evolutionary Perspective. Microorganisms 2020; 8:E1438. [PMID: 32961808 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8091438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects have established mutualistic symbiotic interactions with microorganisms that are beneficial to both host and symbiont. Many insects have exploited these symbioses to diversify and expand their ecological ranges. In the Hemiptera (i.e., aphids, cicadas, and true bugs), symbioses have established and evolved with obligatory essential microorganisms (primary symbionts) and with facultative beneficial symbionts (secondary symbionts). Primary symbionts are usually intracellular microorganisms found in insects with specialized diets such as obligate hematophagy or phytophagy. Most Heteroptera (true bugs), however, have gastrointestinal (GI) tract extracellular symbionts with functions analogous to primary endosymbionts. The triatomines, are vectors of the human parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. A description of their small GI tract microbiota richness was based on a few culturable microorganisms first described almost a century ago. A growing literature describes more complex interactions between triatomines and bacteria with properties characteristic of both primary and secondary symbionts. In this review, we provide an evolutionary perspective of beneficial symbioses in the Hemiptera, illustrating the context that may drive the evolution of symbioses in triatomines. We highlight the diversity of the triatomine microbiota, bacterial taxa with potential to be beneficial symbionts, the unique characteristics of triatomine-bacteria symbioses, and the interactions among trypanosomes, microbiota, and triatomines.
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Liu YH, Shah MMR, Song Y, Liu TX. Host Plant Affects Symbiont Abundance in Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Insects 2020; 11:E501. [PMID: 32759695 DOI: 10.3390/insects11080501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary The nutritional contributions of symbionts facilitate herbivores’ plant utilization, promoting insects infecting and spreading on host plants. In this study we investigated the effects of host plants on the symbionts of Bemisia tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) from a nutritional aspect. We found that three host plant-adapted whitefly populations harbored the same symbiont taxa in different quantities. The amount of the primary symbiont Portiera decreased with increasing host-plant essential amino acid proportions in whitefly populations and even in those transferred to different host-plant species to meet the nutritional demands of whiteflies. However, the abundance of the secondary symbionts in whiteflies after host-plant-shifting for one generation showed little correlation with essential amino acid levels of host plants. It demonstrates that host-plant nitrogen nutrition—mainly, essential amino acids—influences the abundance of symbionts, especially Portiera, to meet whiteflies’ nutritional demands, and whiteflies manipulate their symbionts’ quantity governed by the host plant. The nutrient exchanges in symbioses involving multiple partners could provide new ideas for pest control. Abstract Symbionts contribute nutrients that allow insects to feed on plants. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) is a polyphagous pest that depends on symbionts to provide key nutrients that are deficient in the diet. Here, we established three whitefly populations on eggplants, cucumbers, and tomatoes and observed that they harbored the same symbiont taxa in different quantities. The amount of the primary symbiont, Portiera, decreased with increasing concentrations of host-plant essential amino acids (EAAs). Whitefly populations transferred to different plant species exhibited fluctuations in Portiera amounts in the first three or four generations; the amount of Portiera increased when whitefly populations were transferred to plant species with lower EAAs proportions. As for the secondary symbionts, the whitefly population of eggplants exhibited lower quantities of Hamiltonella and higher quantities of Rickettsia than the other two populations. The changes of both symbionts’ abundance in whitefly populations after host-plant-shifting for one generation showed little correlation with the EAAs’ proportions of host plants. These findings suggest that host-plant nitrogen nutrition, mainly in the form of EAAs, influences the abundance of symbionts, especially Portiera, to meet the nutritional demands of whiteflies. The results will inform efforts to control pests through manipulating symbionts in insect–symbiont associations.
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Tal O, Selvaraj G, Medina S, Ofaim S, Freilich S. NetMet: A Network-Based Tool for Predicting Metabolic Capacities of Microbial Species and their Interactions. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8060840. [PMID: 32503277 PMCID: PMC7356744 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8060840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic conversions allow organisms to produce a set of essential metabolites from the available nutrients in an environment, frequently requiring metabolic exchanges among co-inhabiting organisms. Genomic-based metabolic simulations are being increasingly applied for exploring metabolic capacities, considering different environments and different combinations of microorganisms. NetMet is a web-based tool and a software package for predicting the metabolic performances of microorganisms and their corresponding combinations in user-defined environments. The algorithm takes, as input, lists of (i) species-specific enzymatic reactions (EC numbers), and (ii) relevant metabolic environments. The algorithm generates, as output, lists of (i) compounds that individual species can produce in each given environment, and (ii) compounds that are predicted to be produced through complementary interactions. The tool is demonstrated in two case studies. First, we compared the metabolic capacities of different haplotypes of the obligatory fruit and vegetable pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum to those of their culturable taxonomic relative Liberibacter crescens. Second, we demonstrated the potential production of complementary metabolites by pairwise combinations of co-occurring endosymbionts of the plant phloem-feeding whitefly Bemisia tabaci.
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Kobiałka M, Michalik A, Świerczewski D, Szklarzewicz T. Complex symbiotic systems of two treehopper species: Centrotus cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Gargara genistae (Fabricius, 1775) (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha: Membracoidea: Membracidae). Protoplasma 2020; 257:819-831. [PMID: 31848755 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-019-01466-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the conducted study was to describe the symbiotic systems (the types of symbionts, distribution in the body of the host insect, the transovarial transmission between generations) of two treehoppers: Centrotus cornutus and Gargara genistae by means of microscopic and molecular techniques. We found that each of them is host to four species of bacteriome-inhabiting symbionts. In C. cornutus, ancestral bacterial symbionts Sulcia and Nasuia are accompanied by an additional symbiont-the bacterium Arsenophonus. In the bacteriomes of G. genistae, apart from Sulcia and Nasuia, bacterium Serratia is present. To our knowledge, this is the first report regarding the occurrence of Serratia as a symbiont in Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha. Bacteria Sulcia and Nasuia are harbored in their own bacteriocytes, whereas Arsenophonus and Serratia both inhabit their own bacteriocytes and also co-reside with bacteria Nasuia. We observed that both bacteria Arsenophonus and Serratia undergo autophagic degradation. We found that in both of the species examined, in the cytoplasm and nuclei of all of the cells of the bacteriome, bacteria Rickettsia are present. Our histological and ultrastructural observations revealed that all the bacteriome-associated symbionts of C. cornutus and G. genistae are transovarially transmitted from mother to offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Kobiałka
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Michalik
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Dariusz Świerczewski
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Jan Długosz University, Armii Krajowej 13/15, 42-201, Częstochowa, Poland
| | - Teresa Szklarzewicz
- Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Invertebrates, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland.
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Paredes-Montero JR, Zia-Ur-Rehman M, Hameed U, Haider MS, Herrmann HW, Brown JK. Genetic variability, community structure, and horizontal transfer of endosymbionts among three Asia II- Bemisia tabaci mitotypes in Pakistan. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:2928-2943. [PMID: 32211166 PMCID: PMC7083670 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Endosymbionts associated with the whitefly Bemisia tabaci cryptic species are known to contribute to host fitness and environmental adaptation. The genetic diversity and population complexity were investigated for endosymbiont communities of B. tabaci occupying different micro‐environments in Pakistan. Mitotypes of B. tabaci were identified by comparative sequence analysis of the mitochondria cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) gene sequence. Whitefly mitotypes belonged to the Asia II‐1, ‐5, and ‐7 mitotypes of the Asia II major clade. The whitefly–endosymbiont communities were characterized based on 16S ribosomal RNA operational taxonomic unit (OTU) assignments, resulting in 43 OTUs. Most of the OTUs occurred in the Asia II‐1 and II‐7 mitotypes (r2 = .9, p < .005), while the Asia II‐5 microbiome was less complex. The microbiome OTU groups were mitotype‐specific, clustering with a basis in phylogeographical distribution and the corresponding ecological niche of their whitefly host, suggesting mitotype‐microbiome co‐adaptation. The primary endosymbiont Portiera was represented by a single, highly homologous OTU (0%–0.67% divergence). Two of six Arsenophonus OTUs were uniquely associated with Asia II‐5 and ‐7, and one occurred exclusively in Asia II‐1, two only in Asia II‐5, and one in both Asia II‐1 and ‐7. Four other secondary endosymbionts, Cardinium, Hemipteriphilus, Rickettsia, and Wolbachia OTUs, were found at ≤29% frequencies. The most prevalent Arsenophonus OTU was found in all three Asia II mitotypes (55% frequency), whereas the same strain of Cardinium and Wolbachia was found in both Asia II‐1 and ‐5, and a single Hemipteriphilus OTU occurred in Asia II‐1 and ‐7. This pattern is indicative of horizontal transfer, suggestive of a proximity between mitotypes sufficient for gene flow at overlapping mitotype ecological niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge R Paredes-Montero
- School of Plant Sciences University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA.,Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) Guayaquil Ecuador
| | | | - Usman Hameed
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences University of the Punjab Lahore Pakistan
| | | | | | - Judith K Brown
- School of Plant Sciences University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
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Santos-Garcia D, Mestre-Rincon N, Zchori-Fein E, Morin S. Inside out: microbiota dynamics during host-plant adaptation of whiteflies. ISME J 2020; 14:847-856. [PMID: 31896788 PMCID: PMC7031279 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-019-0576-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
While most insect herbivores are selective feeders, a small proportion of them feed on a wide range of plants. This polyphagous habit requires overcoming a remarkable array of defenses, which often necessitates an adaptation period. Efforts for understanding the mechanisms involved mostly focus on the insect’s phenotypic plasticity. Here, we hypothesized that the adaptation process might partially rely on transient associations with bacteria. To test this, we followed in a field-like experiment, the adaptation process of Bemisia tabaci, a generalist sap feeder, to pepper (a less-suitable host), after switching from watermelon (a suitable host). Amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA transcripts from hundreds of dissected guts revealed the presence of active “core” and “transient” bacterial communities, dominated by the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes, and increasing differences between populations grown on watermelon and pepper. Insects grown on pepper for over two generations presented a significant increase in specific genera, mainly Mycobacterium, with a predicted enrichment in degradative pathways of xenobiotics and secondary metabolites. This result correlated with a significant increase in the insect’s survival on pepper. Taken together, our findings suggest that gut-associated bacteria can provide an additional flexible metabolic “tool-box” to generalist sap feeders for facilitating a quick host switching process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Santos-Garcia
- Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, 76100, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Natividad Mestre-Rincon
- Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, 76100, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Einat Zchori-Fein
- Department of Entomology, Newe-Ya'ar Research Center, ARO, Ramat-Yishai, Israel
| | - Shai Morin
- Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, 76100, Rehovot, Israel
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Shan HW, Luan JB, Liu YQ, Douglas AE, Liu SS. The inherited bacterial symbiont Hamiltonella influences the sex ratio of an insect host. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191677. [PMID: 31744432 PMCID: PMC6892053 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
In many intracellular symbioses, the microbial symbionts provide nutrients advantageous to the host. However, the function of Hamiltonella defensa, a symbiotic bacterium localized in specialized host cells (bacteriocytes) of a whitefly Bemisia tabaci, is uncertain. We eliminate this bacterium from its whitefly host by two alternative methods: heat treatment and antibiotics. The sex ratio of the host progeny and subsequent generations of Hamiltonella-free females was skewed from 1 : 1 (male : female) to an excess of males, often exceeding a ratio of 20 : 1. B. tabaci is haplodiploid, with diploid females derived from fertilized eggs and haploid males from unfertilized eggs. The Hamiltonella status of the insect did not affect copulation frequency or sperm reserve in the spermathecae, indicating that the male-biased sex ratio is unlikely due to the limitation of sperm but likely to be associated with events subsequent to sperm transfer to the female insects, such as failure in fertilization. The host reproductive response to Hamiltonella elimination is consistent with two alternative processes: adaptive shift in sex allocation by females and a constitutive compensatory response of the insect to Hamiltonella-mediated manipulation. Our findings suggest that a bacteriocyte symbiont influences the reproductive output of female progeny in a haplodiploid insect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Wei Shan
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun-Bo Luan
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Yin-Quan Liu
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Angela E. Douglas
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Shu-Sheng Liu
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
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Tian PP, Chang CY, Miao NH, Li MY, Liu XD. Infections with Arsenophonus Facultative Endosymbionts Alter Performance of Aphids (Aphis gossypii) on an Amino-Acid-Deficient Diet. Appl Environ Microbiol 2019; 85:e01407-19. [PMID: 31540983 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01407-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic polymorphism and endosymbiont infection are ubiquitous in aphid populations. It has been known that the obligate symbiont Buchnera provides aphids with essential amino acids which cannot be ingested from plant sap. Buchnera often coexists with facultative endosymbionts in aphids. However, it is unclear whether the facultative endosymbionts affect the aphid's amino acid requirements from diet. In this study, we found that the facultative endosymbiont status in populations of the cotton-melon aphid Aphis gossypii was associated with aphid genotype or host plant. The infection frequency of Arsenophonus in aphids living on cotton was significantly higher than that in aphids on cucumber, and cucumber leaves contained higher titers of free amino acids than cotton leaves, especially amino acids Leu, Arg, Ile, Val, and Phe. The net reproductive rates of five aphid genotypes infected with Arsenophonus were not different on the complete-amino-acid diet, but the values were significantly different among seven Arsenophonus-free aphid genotypes. Moreover, the net reproductive rates of aphids on the amino-acid-deficient diet were significantly affected by Arsenophonus infection and aphid genotype. Arsenophonus infection decreased aphid performance on the Phe-free diet but improved performance on the Leu-free diet and did not affect the performance on the Ile-free or Val-free diet. Arsenophonus infections altered aphid requirements for amino acids that were significantly different in cotton and cucumber leaves, suggesting this endosymbiont would modulate the host specialization of this aphid.IMPORTANCE The facultative endosymbiont Arsenophonus plays an important role in regulating reproduction through son killing, enemy resistance, and the dietary breadth of its insect hosts. In this study, we found Arsenophonus could alter aphid performance on the amino-acid-deficient diets. Arsenophonus infection increased aphid requirements for the amino acid Phe, but decreased requirements for the Leu. Cotton and cucumber leaves contained drastically different titers of free amino acids Phe and Leu, and aphids living on these two plants were infected with different incidences of Arsenophonus We hypothesize that host specialization or the host plant range of aphids may be mediated by Arsenophonus.
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Zhu DT, Zou C, Ban FX, Wang HL, Wang XW, Liu YQ. Conservation of transcriptional elements in the obligate symbiont of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7477. [PMID: 31440434 PMCID: PMC6699477 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bacterial symbiosis is widespread in arthropods, especially in insects. Some of the symbionts undergo a long-term co-evolution with the host, resulting in massive genome decay. One particular consequence of genome decay is thought to be the elimination of transcriptional elements within both the coding region and intergenic sequences. In the whitefly Bemisia tabaci species complex, the obligate symbiont Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum is of vital importance in nutrient provision, and yet little is known about the regulatory capacities of it. Methods Portiera genomes of two whitefly species in China were sequenced and assembled. Gene content of these two Portiera genomes was predicted, and then subjected to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis. Together with two other Portiera genomes from whitefly species available previously, four Portiera genomes were utilized to investigate regulatory capacities of Portiera, focusing on transcriptional elements, including genes related with transcription and functional elements within the intergenic spacers. Results Comparative analyses of the four Portiera genomes of whitefly B. tabaci indicate that the obligate symbionts Portiera is similar in different species of whiteflies, in terms of general genome features and possible functions in the biosynthesis of essential amino acids. The screening of transcriptional factors suggests compromised ability of Portiera to regulate the essential amino acid biosynthesis pathways. Meanwhile, thermal tolerance ability of Portiera is indicated with the detection of a σ32 factor, as well as two predicted σ32 binding sites. Within intergenic spacers, functional elements are predicted, including 37 Shine-Dalgarno sequences and 34 putative small RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan-Tong Zhu
- Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chi Zou
- Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fei-Xue Ban
- Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hua-Ling Wang
- Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Wei Wang
- Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yin-Quan Liu
- Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Brinker P, Fontaine MC, Beukeboom LW, Falcao Salles J. Host, Symbionts, and the Microbiome: The Missing Tripartite Interaction. Trends Microbiol 2019; 27:480-488. [PMID: 30857919 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2019.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Symbiosis between microbial associates and a host is a ubiquitous feature of life on earth, modulating host phenotypes. In addition to endosymbionts, organisms harbour a collection of host-associated microbes, the microbiome that can impact important host traits. In this opinion article we argue that the mutual influences of the microbiome and endosymbionts, as well as their combined influence on the host, are still understudied. Focusing on the endosymbiont Wolbachia, we present growing evidence indicating that host phenotypic effects are exerted in interaction with the remainder microbiome and the host. We thus advocate that only through an integrated approach that considers multiple interacting partners and environmental influences will we be able to gain a better understanding of host-microbe associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pina Brinker
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Michael C Fontaine
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, The Netherlands; MIVEGEC, UMR IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Leo W Beukeboom
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Joana Falcao Salles
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
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