scholarly journals Evolution and Diversity of Inherited Spiroplasma Symbionts in Myrmica Ants

2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Ballinger ◽  
Logan D. Moore ◽  
Steve J. Perlman
Keyword(s):  
Time Scales ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Bacterial Symbiont ◽  
Evolutionary Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Myrmica Ants ◽  
Microbial Symbionts ◽  
Nutrient Provisioning

ABSTRACT Microbial partners play important roles in the biology and ecology of animals. In insects, maternally transmitted symbionts are especially common and can have host effects ranging from reproductive manipulation to nutrient provisioning and defense against natural enemies. In this study, we report a genus-wide association of Myrmica ants with the inherited bacterial symbiont Spiroplasma . We screen Myrmica ants collected from the wild, including the invasive European fire ant, Myrmica rubra , and find an extraordinarily high prevalence of this symbiont—8 of 9 species, 42 of 43 colonies, and 250 of 276 individual workers harbored Spiroplasma —only one host species was uninfected. In our screens, each host species carried a distinct Spiroplasma strain, and none were infected with more than one strain. All symbionts belong to the citri clade, allied most closely with pathogenic strains of Spiroplasma infecting corn crops and honeybees, and there is strong evidence of host-symbiont persistence across evolutionary time scales. Genome sequencing of two Spiroplasma symbionts revealed candidate genes that may play a part in the symbiosis, a nutrient transporter absent from other Spiroplasma strains, and a ribosome-inactivating protein previously implicated in parasite defense. These results together suggest long-term, likely mutualistic, relationships atypical of Spiroplasma -insect associations with potential significance for broad ecological interactions with Myrmica . IMPORTANCE Animal-associated microbial symbionts can dramatically affect the biology of their hosts. The identification and characterization of these intimate partnerships remain an essential component of describing and predicting species interactions, especially for invasive host species. Ants perform crucial ecological functions as ecosystem engineers, scavengers, and predators, and ants in the genus Myrmica can be aggressive resource competitors and reach high densities in their native and invaded habitats. In this study, a novel symbiosis is identified between Myrmica ants and the facultative bacterial symbiont Spiroplasma . Broad host distribution, high frequencies of infection, and host-symbiont codivergence over evolutionary time scales, an uncommon feature of Spiroplasma associations, suggest an important likely mutualistic interaction. Genome sequencing identified highly divergent gene candidates that may contribute to Spiroplasma 's role as a possible defensive or nutritional partner in Myrmica .

scholarly journals Xenorhabdus bovienii Strain Diversity Impacts Coevolution and Symbiotic Maintenance with Steinernema spp. Nematode Hosts

mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen E. Murfin ◽  
Ming-Min Lee ◽  
Jonathan L. Klassen ◽  
Bradon R. McDonald ◽  
Bret Larget ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Strain ◽  
Bacterial Symbiont ◽  
Evolutionary Time ◽  
Strain Diversity ◽  
Microbe Interactions ◽  
Fitness Benefits ◽  
Host Microbe Interactions ◽  
Microbial Symbionts ◽  
Term Maintenance

ABSTRACTMicrobial symbionts provide benefits that contribute to the ecology and fitness of host plants and animals. Therefore, the evolutionary success of plants and animals fundamentally depends on long-term maintenance of beneficial associations. Most work investigating coevolution and symbiotic maintenance has focused on species-level associations, and studies are lacking that assess the impact of bacterial strain diversity on symbiotic associations within a coevolutionary framework. Here, we demonstrate that fitness in mutualism varies depending on bacterial strain identity, and this is consistent with variation shaping phylogenetic patterns and maintenance through fitness benefits. Through genome sequencing of nine bacterial symbiont strains and cophylogenetic analysis, we demonstrate diversity amongXenorhabdus bovieniibacteria. Further, we identified cocladogenesis betweenSteinernema feltiaenematode hosts and their correspondingX. bovieniisymbiont strains, indicating potential specificity within the association. To test the specificity, we performed laboratory crosses of nematode hosts with native and nonnative symbiont strains, which revealed that combinations with the native bacterial symbiont and closely related strains performed significantly better than those with more divergent symbionts. Through genomic analyses we also defined potential factors contributing to specificity between nematode hosts and bacterial symbionts. These results suggest that strain-level diversity (e.g., subspecies-level differences) in microbial symbionts can drive variation in the success of host-microbe associations, and this suggests that these differences in symbiotic success could contribute to maintenance of the symbiosis over an evolutionary time scale.IMPORTANCEBeneficial symbioses between microbes and plant or animal hosts are ubiquitous, and in these associations, microbial symbionts provide key benefits to their hosts. As such, host success is fundamentally dependent on long-term maintenance of beneficial associations. Prolonged association between partners in evolutionary time is expected to result in interactions in which only specific partners can fully support symbiosis. The contribution of bacterial strain diversity on specificity and coevolution in a beneficial symbiosis remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that strain-level differences in fitness benefits occur in beneficial host-microbe interactions, and this variation likely shapes phylogenetic patterns and symbiotic maintenance. This highlights that symbiont contributions to host biology can vary significantly based on very-fine-scale differences among members of a microbial species. Further, this work emphasizes the need for greater phylogenetic resolution when considering the causes and consequences of host-microbe interactions.

scholarly journals “Wigglesworthia morsitans” Folate (Vitamin B9) Biosynthesis Contributes to Tsetse Host Fitness

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (16) ◽  
pp. 5375-5386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna K. Snyder ◽  
Rita V. M. Rio
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Tsetse Fly ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Evolutionary Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
African Trypanosomes ◽  
Vitamin B9 ◽  
Obligate Mutualism ◽  
Species Specific

ABSTRACTClosely related ancient endosymbionts may retain minor genomic distinctions through evolutionary time, yet the biological relevance of these small pockets of unique loci remains unknown. The tsetse fly (Diptera: Glossinidae), the sole vector of lethal African trypanosomes (Trypanosomaspp.), maintains an ancient and obligate mutualism with species belonging to the gammaproteobacteriumWigglesworthia. Extensive concordant evolution with associatedWigglesworthiaspecies has occurred through tsetse species radiation. Accordingly, the retention of unique symbiont loci betweenWigglesworthiagenomes may prove instrumental toward host species-specific biological traits. Genome distinctions between “Wigglesworthiamorsitans” (harbored withinGlossina morsitansbacteriomes) and the basal speciesWigglesworthia glossinidia(harbored withinGlossina brevipalpisbacteriomes) include the retention of chorismate and downstream folate (vitamin B9) biosynthesis capabilities, contributing to distinct symbiont metabolomes. Here, we demonstrate that theseW. morsitanspathways remain functionally intact, with folate likely being systemically disseminated through a synchronously expressed tsetse folate transporter within bacteriomes. The folate produced byW. morsitansis demonstrated to be pivotal forG. morsitanssexual maturation and reproduction. Modest differences between ancient symbiont genomes may still play key roles in the evolution of their host species, particularly if loci are involved in shaping host physiology and ecology. Enhanced knowledge of theWigglesworthia-tsetse mutualism may also provide novel and specific avenues for vector control.

scholarly journals Expanding U.S. Laboratory Capacity for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Whole-Genome Sequencing through the CDC's Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen N. Kersh ◽  
Cau D. Pham ◽  
John R. Papp ◽  
Robert Myers ◽  
Richard Steece ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Neisseria Gonorrhoeae ◽  
Whole Genome Sequencing ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Antimicrobial Susceptibility ◽  
Susceptibility Testing ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Laboratory Capacity

ABSTRACT U.S. gonorrhea rates are rising, and antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae (AR-Ng) is an urgent public health threat. Since implementation of nucleic acid amplification tests for N. gonorrhoeae identification, the capacity for culturing N. gonorrhoeae in the United States has declined, along with the ability to perform culture-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Yet AST is critical for detecting and monitoring AR-Ng. In 2016, the CDC established the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network (AR Lab Network) to shore up the national capacity for detecting several resistance threats including N. gonorrhoeae. AR-Ng testing, a subactivity of the CDC’s AR Lab Network, is performed in a tiered network of approximately 35 local laboratories, four regional laboratories (state public health laboratories in Maryland, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington), and the CDC’s national reference laboratory. Local laboratories receive specimens from approximately 60 clinics associated with the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP), enhanced GISP (eGISP), and the program Strengthening the U.S. Response to Resistant Gonorrhea (SURRG). They isolate and ship up to 20,000 isolates to regional laboratories for culture-based agar dilution AST with seven antibiotics and for whole-genome sequencing of up to 5,000 isolates. The CDC further examines concerning isolates and monitors genetic AR markers. During 2017 and 2018, the network tested 8,214 and 8,628 N. gonorrhoeae isolates, respectively, and the CDC received 531 and 646 concerning isolates and 605 and 3,159 sequences, respectively. In summary, the AR Lab Network supported the laboratory capacity for N. gonorrhoeae AST and associated genetic marker detection, expanding preexisting notification and analysis systems for resistance detection. Continued, robust AST and genomic capacity can help inform national public health monitoring and intervention.

scholarly journals Genetic identity and genotype × genotype interactions between symbionts outweigh species level effects in an insect microbiome

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie R. Smee ◽  
Sally A. Raines ◽  
Julia Ferrari
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Acyrthosiphon Pisum ◽  
Parasitoid Wasp ◽  
Extensive Study ◽  
Genetic Identity ◽  
Host Genotype ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Microbial Symbionts ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Multiple Species

AbstractMicrobial symbionts often alter the phenotype of their host. Benefits and costs to hosts depend on many factors, including host genotype, symbiont species and genotype, and environmental conditions. Here, we present a study demonstrating genotype-by-genotype (G×G) interactions between multiple species of endosymbionts harboured by an insect, and the first to quantify the relative importance of G×G interactions compared with species interactions in such systems. In the most extensive study to date, we microinjected all possible combinations of five Hamiltonella defensa and five Fukatsuia symbiotica (X-type; PAXS) isolates into the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. We applied several ecological challenges: a parasitoid wasp, a fungal pathogen, heat shock, and performance on different host plants. Surprisingly, genetic identity and genotype × genotype interactions explained far more of the phenotypic variation (on average 22% and 31% respectively) than species identity or species interactions (on average 12% and 0.4%, respectively). We determined the costs and benefits associated with co-infection, and how these compared to corresponding single infections. All phenotypes were highly reliant on individual isolates or interactions between isolates of the co-infecting partners. Our findings highlight the importance of exploring the eco-evolutionary consequences of these highly specific interactions in communities of co-inherited species.

scholarly journals Tracing Melioidosis Back to the Source: Using Whole-Genome Sequencing To Investigate an Outbreak Originating from a Contaminated Domestic Water Supply

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 1144-1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan McRobb ◽  
Derek S. Sarovich ◽  
Erin P. Price ◽  
Mirjam Kaestli ◽  
Mark Mayo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Whole Genome Sequencing ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Source Attribution ◽  
Environmental Strain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Groundwater Supply

Melioidosis, a disease of public health importance in Southeast Asia and northern Australia, is caused by the Gram-negative soil bacillusBurkholderia pseudomallei. Melioidosis is typically acquired through environmental exposure, and case clusters are rare, even in regions where the disease is endemic.B. pseudomalleiis classed as a tier 1 select agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; from a biodefense perspective, source attribution is vital in an outbreak scenario to rule out a deliberate release. Two cases of melioidosis within a 3-month period at a residence in rural northern Australia prompted an investigation to determine the source of exposure.B. pseudomalleiisolates from the property's groundwater supply matched the multilocus sequence type of the clinical isolates. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed the water supply as the probable source of infection in both cases, with the clinical isolates differing from the likely infecting environmental strain by just one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) each. For the first time, we report a phylogenetic analysis of genomewide insertion/deletion (indel) data, an approach conventionally viewed as problematic due to high mutation rates and homoplasy. Our whole-genome indel analysis was concordant with the SNP phylogeny, and these two combined data sets provided greater resolution and a better fit with our epidemiological chronology of events. Collectively, this investigation represents a highly accurate account of source attribution in a melioidosis outbreak and gives further insight into a frequently overlooked reservoir ofB. pseudomallei. Our methods and findings have important implications for outbreak source tracing of this bacterium and other highly recombinogenic pathogens.

scholarly journals Discovery of a Conjugative Megaplasmid in Bifidobacterium breve

2014 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Bottacini ◽  
Mary O'Connell Motherway ◽  
Eoghan Casey ◽  
Brian McDonnell ◽  
Jennifer Mahony ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Dna Transfer ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Genomic Features ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bifidobacterium Breve ◽  
Extrachromosomal Element ◽  
Foreign Dna ◽  
Transfer Apparatus

ABSTRACTBifidobacterium breveis a common and sometimes very abundant inhabitant of the human gut. Genome sequencing ofB. breveJCM 7017 revealed the presence of an extrachromosomal element, designated pMP7017 consisting of >190 kb, thus representing the first reported bifidobacterial megaplasmid.In silicocharacterization of this element revealed several genomic features supporting a stable establishment of the megaplasmid in its host, illustrated by predicted CRISPR-Cas functions that are known to protect the host against intrusion of foreign DNA. Interestingly, pMP7017 is also predicted to encode a conjugative DNA transfer apparatus and, consistent with this notion, we demonstrate here the conjugal transfer of pMP7017 to representative strains ofB. breveandB. longumsubsp.longum. We also demonstrate the presence of a megaplasmid with homology to pMP7017 in threeB. longumsubsp.longumstrains.

scholarly journals Microfluidic PCR Combined with Pyrosequencing for Identification of Allelic Variants with Phenotypic Associations among Targeted Salmonella Genes

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (20) ◽  
pp. 7480-7482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Yue ◽  
Robert Schmieder ◽  
Robert A. Edwards ◽  
Shelley C. Rankin ◽  
Dieter M. Schifferli
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Massive Parallel Sequencing ◽  
Allelic Variants ◽  
Parallel Sequencing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Fimbrial Adhesins ◽  
Diagnostic Microbiology

ABSTRACTA novel targeted massive parallel sequencing approach identified genetic variation in eight known or predicted fimbrial adhesins for 46Salmonellastrains. The results highlight associations between specific adhesin alleles, host species, and antimicrobial resistance. The differentiation of allelic variants has potential applications for diagnostic microbiology and epidemiological investigations.

scholarly journals Acquisition of Beta-Lactamase by Neisseria meningitidis through Possible Horizontal Gene Transfer

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Hong ◽  
Ala-Eddine Deghmane ◽  
Muhamed-Kheir Taha
Keyword(s):  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Horizontal Gene Transfer ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Meningococcal Disease ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Beta Lactamase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Beta Lactamases ◽  
Lactamase Gene

ABSTRACT We report the detection in France of a beta-lactamase-producing invasive meningococcal isolate. Whole-genome sequencing of the isolate revealed a ROB-1-type beta-lactamase gene that is frequently encountered in Haemophilus influenzae, suggesting horizontal transfer between isolates of these bacterial species. Beta-lactamases are exceptional in meningococci, with no reports for more than 2 decades. This report is worrying, as the expansion of such isolates may jeopardize the effective treatment against invasive meningococcal disease.

scholarly journals Draft Genome Sequences of Lactobacillus salivarius A3iob and Lactobacillus johnsonii CRL1647, Novel Potential Probiotic Strains for Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.)

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Carina Audisio ◽  
Leonardo Albarracín ◽  
Maria Julia Torres ◽  
Lucila Saavedra ◽  
Elvira Maria Hebert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Genome Sequences ◽  
Lactobacillus Johnsonii ◽  
Lactobacillus Salivarius ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Probiotic Strains

This report describes the draft genome sequences of Lactobacillus salivarius A3iob and Lactobacillus johnsonii CRL1647, probiotic strains isolated from the gut of honeybee Apis mellifera workers. The reads were generated by a whole-genome sequencing (WGS) strategy on an Illumina MiSeq sequencer and were assembled into contigs with total sizes of 2,054,490 and 2,137,413 bp for the A3iob and CRL1647 strains, respectively.

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