A bacterial filter protects and structures the gut microbiome of an insect
Author
Lanan, Michele CarolinePos Rodrigues, Pedro Augusto
Agellon, Al
Jansma, Patricia
Wheeler, Diana Esther
Affiliation
Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Entomology and Insect Science, University of ArizonaSchool of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona
Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona
Department of Entomology, University of Arizona
Issue Date
2016-08
Metadata
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NATURE PUBLISHING GROUPCitation
Lanan MC, Rodrigues PAP, Agellon A, Jansma P, Wheeler DE. A bacterial filter protects and structures the gut microbiome of an insect. The ISME Journal. 2016;10(8):1866-1876. doi:10.1038/ismej.2015.264.Journal
The ISME JournalRights
© 2016 International Society for Microbial Ecology. All rights reserved.Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Associations with symbionts within the gut lumen of hosts are particularly prone to disruption due to the constant influx of ingested food and non-symbiotic microbes, yet we know little about how partner fidelity is maintained. Here we describe for the first time the existence of a gut morphological filter capable of protecting an animal gut microbiome from disruption. The proventriculus, a valve located between the crop and midgut of insects, functions as a micro-pore filter in the Sonoran Desert turtle ant (Cephalotes rohweri), blocking the entry of bacteria and particles ⩾0.2 μm into the midgut and hindgut while allowing passage of dissolved nutrients. Initial establishment of symbiotic gut bacteria occurs within the first few hours after pupation via oral–rectal trophallaxis, before the proventricular filter develops. Cephalotes ants are remarkable for having maintained a consistent core gut microbiome over evolutionary time and this partner fidelity is likely enabled by the proventricular filtering mechanism. In addition, the structure and function of the cephalotine proventriculus offers a new perspective on organismal resistance to pathogenic microbes, structuring of gut microbial communities, and development and maintenance of host–microbe fidelity both during the animal life cycle and over evolutionary time.Note
Open access.PubMed ID
26872040PubMed Central ID
5029173Version
Final published versionSponsors
This work was funded by NIH grant 5K12GM000708-13. PAPR received support from NSF Grant 0604067 to DEW.Additional Links
http://www.nature.com/ismej/journal/v10/n8/full/ismej2015264a.htmlae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1038/ismej.2015.264
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