Proteome insights into the symbiotic relationship between a captive colony of Nasutitermes corniger and its hindgut microbiome |
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| Authors: | Kristin E Burnum Stephen J Callister Carrie D Nicora Samuel O Purvine Philip Hugenholtz Falk Warnecke Rudolf H Scheffrahn Richard D Smith Mary S Lipton |
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| Affiliation: | 1.Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA;2.Microbial Ecology Program, DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, USA;3.Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Davie, FL, USA |
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| Abstract: | We analyzed the metaproteome of the bacterial community resident in the hindgut paunch of the wood-feeding ‘higher'' termite (Nasutitermes) and identified 886 proteins, 197 of which have known enzymatic function. Using these enzymes, we reconstructed complete metabolic pathways revealing carbohydrate transport and metabolism, nitrogen fixation and assimilation, energy production, amino-acid synthesis and significant pyruvate ferredoxin/flavodoxin oxidoreductase protein redundancy. Our results suggest that the activity associated with these enzymes may have more of a role in the symbiotic relationship between the hindgut microbial community and its termite host than activities related to cellulose degradation. |
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| Keywords: | Nasutitermes mass spectrometry microbial communities |
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