Regulation and specificity of antifungal metapleural gland secretion in leaf-cutting ants

Ants have paired metapleural glands (MGs) to produce secretions for prophylactic hygiene. These exocrine glands are particularly well developed in leaf-cutting ants, but whether the ants can actively regulate MG secretion is unknown. In a set of controlled experiments using conidia of five fungi, we show that the ants adjust the amount of MG secretion to the virulence of the fungus with which they are infected. We further applied fixed volumes of MG secretion of ants challenged with constant conidia doses to agar mats of the same fungal species. This showed that inhibition halos were significantly larger for ants challenged with virulent and mild pathogens/weeds than for controls and Escovopsis -challenged ants. We conclude that the MG defence system of leaf-cutting ants has characteristics reminiscent of an additional cuticular immune system, with specific and non-specific components, of which some are constitutive and others induced.

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Experimental evidence for the costs and hygienic significance of the antibiotic metapleural gland secretion in leaf-cutting ants

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology ◽

10.1007/s00265-002-0489-8 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 52 (2) ◽

pp. 151-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 104

Author(s):

Michael Poulsen ◽

Adrianne Bot ◽

Mogens Nielsen ◽

Jacobus Boomsma

Keyword(s):

Experimental Evidence ◽

Gland Secretion ◽

Metapleural Gland ◽

Leaf Cutting

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The effect of metapleural gland secretion on the growth of a mutualistic bacterium on the cuticle of leaf-cutting ants

The Science of Nature ◽

10.1007/s00114-003-0450-3 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 90 (9) ◽

pp. 406-409 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Michael Poulsen ◽

Adrianne N. M. Bot ◽

Jacobus J. Boomsma

Keyword(s):

Gland Secretion ◽

Metapleural Gland ◽

Leaf Cutting

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The metapleural glands of fungus-growing and non-fungus-growing ants: Ultrastructural study

Animal Biology ◽

10.1163/15707563-00002446 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 64 (3) ◽

pp. 277-294

Author(s):

Alexsandro Santana Vieira ◽

Odair Correa Bueno ◽

Maria Izabel Camargo-Mathias

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Properties ◽

Secretory Cells ◽

Metapleural Gland ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Metapleural Glands ◽

Feeding Type ◽

Leaf Cutting ◽

Fungus Growing Ants ◽

Secretory Capacity

The metapleural glands are considered an autapomorphic structure to ants and probable have an antibiotic or antifungal function. The present study was aimed at investigating the ultrastructural morphology of the metapleural glands in ants which have different feeding types: from fungus-growing ants, the higher and lower attine, and non-fungus-growing ants from the tribes Blepharidattini and Ectatommini analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. Plasma membrane invaginations in secretory cells of both fungus-growing and non-fungus-growing ants facilitate absorption of extracellular material from hemolymph. Higher and lower attines differed slightly from non-fungus-growing ants, by the presence of oval secretory cells and well-developed RER in the metapleural glands, which indicates a higher production of secretion in attines. Also, well-developed Golgi regions in the leaf-cutting ants and Ectatommini probably modify the secretions, produced by the secretory cell or coming of the hemolymph, into pheromone or antimicrobial compounds, the latter mainly in leaf-cutting ants. Still, the secretory cells of the metapleural gland of leaf-cutting ants exhibited several mitochondria near microvilli of the intracytoplasmic portion of the canaliculus, indicating an important role of the metapleural gland in the production and transport of secretion in metapleural gland of leaf-cutting ants. Thus, our work corroborates other findings, however our results add that the slight ultrastructural difference in the metapleural glands of leaf-cutting ants can be due to the feeding type (fungus-growing ants), resulting in greater secretory capacity and antimicrobial properties to combat pathogens (for example, micro-fungi parasites Escovopsis).

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Immune system and antimicrobial secretion use by the leaf cutting ants,Attaspp. (Formicidae: Attini), during a fungal infection

10.1603/ice.2016.115032 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Ernesto Francisco Bonadies

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Fungal Infection ◽

Leaf Cutting

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First Speleomycological Study on the Occurrence of Psychrophilic and Psychrotolerant Aeromycota in the Brestovská Cave (Western Tatras Mts., Slovakia) and First Reports for Some Species at Underground Sites

Biology ◽

10.3390/biology10060497 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 497

Author(s):

Rafał Ogórek ◽

Mateusz Speruda ◽

Justyna Borzęcka ◽

Agata Piecuch ◽

Magdalena Cal

Keyword(s):

Global Warming ◽

Immune System ◽

Biological Material ◽

Fungal Spores ◽

Airborne Fungi ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Air Samples ◽

Cold Adapted ◽

First Report

Most underground ecosystems are heterotrophic, fungi in these objects are dispersed in the air in the form of spores, and they may be potentially hazardous to mammals. Research in underground sites has focused on mesophilic airborne fungi and only a few concerned cold-adapted species. Therefore, the goal of our research was the first report of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant aeromycota in the Brestovská Cave using culture-based techniques with genetic and phenotypic identification. Plates with PDA medium containing sampled biological material were incubated at 8 ± 0.5 °C. The density of mycobiota inside the cave ranged from 37.4 to 71 CFU 1 m−3 of air and 63.3 CFU 1 m−3 of air outside the cave. Thus, the level of fungal spores did not exceed the standards for the mycological quality of the air. A total of 18 species were isolated during the study, and some species may be potentially dangerous to people with weakened immune system. All fungal species were present inside the cave and only seven of them were outside. Cladosporium cladosporioides dominated in the external air samples and Mortierella parvispora was cultured most frequently from internal air samples. To our knowledge, this is the first discovery of the fungal species such as Coniothyrium pyrinum, Cystobasidium laryngis, Filobasidium wieringae, Leucosporidium drummii, M. parvispora, Mrakia blollopis, Nakazawaea holstii, and Vishniacozyma victoriae in the air inside the underground sites. Moreover, C. pyrinum, C. laryngis, L. drummii, M. blollopis, and N. holstii have never been detected in any component of the underground ecosystems. There are possible reasons explaining the detection of those species, but global warming is the most likely.

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