Symbiotic Bacterial Flora Changes in Response to Low Temperature in Reticulitermes speratus KMT001

Abstract

Lower termites require symbiotic microbes in their gut. The microbial communities in the termites must adapt to the termite temperature. Reticulitermes speratus KMT001 from Bukhan Mountain in Seoul may require a special symbiotic microorganisms for growth in low temperature Korean habitat. A metagenomics analysis showed a dramatic change in the symbiotic bacterial flora in the gut of R. speratus KMT001 in response to low temperatures of 4°C or 10°C. Elusimicrobia, which are endosymbionts of flagellate protists, is the dominant phylum in the termite gut at ≥15°C but its population decreased drastically at low temperature. Four representative bacterial strains isolated from R. speratus KMT001 in a previous study produced maximum β-glucosidase levels within the temperature range of 10°C–30°C. Elizabethkingia sp. BM10 produced β-glucosidase specifically at 10°C. This strain supported the existence of symbiotic bacteria for the low temperature habitat of the termite. This identified bacterium will be a resource for studying low temperature adaptation of termites, studying the gene expression at low temperatures, and developing an industrial cellulase at low temperature.