Lignocellulose-degrading enzymes from termites and their symbiotic microbiota

Ni, Jinfeng; Tokuda, Gaku

doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2013.04.005

Cited by 202 publications

(173 citation statements)

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“…The termite gut (Insecta: Isoptera) is an important ecosystem that hosts a variety of microbes, including bacteria, protists, fungi and archaea , and it is one that has fascinated many scientists, as host-microbe interactions are responsible for the efficient degradation of lignocellulose (Ohkuma 2003;Ni and Tokuda 2013). The gut can be described as an anaerobic gradient system which is constantly supplied with oxygen via the epithelium (Köhler et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The gut microbiota of the wood-feeding termite Reticulitermes lucifugus (Isoptera; Rhinotermitidae)

et al. 2015

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Termite gut is host to a complex microbial community consisting of prokaryotes, and in some cases flagellates, responsible for the degradation of lignocellulosic material. Here we report data concerning the analysis of the gut microbiota of Reticulitermes lucifugus (Rossi), a lower termite species that lives in underground environments and is widespread in Italy, where it causes damage to wood structures of historical and artistic monuments. A 16S rRNA gene clone library revealed that the R. lucifugus gut is colonized by members of five phyla in the domain Bacteria: Firmicutes (49 % of clones), Proteobacteria (24 %), Spirochaetes (14 %), the candidatus TG1 phylum (12 %), and Bacteroidetes (1 %). A collection of cellulolytic aerobic bacteria was isolated from the gut of R. lucifugus by enrichment cultures on different cellulose and lignocellulose substrates. Results showed that the largest amount of culturable cellulolytic bacteria of R. lucifugus belongs to Firmicutes in the genera Bacillus and Paenibacillus (67 %). These isolates are also able to grow on xylan and show the largest clear zone diameter in the Congo red test. Reticulitermes lucifugus hosts a diverse community of bacteria and could be considered an acceptable source of hydrolytic enzymes for biotechnological applications.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Extensive reviews on the lignocellulose-degrading systems in termites and their symbiotic systems have recently been published (Hongoh 2011;Ni and Tokuda 2013;Brune 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The gut microbiota of the wood-feeding termite Reticulitermes lucifugus (Isoptera; Rhinotermitidae)

et al. 2015

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“…Termites possess a twotiered enzyme system, which includes the termites' digestive enzymes and the microbial community enzymes. The two types of enzymes work together to degrade the plant polymers, break down the lignocellulose, and detoxify plant secondary metabolites; interestingly, they also provide enzyme inhibition [3,4]. The digestion of the lignocellulosic materials in the termite gut involves three main stages: (1) hydrolysis; (2) oxidation, fermentation, or both; and (3) acetogenesis, methanogenesis, or both [5].…”

Section: Degradation Of Woody Components By Termites Is Associated Wimentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of the major compounds in the extract of the subterranean termite Macrotermes gilvus Hagen digestive tract by GC-MS method

Subekt¹,

Fibriana²,

Widyaningrum³

et al. 2017

Ukr.Biochem.J.

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degradation of woody components by termites is associated with symbionts inside their digestive tract. In this study, the major compounds were determined in the extract of the termite guts by gC-mS method. macrotermes gilvus Hagen (worker caste) termites were collected and their dissected guts underwent methanol extraction. It was found that the gut of the termites has an alkaline environment (pH 8.83 ± 0.31) that supports the digestion of lignocellulose biomass and also helps to solubilize phenolic and recalcitrant compounds resul ting from the depolymerization of woody components. the gC-mS analysis showed that termite guts contained hydrophobic organosilicon components including dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane, tetradecamethylcyclohexasiloxane, hexadecamethylcyclooctasiloxane, and octasiloxane, 1,1,3,3,5,5,7,7,9,9,11,11,13,13,15,15-hexadecamethylT ermites are well-studied social insects that consume lignocellulose and soil materials. Their gut comprises five compartments, which are differentiated by pH, amounts of lignocellulose enzymes, and levels of oxygen and hydrogen gasses [1]. The polymer-feeding behavior of termites is intensely supported by the microbial community that exists in their gut [2]. Termites possess a twotiered enzyme system, which includes the termites' digestive enzymes and the microbial community enzymes. The two types of enzymes work together to degrade the plant polymers, break down the lignocellulose, and detoxify plant secondary metabolites; interestingly, they also provide enzyme inhibition [3,4]. The digestion of the lignocellulosic materials in the termite gut involves three main stages: (1) hydrolysis; (2) oxidation, fermentation, or both; and (3) acetogenesis, methanogenesis, or both [5].The hypoxic periphery of the termites' digestive tract has been found to be inhabited by prokaryotic species that consume O 2 , resulting in anoxic conditions in the gut. However, aerobic bacteria are also found in the gut. It is therefore reasonable to expect that microbial community members have multiple ecological functions, especially given their ubiquitous presence in different termite species [6,7].The subterranean termite macrotermes gilvus Hagen is an abundant species in Indonesia. Owing to ISSN 2409-4943. Ukr. Biochem. J., 2017 its abundance and its consumption of woody materials, it is an especially destructive and costly species of termite. Nevertheless, their digestion process in utilizing the wooden structures is interesting, especially in the context of the biofuels and biomate rials industries [8,9]. The unique digestive system of termites features digestive tract enzymes as well as microfauna symbionts. The two-tiered system makes the termite digestion process complex and difficult to study. The goal of this research was to analyze the chemical properties of the termite gut, where the enzymatic degradation of woody particles results in the depolymerization of lignocellulose and cellulose components [8][9][10]. An additional objective of this research was to use gas chromatography-...

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“…(Anand et al 2010;Brune 2014). In termites, it had been described also the participation of intrinsic enzymes in cellulose degradation (Tokuda and Watanabe 2007;Watanabe and Tokuda 2010;Ni and Tokuda 2013]. Enzymes glycoside hydrolases (GH)-necessary for cellulose and hemicellulose degradation-are classified into more than 100 families.…”

Section: Gregarious and Social Dictyopteramentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Enzymes glycoside hydrolases (GH)-necessary for cellulose and hemicellulose degradation-are classified into more than 100 families. All endogenous (provided by the termite) GH are affiliated with the glycoside hydrolase family (GHF) 9, and GHF1 (Ni and Tokuda 2013). The hindgut microbiota of insects is largely structured by exogenous (diet and local environment) and endogenous (gut environment) factors (Colman et al 2012;Tai et al 2014;Yun et al 2014), but a dynamic core gut microbiota (commensal/symbiotic) were maintained even after environmental shifts ( Schauer et al 2014;Makonde et al 2015).…”

Section: Gregarious and Social Dictyopteramentioning

confidence: 99%

The holobiont concept: the case of xylophagous termites and cockroaches

Berlanga

Guerrero

2016

Symbiosis

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The rapid growth in microbiome research, particularly during the last 15 years, has revealed the crucial contributions of microbial communities to numerous physiological functions in animals, including digestion, immunity and reproduction.The permanent coexistence of these various bionts forms the holobiont (namely, the host and its microbiota). This review describes the relationships between xylophagous insects and their microbiota in an attempt to understand the characteristics that have determined bacterial fidelity over generations and throughout evolutionary history.Symbiotic interactions have probably played a central role in the evolutionary success of these insects, allowing their adaptation to unexploited ecological niches that are nutritionally deficient and/or unbalanced. Moreover, insect symbionts have provided the enzymatic capabilities that enable the synthesis of nutrients (carbon and nitrogen sources for the host) from recalcitrant plant polymers (cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin or lignin).

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Lignocellulose-degrading enzymes from termites and their symbiotic microbiota

Cited by 202 publications

References 104 publications

The gut microbiota of the wood-feeding termite Reticulitermes lucifugus (Isoptera; Rhinotermitidae)

The gut microbiota of the wood-feeding termite Reticulitermes lucifugus (Isoptera; Rhinotermitidae)

Determination of the major compounds in the extract of the subterranean termite Macrotermes gilvus Hagen digestive tract by GC-MS method

The holobiont concept: the case of xylophagous termites and cockroaches

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