Abstract
Three strains of symbiotic bacteria were isolated from an entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema poinari retrieved from soil in eastern Poland. Using 16S rDNA, recA, gltX, gyrB, and dnaN gene sequences for phylogenetic analysis, these strains were shown to belong to the species Xenorhabdus bovienii. The nucleotide identity between the studied S. poinari microsymbionts and other X. bovienii strains calculated for 16S rDNA and concatenated sequences of four protein-coding genes was 98.7–100% and 97.9–99.5%, respectively. The phenotypic properties of the isolates also supported their close phylogenetic relationship with X. bovienii. All three tested X. bovienii strains of different Steinernema clade origin supported the recovery of infective juveniles and subsequent development of the nematode population. However, the colonization degree of new infective juvenile generations was significantly affected by the bacterial host donor/recipient. The colonization degree of infective juveniles reared on bacterial symbionts deriving from a non-cognate clade of nematodes was extremely low, but proved the possible host-switching between non-related Steinernema species.
Highlights
Bacteria of the genus Xenorhabdus in symbiotic association with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) of the genus Steinernema Travassos (Nematoda: Steinermatidae) infect a wide range of soil-dwelling insects (Koppenhöfer and Gaugler 2009; Stock 2015)
Isolation and classification of EPN symbiotic bacteria were performed for the first time in 1964 and 26 species of the genus Xenorhabdus have been described to date (Table S1, supplementary material)
We performed experiments on the influence of different origin symbiotic bacteria on (i) the recovery of infective juveniles (IJs), (ii) nematode population development, and (iii) colonization degree of IJs
Summary
Bacteria of the genus Xenorhabdus in symbiotic association with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) of the genus Steinernema Travassos (Nematoda: Steinermatidae) infect a wide range of soil-dwelling insects (Koppenhöfer and Gaugler 2009; Stock 2015). They have an unusual property of switching from a mutualistic to pathogenic lifestyle interacting with two different eukaryotic hosts and this triplicate (bacteria–nematode–insect) system can be established and investigated in the laboratory conditions. The increasing number of genus Xenorhabdus strains that are being sequenced is a key factor in exploration thereof in medicine and pharmacy
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