Gut Bacterial Community of the Xylophagous Cockroaches Cryptocercus punctulatus and Parasphaeria boleiriana

Abstract

Cryptocercus punctulatus and Parasphaeria boleiriana are two distantly related xylophagous and subsocial cockroaches. Cryptocercus is related to termites. Xylophagous cockroaches and termites are excellent model organisms for studying the symbiotic relationship between the insect and their microbiota. In this study, high-throughput 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA was used to investigate the diversity of metagenomic gut communities of C. punctulatus and P. boleiriana, and thereby to identify possible shifts in symbiont allegiances during cockroaches evolution. Our results revealed that the hindgut prokaryotic communities of both xylophagous cockroaches are dominated by members of four Bacteria phyla: Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Other identified phyla were Spirochaetes, Planctomycetes, candidatus Saccharibacteria (formerly TM7), and Acidobacteria, each of which represented 1–2% of the total population detected. Community similarity based on phylogenetic relatedness by unweighted UniFrac analyses indicated that the composition of the bacterial community in the two species was significantly different (P < 0.05). Phylogenetic analysis based on the characterized clusters of Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, and Deltaproteobacteria showed that many OTUs present in both cockroach species clustered with sequences previously described in termites and other cockroaches, but not with those from other animals or environments. These results suggest that, during their evolution, those cockroaches conserved several bacterial communities from the microbiota of a common ancestor. The ecological stability of those microbial communities may imply the important functional role for the survival of the host of providing nutrients in appropriate quantities and balance.

Functional Stability and Community Dynamics during Spring and Autumn Seasons Over 3 Years in Camargue Microbial Mats

“…The resulting product was checked for size and purity on an agarose-SYBR Safe DNA gel that was subsequently stained (Invitrogen, San Diego, CA, United States). The amplicons were purified using a Pure Link kit (Invitrogen, San Diego, CA, United States) and quantified using Qubit and Bioanalyzer ( Berlanga et al, 2016 ). A pool of amplicons was mixed in equimolar amounts (e.g., spring 1st year, amplicons obtained for 0–2, 2–4, and 4–6 mm), and then prepared for 454-pyrosequencing according to the manufacturer’s instructions.…”

Invertebrates living in polluted environments are potential source of novel anticancer agents

“…Zhou et al, [15] revealed the anticancer activity of gut bacteria isolated from the fecal sample of a group of healthy individuals; preschool children and university students. If bacteria isolated from humans can possess anticancer properties, it is logical to speculate that pests that thrive in polluted environments and are able to withstand high levels of radiation may contribute to the resistance of cancer development in the host species [13,16]. Notably, Homo sapiens are just one species among millions of other species and we are a relatively new addition to this planet.…”

Microbiome Innovation in Agriculture: Development of Microbial Based Tools for Insect Pest Management

“…Supplies of essential nutrients (particularly amino acids and B vitamins) by endosymbionts have been well documented in a number of crop pests, particularly plant sap-sucking Hemipteran insects such as aphids, whiteflies, and psyllids (Douglas, 1998;Thao et al, 2000;Thao and Baumann, 2004;Luan et al, 2015), and in human disease vectors and urban pests such as tsetse flies in the genus Glossina and the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius). Some symbionts can degrade complex polysaccharides or recycle nitrogen for insects, such as the termites (Raychoudhury et al, 2013;Brune, 2014) and cockroaches (Berlanga et al, 2016). The production of antimicrobials by symbionts aids the immune system to fight against invading pathogens, as was shown in the beewolf digger wasps (Kroiss et al, 2010) and cotton leafworm (Shao et al, 2017).…”