Disentangling the assembly mechanisms of ant cuticular bacterial communities of two Amazonian ant species sharing a common arboreal nest

Bacteria living on the cuticle of ants are generally studied for their protective role against pathogens, especially in the clade of fungus‐growing ants. However, little is known regarding the diversity of cuticular bacteria in other ant host species, as well as the mechanisms leading to the composition of these communities. Here, we used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to study the influence of host species, species interactions and the pool of bacteria from the environment on the assembly of cuticular bacterial communities on two phylogenetically distant Amazonian ant species that frequently nest together inside the roots system of epiphytic plants, Camponotus femoratus and Crematogaster levior. Our results show that (a) the vast majority of the bacterial community on the cuticle is shared with the nest, suggesting that most bacteria on the cuticle are acquired through environmental acquisition, (b) 5.2% and 2.0% of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) are respectively specific to Ca. femoratus and Cr. levior, probably representing their respective core cuticular bacterial community, and (c) 3.6% of OTUs are shared between the two ant species. Additionally, mass spectrometry metabolomics analysis of metabolites on the cuticle of ants, which excludes the detection of cuticular hydrocarbons produced by the host, were conducted to evaluate correlations among bacterial OTUs and m/z ion mass. Although some positive and negative correlations are found, the cuticular chemical composition was weakly species‐specific, suggesting that cuticular bacterial communities are prominently environmentally acquired. Overall, our results suggest the environment is the dominant source of bacteria found on the cuticle of ants.     

The Genomic Architecture of Adaptation to Larval Malnutrition Points to a Trade-off with Adult Starvation Resistance in Drosophila

Periods of nutrient shortage impose strong selection on animal populations. Experimental studies of genetic adaptation to nutrient shortage largely focus on resistance to acute starvation at adult stage; it is not clear how conclusions drawn from these studies extrapolate to other forms of nutritional stress. We studied the genomic signature of adaptation to chronic juvenile malnutrition in six populations of Drosophila melanogaster evolved for 150 generations on an extremely nutrient-poor larval diet. Comparison with control populations evolved on standard food revealed repeatable genomic differentiation between the two set of population, involving >3,000 candidate SNPs forming >100 independently evolving clusters. The candidate genomic regions were enriched in genes implicated in hormone, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism, including some with known effects on fitness-related life-history traits. Rather than being close to fixation, a substantial fraction of candidate SNPs segregated at intermediate allele frequencies in all malnutrition-adapted populations. This, together with patterns of among-population variation in allele frequencies and estimates of Tajima’s D, suggests that the poor diet results in balancing selection on some genomic regions. Our candidate genes for tolerance to larval malnutrition showed a high overlap with genes previously implicated in acute starvation resistance. However, adaptation to larval malnutrition in our study was associated with reduced tolerance to acute adult starvation. Thus, rather than reflecting synergy, the shared genomic architecture appears to mediate an evolutionary trade-off between tolerances to these two forms of nutritional stress.     

From Mesolithic hunters to Iron Age herders: a unique record of woodland use from eastern central Europe (Czech Republic)

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany - In a continuous, perfectly stratified sedimentary sequence which was discovered under a large sandstone overhang in northern Bohemia, Czech Republic, we...     

Possible Links Between Stress Defense and the Tricarboxylic Acid (TCA) Cycle in Francisella Pathogenesis

Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious bacterium causing the zoonotic disease tularemia. In vivo, this facultative intracellular bacterium survives and replicates mainly in the cytoplasm of infected cells. We have recently identified a genetic locus, designated moxR that is important for stress resistance and intramacrophage survival of F. tularensis. In the present work, we used tandem affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry to identify in vivo interacting partners of three proteins encoded by this locus: the MoxR-like ATPase (FTL_0200), and two proteins containing motifs predicted to be involved in protein–protein interactions, bearing von Willebrand A (FTL_0201) and tetratricopeptide (FTL_0205) motifs. The three proteins were designated here for simplification, MoxR, VWA1, and TPR1, respectively. MoxR interacted with 31 proteins, including various enzymes. VWA1 interacted with fewer proteins, but these included the E2 component of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and TPR1. The protein TPR1 interacted with one hundred proteins, including the E1 and E2 subunits of both oxoglutarate and pyruvate dehydrogenase enzyme complexes, and their common E3 subunit. Remarkably, chromosomal deletion of either moxR or tpr1 impaired pyruvate dehydrogenase and oxoglutarate dehydrogenase activities, supporting the hypothesis of a functional role for the interaction of MoxR and TPR1 with these complexes. Altogether, this work highlights possible links between stress resistance and metabolism in F. tularensis virulence.Francisella tularensis is responsible for the disease tularamia in a large number of animal species. This highly infectious bacterial pathogen can be transmitted to humans in numerous ways (1, 2, 3), including direct contact with sick animals, inhalation, ingestion of contaminated water or food, or by bites from ticks, mosquitoes, or flies. Four different subspecies (subsp.) of F. tularensis that differ in virulence and geographic distribution exist, designated subsp. tularensis (type A), subsp. holarctica (type B), subsp. Novicida, and subsp. mediasiatica, respectively. F. tularensis subsp. tularensis is the most virulent subspecies causing a severe disease in humans, whereas F. tularensis subsp. holarctica causes a similar disease but of less severity (4). Because of its high infectivity and lethality, F. tularensis is considered a potential bioterrorism agent (5).F. tularensis is able to survive and to replicate in the cytoplasm of a variety of infected cells, including macrophages. To resist this stressful environment, the bacterium must have developed stress resistance mechanisms, most of which are not yet well characterized. We recently reported the identification of a novel genetic locus that is important for stress resistance and intracellular survival of F. tularensis (6). This locus was designated moxR because the first gene FTL_0200, encodes a protein belonging to the AAA+ ATPase of the MoxR family ((7) and references therein). The data obtained in that first study had led us to suggest that the F. tularensis MoxR-like protein might constitute, in combination with other proteins of the locus, a chaperone complex contributing to F. tularensis pathogenesis.To further validate this hypothesis and expand our initial observations, we here decided to perform tandem affinity purification (TAP),¹ using a dual affinity tag approach coupled to mass spectroscopy analyses (8), to identify proteins interacting in vivo with three proteins encoded by the proximal portion of the moxR locus. For this, we chose as baits: the MoxR-like protein (FTL_0200) and two proteins bearing distinct motifs possibly involved in protein–protein interactions, FTL_0201 (Von Willebrand Factor Type A domain, or VWA) and FTL_0205 (tetratrichopeptide repeat or TPR). The three proteins were designated here for simplification, MoxR, VWA1, and TPR1; and the corresponding genes moxR, vwa1, and tpr1, respectively.VWA domains are present in all three kingdoms of life. They consist of a β-sheet sandwiched by multiple α helices. Frequently, VWA domain-containing proteins function in multiprotein complexes (9). TPR typically contain 34 amino acids. Many three-dimensional structures of TPR domains have been solved, revealing amphipathic helical structures (10). TPR-containing proteins are also found in all kingdoms of life. They can be involved in a variety of functions, and generally mediate protein–protein interactions. In the past few years, several TPR-related proteins have been shown to be involved in virulence mechanisms in pathogenic bacteria ((11) and references therein).Our proteomic approach allowed us to identify a series of protein interactants for each of the three moxR-encoded proteins. Remarkably, the protein TPR1 interacted with all the subunits of the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH) complexes. Furthermore, inactivation of tpr1 also severely impaired the activities of these two enzymes. Inactivation of tpr1 affected bacterial resistance to several stresses (and in particular oxidative stress), intramacrophagic bacterial multiplication and bacterial virulence in the mouse model. Functional implications and possible relationship between bacterial metabolism, stress defense, and bacterial virulence are discussed.     

Comparison of Statistical Models for Analyzing Wheat Yield Time Series

The world''s population is predicted to exceed nine billion by 2050 and there is increasing concern about the capability of agriculture to feed such a large population. Foresight studies on food security are frequently based on crop yield trends estimated from yield time series provided by national and regional statistical agencies. Various types of statistical models have been proposed for the analysis of yield time series, but the predictive performances of these models have not yet been evaluated in detail. In this study, we present eight statistical models for analyzing yield time series and compare their ability to predict wheat yield at the national and regional scales, using data provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and by the French Ministry of Agriculture. The Holt-Winters and dynamic linear models performed equally well, giving the most accurate predictions of wheat yield. However, dynamic linear models have two advantages over Holt-Winters models: they can be used to reconstruct past yield trends retrospectively and to analyze uncertainty. The results obtained with dynamic linear models indicated a stagnation of wheat yields in many countries, but the estimated rate of increase of wheat yield remained above 0.06 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in several countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and America, and the estimated values were highly uncertain for several major wheat producing countries. The rate of yield increase differed considerably between French regions, suggesting that efforts to identify the main causes of yield stagnation should focus on a subnational scale.     

Systemic Down-Regulation of Delta-9 Desaturase Promotes Muscle Oxidative Metabolism and Accelerates Muscle Function Recovery following Nerve Injury

The progressive deterioration of the neuromuscular axis is typically observed in degenerative conditions of the lower motor neurons, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Neurodegeneration in this disease is associated with systemic metabolic perturbations, including hypermetabolism and dyslipidemia. Our previous gene profiling studies on ALS muscle revealed down-regulation of delta-9 desaturase, or SCD1, which is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids. Interestingly, knocking out SCD1 gene is known to induce hypermetabolism and stimulate fatty acid beta-oxidation. Here we investigated whether SCD1 deficiency can affect muscle function and its restoration in response to injury. The genetic ablation of SCD1 was not detrimental per se to muscle function. On the contrary, muscles in SCD1 knockout mice shifted toward a more oxidative metabolism, and enhanced the expression of synaptic genes. Repressing SCD1 expression or reducing SCD-dependent enzymatic activity accelerated the recovery of muscle function after inducing sciatic nerve crush. Overall, these findings provide evidence for a new role of SCD1 in modulating the restorative potential of skeletal muscles.     

Adaptation of an L-Proline Adenylation Domain to Use 4-Propyl-L-Proline in the Evolution of Lincosamide Biosynthesis

Clinically used lincosamide antibiotic lincomycin incorporates in its structure 4-propyl-L-proline (PPL), an unusual amino acid, while celesticetin, a less efficient related compound, makes use of proteinogenic L-proline. Biochemical characterization, as well as phylogenetic analysis and homology modelling combined with the molecular dynamics simulation were employed for complex comparative analysis of the orthologous protein pair LmbC and CcbC from the biosynthesis of lincomycin and celesticetin, respectively. The analysis proved the compared proteins to be the stand-alone adenylation domains strictly preferring their own natural substrate, PPL or L-proline. The LmbC substrate binding pocket is adapted to accomodate a rare PPL precursor. When compared with L-proline specific ones, several large amino acid residues were replaced by smaller ones opening a channel which allowed the alkyl side chain of PPL to be accommodated. One of the most important differences, that of the residue corresponding to V306 in CcbC changing to G308 in LmbC, was investigated in vitro and in silico. Moreover, the substrate binding pocket rearrangement also allowed LmbC to effectively adenylate 4-butyl-L-proline and 4-pentyl-L-proline, substrates with even longer alkyl side chains, producing more potent lincosamides. A shift of LmbC substrate specificity appears to be an integral part of biosynthetic pathway adaptation to the PPL acquisition. A set of genes presumably coding for the PPL biosynthesis is present in the lincomycin - but not in the celesticetin cluster; their homologs are found in biosynthetic clusters of some pyrrolobenzodiazepines (PBD) and hormaomycin. Whereas in the PBD and hormaomycin pathways the arising precursors are condensed to another amino acid moiety, the LmbC protein is the first functionally proved part of a unique condensation enzyme connecting PPL to the specialized amino sugar building unit.     

Masculinization of the X Chromosome in the Pea Aphid

Evolutionary theory predicts that sexually antagonistic mutations accumulate differentially on the X chromosome and autosomes in species with an XY sex-determination system, with effects (masculinization or feminization of the X) depending on the dominance of mutations. Organisms with alternative modes of inheritance of sex chromosomes offer interesting opportunities for studying sexual conflicts and their resolution, because expectations for the preferred genomic location of sexually antagonistic alleles may differ from standard systems. Aphids display an XX/X0 system and combine an unusual inheritance of the X chromosome with the alternation of sexual and asexual reproduction. In this study, we first investigated theoretically the accumulation of sexually antagonistic mutations on the aphid X chromosome. Our results show that i) the X is always more favourable to the spread of male-beneficial alleles than autosomes, and should thus be enriched in sexually antagonistic alleles beneficial for males, ii) sexually antagonistic mutations beneficial for asexual females accumulate preferentially on autosomes, iii) in contrast to predictions for standard systems, these qualitative results are not affected by the dominance of mutations. Under the assumption that sex-biased gene expression evolves to solve conflicts raised by the spread of sexually antagonistic alleles, one expects that male-biased genes should be enriched on the X while asexual female-biased genes should be enriched on autosomes. Using gene expression data (RNA-Seq) in males, sexual females and asexual females of the pea aphid, we confirm these theoretical predictions. Although other mechanisms than the resolution of sexual antagonism may lead to sex-biased gene expression, we argue that they could hardly explain the observed difference between X and autosomes. On top of reporting a strong masculinization of the aphid X chromosome, our study highlights the relevance of organisms displaying an alternative mode of sex chromosome inheritance to understanding the forces shaping chromosome evolution.