Symbiont Digestive Range Reflects Host Plant Breadth in Herbivorous Beetles

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Genomic Features of a Bumble Bee Symbiont Reflect Its Host Environment

Here, we report the genome of one gammaproteobacterial member of the gut microbiota, for which we propose the name “Candidatus Schmidhempelia bombi,” that was inadvertently sequenced alongside the genome of its host, the bumble bee, Bombus impatiens. This symbiont is a member of the recently described bacterial order Orbales, which has been collected from the guts of diverse insect species; however, “Ca. Schmidhempelia” has been identified exclusively with bumble bees. Metabolic reconstruction reveals that “Ca. Schmidhempelia” lacks many genes for a functioning NADH dehydrogenase I, all genes for the high-oxygen cytochrome o, and most genes in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. “Ca. Schmidhempelia” has retained NADH dehydrogenase II, the low-oxygen specific cytochrome bd, anaerobic nitrate respiration, mixed-acid fermentation pathways, and citrate fermentation, which may be important for survival in low-oxygen or anaerobic environments found in the bee hindgut. Additionally, a type 6 secretion system, a Flp pilus, and many antibiotic/multidrug transporters suggest complex interactions with its host and other gut commensals or pathogens. This genome has signatures of reduction (2.0 megabase pairs) and rearrangement, as previously observed for genomes of host-associated bacteria. A survey of wild and laboratory B. impatiens revealed that “Ca. Schmidhempelia” is present in 90% of individuals and, therefore, may provide benefits to its host.     

Natural History of Innate Host Defense Peptides

Host defense peptides act on the forefront of innate immunity, thus playing a central role in the survival of animals and plants. Despite vast morphological changes in species through evolutionary history, all animals examined to date share common features in their innate immune defense strategies, hereunder expression of host defense peptides (HDPs). Most studies on HDPs have focused on humans, domestic and laboratory animals. More than a thousand different sequences have been identified, yet data on HDPs in wild-living animals are sparse. The biological functions of HDPs include broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and immunomodulation. Natural selection and coevolutionary host-pathogen arms race theory suggest that the extent and specificity of the microbial load influences the spectrum and potency of HDPs in different species. Individuals of extant species—that have lived for an extended period in evolutionary history amid populations with intact processes of natural selection—likely possess the most powerful and well-adapted “natural antibiotics”. Research on the evolutionary history of the innate defense system and the host in context of the consequences of challenges as well as the efficacy of the innate immune system under natural conditions is therefore of immediate interest. This review focuses on evolutionary aspects of immunophysiology, with emphasis on innate effector molecules. Studies on host defense in wild-living animals may significantly enhance our understanding of inborn immune mechanisms, and help identify molecules that may assist us to cope better with the increasing microbial challenges that likely follow from the continuous amplification of biodiversity levels on Earth.     

Host and Symbiont Jointly Control Gut Microbiota during Complete Metamorphosis

Holometabolous insects undergo a radical anatomical re-organisation during metamorphosis. This poses a developmental challenge: the host must replace the larval gut but at the same time retain symbiotic gut microbes and avoid infection by opportunistic pathogens. By manipulating host immunity and bacterial competitive ability, we study how the host Galleria mellonella and the symbiotic bacterium Enterococcus mundtii interact to manage the composition of the microbiota during metamorphosis. Disenabling one or both symbiotic partners alters the composition of the gut microbiota, which incurs fitness costs: adult hosts with a gut microbiota dominated by pathogens such as Serratia and Staphylococcus die early. Our results reveal an interaction that guarantees the safe passage of the symbiont through metamorphosis and benefits the resulting adult host. Host-symbiont “conspiracies” as described here are almost certainly widespread in holometobolous insects including many disease vectors.     

Establishment of a Genetically Marked Insect-Derived Symbiont in Multiple Host Plants

Alcaligenes xylosoxidans subsp. denitrificans, originally isolated from the cibarial region of the foregut of the glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca coagulata), was transformed using the Himar1 transposition system to express EGFP. Seedlings of six potential host plants were inoculated with transformed bacteria and 2 weeks later samples were taken 5 cm away and analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR using primers designed to amplify the gene insert. The largest colony of 3,591,427 cells/2 cm of A. xylosoxidans subsp. denitrificans was found in Citrus limon, with almost all plants testing positive in both trials. The amount of colonization decreased in the other plants tested in the following order: orange (Citrus sinensis sweet orange) > chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum grandiflora cv. White Diamond) > periwinkle (Vinca rosea) > crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) > grapevine (Vitis vinifera cv. Chardonnay). The bacteriums preference for citrus paralleled the host insects preference for this same plant. Additional tests determined that A. xylosoxidans subsp. denitrificans thrives as a nonpathogenic, xylem-associated endophyte.     

The Meaning of Jolts by Fish Clients of Cleaning Gobies

Cooperative interactions offer the inherent possibility of cheating by each of the interacting partners. A key challenge to behavioural observers is to recognize these conflicts, and find means to measure reliably cheating in natural interactions. Cleanerfish Labroides dimidiatus cheat by taking scales and mucus from their fish clients and such dishonest cleaning has been previously recognized in the form of whole‐body jolts by clients in response to cleaner mouth contact. In this study, we test whether jolts may be a general client response to cheating by cleaners. We experimentally varied the ectoparasite loads of yellowtail damselfish (Microspathodon chrysurus), a common client of the cleaning goby Elacantinus evelynae, and compared the rates of jolts on parasitized and deparasitized clients. As predicted if jolts represent cleaner cheating, deparasitized clients jolted more often than parasitized clients, and overall jolt rates increased over time as client parasite load was presumably reduced by cleaning activity. Yellowtail damselfish in the wild jolted significantly less frequently than those in captivity, which is consistent with a loss of ectoparasites during capture. Our results suggest that jolts by clients of cleaning gobies are not related to the removal of ectoparasites. Client jolts may therefore be a generally accurate measure of cheating by cleanerfish.     

A Bidimensional Segregation Mode Maintains Symbiont Chromosome Orientation toward Its Host

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Toll样受体对病原真菌的天然免疫识别

天然免疫系统是宿主抵御病原入侵的第一道防线,在机体抗感染免疫中发挥重要作用。Toll样受体(Toll-like receptors,TLRs)是天然免疫系统最重要的模式识别受体(pattern recognitionreceptors,PRRs)之一,通过识别病原真菌的病原相关分子模式(pathogen-associated molecularpatterns,PAMPs),招募特异接头蛋白,激活一系列信号级联反应,引发炎症因子、趋化因子等的释放和树突状细胞(dendritic cells,DCs)的成熟,发挥抗真菌感染作用。通过简要介绍宿主的TLRs及信号通路的研究进展,总结了目前TLRs对不同病原真菌PAMPs的天然免疫识别及信号通路研究现状,以期对进一步研究宿主天然免疫系统与病原真菌相互作用的分子机制提供参考。     

猪流行性腹泻病毒与宿主抗病毒天然免疫抑制

猪流行性腹泻病毒(porcine epidemic diarrhea virus,PEDV)能引起猪腹泻等肠道疾病,属于α属冠状病毒,它的爆发给很多国家养猪业造成了严重的经济损失。2010年以来,PEDV感染在中国出现大规模爆发,一种突变型PEDV也于2013年在美国出现并迅速传播。 RNA病毒能够通过Toll样受体通路3（TLR3）和RIG-I样受体通路（RLR）诱导I型干扰素的产生。但以往的研究表明,PEDV感染能抑制I型干扰素的合成。近年来有关PEDV调节宿主天然免疫应答的研究取得了很大进展。PEDV主要通过编码作为干扰素拮抗剂的病毒蛋白以及隐藏病毒自身病原相关分子模式（PAMP）等两种方式逃逸宿主天然免疫应答。目前已报道,PEDV非结构蛋白1可通过降解CBP阻碍干扰素调节因子3(IRF-3)组装成增强子复合体;木瓜蛋白酶样蛋白酶可通过其去泛素化酶活性阻断天然免疫信号通路传递;3C样蛋白酶可通过剪切NEMO发挥干扰素拮抗剂活性;核衣壳蛋白通过结合TBK1抑制I型干扰素产生。PEDV也可通过合成加帽酶隐藏其病原相关分子dsRNA来避免激活天然免疫通路。PEDV抗病毒天然免疫机制阐明为研究PEDV感染免疫和致病机制提供了重要的理论依据,为研发抗PEDV新型疫苗和药物提供了基础。     

Insect Gut Symbiont Susceptibility to Host Antimicrobial Peptides Caused by Alteration of the Bacterial Cell Envelope

The molecular characterization of symbionts is pivotal for understanding the cross-talk between symbionts and hosts. In addition to valuable knowledge obtained from symbiont genomic studies, the biochemical characterization of symbionts is important to fully understand symbiotic interactions. The bean bug (Riptortus pedestris) has been recognized as a useful experimental insect gut symbiosis model system because of its cultivatable Burkholderia symbionts. This system is greatly advantageous because it allows the acquisition of a large quantity of homogeneous symbionts from the host midgut. Using these naïve gut symbionts, it is possible to directly compare in vivo symbiotic cells with in vitro cultured cells using biochemical approaches. With the goal of understanding molecular changes that occur in Burkholderia cells as they adapt to the Riptortus gut environment, we first elucidated that symbiotic Burkholderia cells are highly susceptible to purified Riptortus antimicrobial peptides. In search of the mechanisms of the increased immunosusceptibility of symbionts, we found striking differences in cell envelope structures between cultured and symbiotic Burkholderia cells. The bacterial lipopolysaccharide O antigen was absent from symbiotic cells examined by gel electrophoretic and mass spectrometric analyses, and their membranes were more sensitive to detergent lysis. These changes in the cell envelope were responsible for the increased susceptibility of the Burkholderia symbionts to host innate immunity. Our results suggest that the symbiotic interactions between the Riptortus host and Burkholderia gut symbionts induce bacterial cell envelope changes to achieve successful gut symbiosis.     

鱼类三代虫的寄主特异性分析

分析了迄今为止世界范围三代虫的寄主情况。三代虫具有很强的寄主特异性,并且在种、属及科等水平上的特异性均有较明显差异;分析同一种寄主上所寄生的三代虫种类之间的关系,显示大部分寄主只寄生一种三代虫,体现出了三代虫很强的寄主特异性。     

Role of Autophagy in Innate Viral Recognition

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) detect viruses in the acidified endosomes via Toll-like receptors (TLRs) upon endocytosis of virions. Yet, pDC responses to certain single-stranded RNA viruses occur only following live viral infection. In our recent study, we presented evidence that the recognition of such viruses by TLR7 requires autophagy. We speculate that the requirement for autophagy in viral recognition reflects the necessity for transportation of cytosolic viral replication intermediates into the lysosome where TLR7 is activated. In addition, autophagy was found to be required for pDCs to produce type I interferon (IFN) in response to both ssRNA and dsDNA viruses. These results indicated that autophagy plays a key role in mediating virus detection and IFNα secretion in pDCs, and suggest that cytosolic replication intermediates of ssRNA viruses serve as pathogen signatures recognized by TLR7.

Addendum to:

Autophagy-Dependent Viral Recognition by Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells

H.K. Lee, J.M. Lund, B. Ramanathan, N. Mizushima and A. Iwasaki

Science 2007; In press     

天然免疫识别机制及天然免疫受体的相互调节

NK细胞识别受体(NKR)和Toll样受体(TLR)是天然免疫系统最重要的2个天然免疫识别受体家族,位于机体抵抗外来侵袭的第一道防线.二者各自具有独特的识别外来或内源性的危险信号、区分自我和非我的识别机制,同时又相互协同、相互调节,成为启动免疫应答的关键分子以及连接固有免疫和适应性免疫的桥梁.以NK细胞为载体将TLRs/NKG2连接起来,阐明这2类重要的天然免疫受体间的识别和调节关系,可以较好地反映机体内外环境变化或刺激时固有免疫对适应性免疫的调节作用,并为有效控制感染、炎症、肿瘤及自身免疫性疾病提供崭新的治疗策略.     

Optical Feedback Loop Involving Dinoflagellate Symbiont and Scleractinian Host Drives Colorful Coral Bleaching

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Visualizing the Determinants of Viral RNA Recognition by Innate Immune Sensor RIG-I

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Highlights? Crystallographic structure of RIG-I with 5′ triphosphorylated RNA duplex and ADP ? Solution biophysical analysis of ATP-dependent RIG-I conformational change ? The structural basis for ATP-stimulated RIG-I activation     

DNA模式识别受体研究进展

固有免疫系统利用模式识别受体识别病原相关分子模式。近期研究发现,外源DNA能够被宿主细胞中多种DNA受体识别,激活多种信号通路,上调Ⅰ型干扰素和促炎性细胞因子的表达。基于DNA的免疫识别在激活宿主抗感染免疫过程中起重要作用,因此仅对现已报道的DNA受体进行概述,同时对DNA的免疫识别与自身免疫病之间的关系进行探讨。