New Insights on the Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) Bacteriome

Elias Asimakis,Apostolis Sapounas,Kanjana Khaeso,Panagiota Stathopoulou,Costas Batargias,George Tsiamis,Mahfuza Khan

doi:10.3390/microorganisms9030659

Elias Asimakis, Apostolis Sapounas + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9030659

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Abstract

Various factors, including the insect host, diet, and surrounding ecosystem can shape the structure of the bacterial communities of insects. We have employed next generation, high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA to characterize the bacteriome of wild Zeugodacus (Bactrocera) cucurbitae (Coquillett) flies from three regions of Bangladesh. The tested populations developed distinct bacterial communities with differences in bacterial composition, suggesting that geography has an impact on the fly bacteriome. The dominant bacteria belonged to the families Enterobacteriaceae, Dysgomonadaceae and Orbaceae, with the genera Dysgonomonas, Orbus and Citrobacter showing the highest relative abundance across populations. Network analysis indicated variable interactions between operational taxonomic units (OTUs), with cases of mutual exclusion and copresence. Certain bacterial genera with high relative abundance were also characterized by a high degree of interactions. Interestingly, genera with a low relative abundance like Shimwellia, Gilliamella, and Chishuiella were among those that showed abundant interactions, suggesting that they are also important components of the bacterial community. Such knowledge could help us identify ideal wild populations for domestication in the context of the sterile insect technique or similar biotechnological methods. Further characterization of this bacterial diversity with transcriptomic and metabolic approaches, could also reveal their specific role in Z. cucurbitae physiology.

Highlights

Introduction published maps and institutional affilSymbiosis is the process that occurs when two different organisms live together to form a mutually beneficial partnership
The present study aimed to investigate the structure of the bacterial symbiome of Z. cucurbitae flies in different locations distributed in Bangladesh, trying to reveal any association between the insect’s bacterial community profile and their environment
The sequence similarity check is restricted at 460 bp and not the whole 16S rDNA, this result may still suggest the presence of new bacterial species, genera, and families

Summary

Introduction

Introduction published maps and institutional affilSymbiosis is the process that occurs when two different organisms live together to form a mutually beneficial partnership. Microbial symbionts play a significant role in the biology, including nutrition, immunity, reproduction, ecology, and evolution of many insect groups [2,3]. Tephritid flies harbor different bacterial symbionts in their digestive system, which influence different developmental and fitness parameters [4]. This functional contribution of symbiotic microorganisms to insect physiology could find application in mass-rearing facilities, where the manipulation of insects often results in the deterioration of crucial biological parameters. Bacterial strains isolated from stable microbial communities of wild individuals can be provided to mass-reared insects as supplements, in an attempt to replicate the natural microbiome and improve fitness and mating success [5,6,7].

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