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Insect endosymbiont proliferation is limited by lipid availability
Jeremy K Herren1, Juan C Paredes2, Fanny Schüpfer2
1Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland jeremyherren@me.com.
Elife
|July 17, 2014
Summary
Spiroplasma poulsonii bacteria deplete host lipids for growth. Bacterial proliferation requires hemolymph lipids, and their availability limits Spiroplasma growth in Drosophila melanogaster.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Insect-microbe interactions
- Symbiosis
Background:
- Spiroplasma poulsonii is a maternally transmitted bacterial endosymbiont of Drosophila melanogaster.
- The endosymbiont resides in the host hemolymph and requires host metabolites for proliferation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the metabolic requirements of Spiroplasma poulsonii within the Drosophila melanogaster host.
- To determine the role of hemolymph lipids in Spiroplasma proliferation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of hemolymph metabolite composition during Spiroplasma infection.
- RNAi-mediated knockdown of lipoprotein (Lpp) expression to reduce circulating lipids.
- Assessment of Spiroplasma proliferation following Lpp knockdown.
Main Results:
- Spiroplasma proliferation leads to a specific depletion of diacylglyceride in the host hemolymph.
- Lipoprotein (Lpp), the primary transporter of diacylglyceride, is crucial for Spiroplasma proliferation.
- Reduced hemolymph lipid levels via Lpp knockdown significantly inhibit Spiroplasma growth.
Conclusions:
- Insect endosymbionts acquire essential lipid metabolites from host lipoproteins.
- The proliferation of Spiroplasma poulsonii is limited by the availability of hemolymph lipids.
- Nutritional status influences host lipid availability, potentially regulating endosymbiont overgrowth.
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