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Abstract
The evolutionary success of insects is promoted by their association with beneficial microbes that enable the utilization of unusual diets. The synanthropic clothing moth Tineola bisselliella provides an intriguing example of this phenomenon. The caterpillars of this species have adapted to feed on keratin-rich diets such as feathers and wool, which cannot be digested by most other animals and are resistant to common digestive enzymes. Inspired by the hypothesis that this ability may be conferred by symbiotic microbes, we utilized a simple assay to detect keratinase activity and a method to screen gut bacteria for candidate enzymes, which were isolated from feather-fed larvae. The isolation of DNA from keratin-degrading bacterial strains followed by de novo genome sequencing resulted in the identification of a novel bacterial strain related to Bacillus sp. FDAARGOS_235. Genome annotation identified 20 genes with keratinase domains. Proteomic analysis of the culture supernatant from this gut bacterium grown in non-nutrient buffer supplemented with feathers revealed several candidate enzymes potentially responsible for keratin degradation, including a thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase and multiple proteases. Our results suggest that the unusual diet of T. bisselliella larvae promotes their association with keratinolytic microorganisms and that the ability of larvae to feed on keratin can at least partially be attributed to bacteria that produce a cocktail of keratin-degrading enzymes.
Highlights
In terms of species numbers, insects are the most diverse group of organisms on earth
Our results suggest that the unusual diet of T. bisselliella larvae promotes their association with keratinolytic microorganisms and that the ability of larvae to feed on keratin can at least partially be attributed to bacteria that produce a cocktail of keratin-degrading enzymes
We tested for keratinolytic activity by incubating bacteria in a non-nutrient buffer containing feathers, which began to fragment in the presence of keratinase activity
Summary
In terms of species numbers, insects are the most diverse group of organisms on earth. Their evolutionary success has in part been attributed to their ability to manage associated beneficial microbes in order to utilize unusual diets [1]. T. bisselliella has adapted to feed predominantly on materials rich in keratin, such as feathers, woolen clothes, and carpets. A subtractive library of transcripts from the gut of T. bisselliella larvae identified serine-like and chymotrypsin-like proteases as candidate keratinases, but neither cysteine-like proteases nor metalloproteinases were detected [6]. There are no candidate keratinase enzymes reported, which could mediate keratin digestion in the gut of T. bisselliella
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