Microbial Community Diversity in the Gut of the South American Termite Cornitermes cumulans (Isoptera: Termitidae)
Microbial Community Diversity in the Gut of the South American Termite Cornitermes cumulans (Isoptera: Termitidae)
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DOI：
10.1007/s00248-012-0119-6
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发表时间：
2013-01-01
影响因子：
3.6
通讯作者：
Martins, Orlando B.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Grieco, Maria Angela B.;Cavalcante, Janaina J. V.;Martins, Orlando B.
白蚁栖息在热带和亚热带地区，它们通过寄生在肠道微生物群的帮助下有效地降解生物量，从而对土壤的结构和组成做出贡献。在这项研究中，基于细菌和古细菌16S rRNA克隆文库，进行了独立于培养的分子分析，以描述南美垃圾食性白蚁Cornitermes cumulans的肠道微生物群落。我们的数据显示了广泛的细菌多样性，主要由螺旋藻、拟杆菌、菲尔米库特、放线杆菌和纤维细菌等微生物组成。相比之下，古生菌的16S rRNA序列多样性较低，主要由Crenaceota门的成员组成。通过对MCRA基因文库中的克隆进行测序，进一步分析了古细菌产甲烷菌的多样性。MCRA基因编码甲基辅酶还原酶，负责催化甲烷产生的最后一步，甲烷是一种重要的温室气体。MCRA序列具有多样性，在系统发育上分为三个分支，分别与未培养的环境古菌和在不同白蚁物种中发现的产甲烷菌有关。Cumulans是一种以垃圾为食、建造土堆的白蚁，被认为是自然生态系统中的关键物种，也是农业中的一种害虫。在这里，我们描述了这种白蚁内的古生菌和细菌群落，首次揭示了它有趣的微生物区系。
Termites inhabit tropical and subtropical areas where they contribute to structure and composition of soils by efficiently degrading biomass with aid of resident gut microbiota. In this study, culture-independent molecular analysis was performed based on bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA clone libraries to describe the gut microbial communities within Cornitermes cumulans, a South American litter-feeding termite. Our data reveal extensive bacterial diversity, mainly composed of organisms from the phyla Spirochaetes, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Fibrobacteres. In contrast, a low diversity of archaeal 16S rRNA sequences was found, comprising mainly members of the Crenarchaeota phylum. The diversity of archaeal methanogens was further analyzed by sequencing clones from a library for the mcrA gene, which encodes the enzyme methyl coenzyme reductase, responsible for catalyzing the last step in methane production, methane being an important greenhouse gas. The mcrA sequences were diverse and divided phylogenetically into three clades related to uncultured environmental archaea and methanogens found in different termite species. C. cumulans is a litter-feeding, mound-building termite considered a keystone species in natural ecosystems and also a pest in agriculture. Here, we describe the archaeal and bacterial communities within this termite, revealing for the first time its intriguing microbiota.